एकं सत्! Ekam sat!

The word "Hindu" seems to have become a bad word today. Our own people shy away from using it as if confessing to having a disease. Hindus here in the west almost seem to be leading double lives, where they are a devotional and traditional Hindu at home, but then they take off all signs of being a Hindu, wipe off the tilak or bindi, change out of their traditional clothes into western ones and step out making an attempt to "blend in". To be honest, have been there too so this is not to criticize any way of dressing, but simply trying to get us to think and be our natural selves without going out of our way to fit in. Others wear their faiths and beliefs with pride, then why not us? In a country where diversity is respected, why are we afraid of being different? It seems to point to a deep inferiority complex, a deep rooted belief that being Hindu and wearing it on one's sleeve is not a good thing. This is "sanitization", a scrubbing off of the Hindu-ne...

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 r...

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...

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 his...

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!...

श्रावणमासः, कृष्णपक्षः, अष्टमीतिथिः, गोपालकाला, १९४५ शकसंवत्सरः Yesterday was Shri Krishna Janmaashtami, the day Lord Vishnu was born on this earth as Krishna, the dark one. Happened to hear a beautiful talk on the metaphorical meaning behind Krishna's childhood antics fondly known as Krishna leela and thinking on it, my imagination added some more interpretations on Gopaalakaalaa (गोपालकाला ) and Dahihandi (दहीहंडी) what with today being the day these events are remembered and celebrated! But first a little about what are Gopaalakaalaa and Dahihandi.  Gopaalakaalaa: The recipe for Diversity, Equity, Equality and Inclusion Gopaalakaalaa is what Krishna and his cowherd friends ate mixing all their individual lunch box contents together. The cowherds set out early in the morning with their cows to take them to graze in the fields. They each had some packed lunch but not everyone was from a well to do household so some had simpler, smaller lunches than others. Krishna was the son of t...

Today is International Women's Day. Seeing friends and colleagues wish each other, I cannot help but reflect on my roots and feel a sense of pride.  I'm proud that I belong to a civilization where women have always been honored. From the over 20 women rishikas who contributed to the writing of the Vedas, the foundational texts of the Hindu Dharma, to the 9 day festival of Navaratri celebrating the feminine divine, women have always been respected, cherished and celebrated in Bharat.  She is revered as mother, our first guru, from even before we are born. She is cherished as a sister or wife or daughter. She is worshipped as Saraswati (the goddess of wisdom & learning), Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth), or Bhavani (the goddess of power) or the benevolent mother of the universe, Jagadambaa who pervades every last particle in the form of energy. Even the gods are known by their mother's or wife's names as Devaki Nandan, Yashoda Nandan, Kausalya Nandan, Sitaram, Janakina...

 

The pursuit of सत्/ Sat or true knowledge of who we are is like climbing a mountain with innumerable trails all leading up to the same summit of knowledge.  To use this analogy for the four yog explained by Shri Krishna in the Geeta: Raj, Gyana, Karma and Bhakti, the Raj yog trail must be the most difficult and treacherous one on the cliff side of the mountain where a guide in the form of a guru is a must or there is great danger of the climber falling. Next in difficultly could be the Gnyan yog trail which is intense and perhaps the shortest path to the summit but it has many offshoot trails that can confuse, distract and lead one astray as the learner's ego too grows with the learning which can cause delusion. Then there is the Karma yog trail, a straight steady climb that may be tough sometimes but is still doable for everyone without doing anything extra. All that is required is just a change of perspective. Offering one's daily tasks in whatever job, profession they do, to...

