His achievements notwithstanding, he is not a household name in India. His name does not ring any bells in the collective memory of Hindus. I am not even sure if any physical memorial of this Hindu Hero exists. Anecdotally, Prithvi Raj Chauhan is considered as the last Hindu ruler of Delhi. Even I had made the same assertion in one of my previous articles in Tattva [1]; and it took me a while to realize my error! It is incorrect to think that Hindus made no efforts to liberate Delhi in medieval India. Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya – the Hero of our story – made one such effort that succeeded – albeit for a brief interlude. As I read more about his life and his journey to the throne of Delhi, I was absolutely amazed by this great warrior-hero who almost succeeded in liberating India from foreign invaders – the Mughals. And more importantly, I don’t want to just narrate his life story – I want to put it in the general historical context of his times. As you will see below, his life (1501-1556) was an extremely tumultuous period in the history of India. Events that happened during this time-frame defined the course of Indian History for the next two and a half centuries. That is why I feel that it’s important for Hindus to know more about Samrat Hem Chandra and his courageous efforts.

Early Childhood
Not much is known about his childhood and early life. In fact, historians disagree about both his birth name and birth place. K.K. Bhardwaj [2] claims that perhaps his original name was Basant Rai, Hem Rai, Hem Raj or Hem Chandra Bhargava. R.C. Majumdar [3] writes that “he was born in a poor family of Dhansar section of the Baniya caste, living in a town in the southern part of Alwar”. Muslim historian Badayuni has described him as a resident of a small town called Rewari in the taluk of Mewat, and began his life as a green vendor.[2] Others believe that he was a hawker in the town of Mewat [2].  Historians mention that brought up in a religious environment, he was educated in Sanskrit, Hindi, Persian, Arabic and Arithmatic. He was also trained in Horse riding and was fond of wrestling (Kushti) [4]. His rise to fame did not begin until late 1530s when he came in contact with the officers of Sher Shah Suri. But events that happened in north India during his youth were not as dull!

India in Hem Chandra’s Youth
In the early 1500s, huge portions India were under Islamic occupation. South India, Rajputana, Orissa and Assam were the only parts of India that remained free. In Delhi, Lodi dynasty was ruling large parts of north India. Independent sultanates ruled Gujarat and Central India. Under the Islamic occupation, Hindus was already burdened by the crushing Jizya tax [5]. At such point in 1526, a Central Asian tribal warrior named Babur attacked India. His armies marched from Kabul to Delhi via Punjab. In the first battle of Panipat (April 21, 1526) Babur defeated the joint armies of Ibrahim Lodi and Raja Vikramjit – king of Gwalior – and captured the throne of Delhi [6]. Now Rajputs under the leadership of Rana Sangramsingh of Chittor challenged Babur. They were also supported by Hasan Khan Meo [7]. But unfortunately their joint forces too were defeated by Babur in the battle of Khanwa. With this victory Babur now controlled northwestern India as well as parts of Gangetic Plains.

“]

Figure 1: Babur’s March to Delhi from Samarkand in present day Uzbekistan [8

After more than 450 years, it’s difficult to imagine how different those times were. For starters, Indian children of school going age did not learn to memorize ‘Babur the Brave’, ‘Akbar the Great’, ‘Aurangzeb the Cruel’! Indians then had rather simple criteria. They considered anyone who was not from India and had not a single drop of Indian blood in his body (Babar, Humayun and Akbar) but still wanted to rule India as a foreign aggressor. And indeed that’s how the perception of Indians regarding the Mughal period should be. Today, the geopolitics of South Asian subcontinent has changed so drastically, that it is easy to forget that the Kabul-Kandahar region – known as Gandhara in early days was considered very much a part of Indian civilization [2]. With this perception in mind, the Afghans considered themselves as natives and were considered by Indians as natives of the land [2]. Whereas Mughals – the Central Asian tribal people attacking India were obviously foreign aggressors. Now that explains why Raja of Gwalior offered his help to an Afghan ruler – Ibrahim Lodi or why Hasan Khan Meo chose to fight with Rana Sangramsingh rather than with Babur.

Babur’s reign was nothing short of disaster for India in general and Hindus in particular. Guru Nanak, who was a contemporary of Babur and witnessed cruelties of Babur’s armies on the people, wrote in detail about the atrocities committed by him and his troops. Guru Nanak poignantly wrote [2] ‘The Creator has sent Babur the Mughal as Yama disguised. There was so much slaughter that the people screamed – Didn’t You feel compassion, Lord?’

Mercifully, Babur died (January 1531) before he could consolidate his hold on India and was succeeded by a weak son – Humayun. Sensing an opportunity, Sher Khan Suri – an Afghan commander of the Lodis – who was stationed in Bihar during Ibrahim Lodi’s rule, attacked Humayun. He defeated the Mughals in the battles of Chausa and Kanauj and drove them out of Delhi [9]. He captured Delhi in May 1540, declared himself the emperor and took the name of Sher Shah Suri. His ascent was miraculous – born in a peasant family, he rose from the rank of a private and ultimately became the king of most of the northern India. After capturing Delhi, he pursued Humayun and chased the Mughal army out of India. Humayun survived only by fleeing to the refuge of the king of Iran. Sher Shah Suri’s victories, though ridding India from the foreign occupation for the time being, did not give respite to the large Hindu populace. In addition to Jizya, he continued to levy huge ‘pilgrimage tax’ on Hindu pilgrims.

Rise of Hem Chandra
Hem Chandra’s rise began at around this time. He was based in Rewari – 55 miles from Delhi – and started supplying cereals to Sher Shah’s army. Slowly he started other supplies like saltpeter (for gunpowder) to Sher Shah’s army and that’s when he came in contact with Ismail Shah – Sher Shah’s son.  After Sher Shah’s death in 1545, Ismail Shah succeeded him. Recognizing Hem Chandra’s caliber, he initially appointed Hem Chandra as Shahang-i-Bazar, a Persian word meaning ‘Market Superintendent,’ who managed the mercantile system throughout the empire. This post gave Hem Chandra an opportunity to interact with the king frequently in order to apprise him of the trade and commercial situation of the kingdom [4]. After proving his abilities as Market Superintendent, he rose to become Daroga-i-Chowki or Chief of Intelligence [4]. Ismail Shah’s health deteriorated in 1552 and he shifted his base from Delhi to Gwalior, at which point he promoted Hem Chandra to Governor of Punjab. Hem Chandra held this position until Ismail Shah’s death in October 1553. [4]

After his death, Ismail Shah’s nephew Adil Shah killed Ismail Shah’s 12 year old son Firuz and usurped the throne. But he was not a capable ruler. Soon after becoming king, he appointed Hem Chandra as his Wazir or Prime Minister and started neglecting his responsibilities. Unhappy with the murder of Firuz and Adil Shah’s overall incompetence, various members of the Suri dynasty revolted against him. Soon, the Suri kingdom got divided into 4 large pieces [10]. Sikandar Suri declared himself the king of Punjab. Ismail Suri captured Delhi and Agra. Muhammad Suri declared himself the ruler of Bengal. Only Bihar up to the vicinity of Agra remained in possession of Adil Shah. In addition to these members of the royal family, many Afghan governors declared independence and refused to pay taxes to Adil Shah.  During this time as Prime Minister, Hem Chandra proved his mettle. Commanding Adil Shah’s army, he fought numerous battles defeating each rebelling governor [2]. He defeated and killed Muhammad Shah Suri – self appointed ruler of Bengal. He defeated Ibrahim Shah Suri twice [2]. Most importantly, with these victories, he not only controlled the administration and the treasury, but also the victorious armies of the empire.  In the meantime, Sikandar Suri too defeated Ibrahim Suri and captured Delhi and Agra.

At this time, sensing the general anarchy and disintegration of his Afghan enemies, Humayun – thoroughly defeated by Sher Shah 15 years ago but sustained and supported by Iranian support, invaded India once again. His commander Bairam Khan easily defeated Sikandar Suri and reinstated Humayun to the throne of Delhi (July 1555). But Humayun’s control over his newly conquered kingdom was tenuous at best and he died in January 1556. Hem Chandra was in Bengal when Humayun died. Humayun’s death gave Hem Chandra an ideal opportunity to defeat the Mughals. With about 50,000 soldiers, he embarked on a winning march from Bengal through present day Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh [4]. Many Mughal officers and commanders evacuated their positions and fled in panic. Hem Chandra’s army entered Agra without a fight [4]. He was now poised to liberate Delhi from the foreign aggressors. With a string of lightening quick victories over his enemies, he commanded the respect of his forces and trust of his officers – both Hindu and Afghan [2, 4]. At this point, rather than acting on behalf of an ineffective king, he declared himself as the king with the consent of his commanders.

Mughal general Bairam Khan, sensing the gravity of the situation, sent reinforcements to the Governor of Delhi – Tardi Beg Khan and the Mughal Army battled Hem Chandra’s forces in present day Tughlaqabad [4]. In this battle, Hem Chandra arranged 300 elephants and selected cavalry in the center with loosely guarded front and flanks. As the battle began, Mughal forces overcame the front and even attacked Hem Chandra’s flanks. At one point it appeared as if Mughals had captured 3000 Afghan men and 400 elephants. Sensing victory, Mughal armies dispersed to plunder the enemy camp. At that point Hem Chandra charged on Tardi Beg’s camp with his reserved forces in the center. Seeing a force marching directly towards them and without any armies to stop them, the Mughal commanders fled from the battle field. The result was chaos in the Mughal forces and it resulted in their total defeat.

Shreyas Limaye is a student of Hindu History. He can be reached at shreyaslimaye@gmail.com

This article is the property of Shreyas S. Limaye. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect this article. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, without his prior consent is a violation of copyright law.