A Sanskrit poet by name Daivajna Shri Surya Pandit (दैवज्ञश्रीसूर्यपण्डित) wrote a Sanskrit work by name “Ramakrishna Viloma Kaavyam (रामकृष्णविलोमकाव्यम्)” in the 14th century. The English-equivalent of the Sanskrit word ‘viloma’ is reverse order or inversion. This book has 36 shloka (a shloka is a Sanskrit verse or stanza). Each shloka makes sense both when read in from the beginning of the shloka to the end as well as from the end to the beginning of the shloka (a sort of palindrome). When each shloka is read in the forward direction, from the first to last letter, it describes Shri Ram and when read in the reverse direction, it describes Shri Krishna!  Here is the first shlok in that book: तं भूसुतामुक्तिमुदारहासं वन्दे यतो भव्यभवम् दयाश्रीः ।  श्रीयादवं भव्यभतोयदेवं संहारदामुक्तिमुतासुभूतम् ॥ Notice that the second line in the above shlok is simply the first line reversed! Given below is the पदच्छेद: and an attempt to translate the meaning in English First line (in forwar...

Yesterday at the SAATh festival , I was shocked and deeply offended as I watched the reading/performance of the play  " The misadventures of Lotus Brothers " whose script and direction was by Ms. Pampi Das. What deeply offended me is the blatant Hinduphobia rife in it coming from either a place of complete ignorance, at best, or mischief and malice, at worst.  There were visuals playing in the background with some art but what caught my eye is one banner that showed up that said "Hinduism is colonialism". What?! So the one ancient culture that survived 1000+ years of physical, emotional and psychological attacks and severe attempts at trampling and stamping it out of existence is now being labeled colonial?! Have you wondered why the Hindu culture is the most ancient in the world today? Because its peers were killed off. By colonialists. And no, these colonialists were not Hindu. In fact, not only did Hindus never go on colonizing campaigns trampling other cultures ...

Attempting a new series on "Mindful Conversations" which is me talking to myself! Sounds rather egotistic or self-centered, I know, but how can one explore the "Self" without being "Self-centered"?! I guess the difference is that one needs to be careful to not focus on the lower case "self" which is our physical/mental identity but instead on the upper case one, the limitless Paramaatmaa! The saints highly recommend this approach too. Sant Tukaram says in one of his abhangs: "तुका म्हणे होय मनाशी संवाद, आपुलाची वाद, आपणाशी" -- Tukaram says, the mind holds a conversation with itself, we debate with ourself. In another place Tukobaaraayaa (another name for Tukaram maharaj) says: "आपणचि तारी, आपणचि मारी, आपणचि उधारी आपणा" -- we only are responsible for saving or destroying ourselves, we only can uplift ourselves.  Samartha Ramadas Swami who was the spiritual and political Guru and advisor/guide of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj has...

Unbelievable. That was the one word reaction I could give when asked after watching the movie, The Kashmir Files. It is unbelievable that we know so little about the scale of this exodus and genocide that destroyed the lives of half a million people. It is unbelievable how those of us who did know a little via the small amount of news coverage it got once in a while did not hold our elected government accountable asking them how an entire community becomes refugees in their own country, overnight, and continues to be even now 31 years later.  It is unbelievable how little we know about our history, not just the recent past of the Kashmiri Pandits but even our ancient past.  Why? Because we have been taught a different version, over generations. A version where we were the losers. The conquered. The subjugated. Slowly teaching us that this is what we deserved, this is what we've always been, second class citizens in our own land. The physical destruction started by the Mughals ...

Translating Jaati /जाति  and Varna/ वर्ण as caste is not only incorrect, it is completely misleading. Here's why. The Sanskrit texts refer to two words, one is  Jaati / जाति  which defines your or your familial profession/occupation which could be an engineer, doctor, jeweler, businessman, soldier etc. in the contemporary context.  Varna/ वर्ण  on the other hand is something entirely different. It has nothing to do with the family you are born in or any other aspect of your physical identity, but everything to do with your mental setup or Vrutti /वृत्ति.  Vrutti /वृत्ति  is loosely translatable as your mentality that makes up your  personality  that forms your  aptitude .  Vrutti /वृत्ति  is formed from your Sanskaar /संस्कार  and the karma /कर्म you do and these  Sanskaar /संस्कार feed back to shape your  Vrutti /वृत्ति forming a continuous loop .  Sanskaar /संस्कार  itself is a loaded term which essen...