References
1.    http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2007/07/dharmaveer-sambhaji-by-shreyas-limaye/
2.    Bhardwaj, KK “Hemu: Napoleon of medieval India”, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, 2000.
3.    Majumdar, RC. “The History and Cultures of the Indian People”, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (in 12 Vols) , VII ,97
4.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samrat_Hem_Chandra_Vikramaditya
5.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jizya#Historical_development
6.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babur#The_battle_with_Ibrahim_Lodi
7.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khanwa
8.    http://maps.google.co.in
9.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sher_Shah_Suri
10.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Adil_Shah
11.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Orissa
12.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayanagara_Empire

Nowhere is assimilation more prominent than in the American high school. I would not consider myself particularly successful at maintaining my traditions and customs. At the same time, I never fit in, and perhaps most importantly, I never found a balance between both extremes. I will cross the stage of my graduation ceremony (the day I wrote this) cognizant of the fact that I am not a normal American, and I am also not a normal Hindu.

The United States of America is often referred to as a melting pot, which refers to two salient attributes of the nation and its people. One aspect is its rich diversity, as people have come from around the world to settle in the self-proclaimed “Land of Opportunity.” However, the concept of a melting pot also suggests that the American culture is one that centers around assimilation—where the numerous emigrant cultures blend into one uniform standard for everyone to follow.

Nowhere is assimilation more prominent than in the American high school, where children segregate themselves and form cliques based upon petty objects such as clothing. Unfamiliarity of someone’s lifestyle and traditions can lead to immature moments of ridicule at this stage. In this environment, it is extremely difficult to remain faithful to your identity while “fitting in” in the society that you live in.

Perhaps I am not a writer best suited for this topic. After all, I would not consider myself particularly successful at maintaining my traditions and customs. At the same time, I never fit in, and perhaps most importantly, I never found a balance between both extremes. It all just melded together into this bizarre blend that anyone would consider “weird.” I will cross the stage of my graduation ceremony (the day I wrote this) cognizant of the fact that I am not a normal American, and I am also not a normal Hindu.

However, there are certain positives I can identify about my journey. In many aspects, I did not waver from the way I was raised by my parents, and by extension, this allowed me to educate my peers about my way of life. After successfully advocating for the Boston Public Schools to recognize the festival of Diwali as a religious holiday, I observed the holiday by taking the day off and was able to explain to teachers and classmates alike about the significance of Diwali the following day. By wearing the traditional kurta pyjama on the day of my star birthday, I was able to talk about the unique lunar calendar that Hindus follow. Had I not done some of these things, there are hundreds of people who would only be exposed to a Hindu culture through the distortions that Western media projects.

The reason for that has to do with our school’s demographics—and the demographics of the city of Boston. Most of the Hindus in Massachusetts live in suburbs on the outskirts of Boston—places such as Westborough, Westford, and Franklin. Very few live in the city of Boston itself, and as a result, there were only three Indians in my grade at Boston Latin School. I have spent the past six years in a place where the term “Asian” is usually a reference to a student of either Chinese or Vietnamese descent.

One of the focal points of contention for me as a Hindu-American in high school might seem trivial to some, as it pertained to my diet. As an adherent of Jainism, I am a staunch vegetarian. Our school’s cafeteria was quite incapable of catering to a vegetarian’s needs—throughout my six years in BLS, the only vegetarian meal offered was a slice of greasy cheese pizza. As a result, I would often wait until after school to eat a slice of pizza offered from one of the food vendors that set up shop in front of our school building, because these slices were more edible and significantly cheaper as well.

But it was not the physical challenge of finding food at school that concerned me as much as the mental and psychological effects of being viewed strangely for my eating choice. Students—sometimes out of genuine curiosity but often times in an attempt to ridicule—would ask all sorts of ludicrous questions about when it could be appropriate for me to eat meat. Some children would gawk at me when they found out that I had never eaten meat in my life, and then would proceed to talk about how meat “just tasted so good,” and how they “could never live as a vegetarian.” Others would try to lure me into eating meat by making the claim that “chicken tastes so good,” ignoring the fact that because I had never tasted chicken, I could not appreciate such descriptions. A particular favorite of some was to tell me that the food I had in my hands contained meat—even if it was the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had brought from home. To this day I am trying to figure out the mental satisfaction one could obtain from such a ploy.

Through all of the heckling and teasing, I refused to try meat. I remained firm in my convictions, and by the end of six years, many students have grown to not only respect it, but appreciate it. As a result, I no longer have to remain uptight and defensive about it, which I used to be in the past.

Now, in other regards, there are many things that I regret. These actions were truly unbecoming of a Hindu, and they were not particularly moral either. The way I see it at this point is that life is all about the struggle for one to overcome their inherent flaws. And at least after four years of high school, I have come to identify a few of them. Hopefully, I will spend these next four years in college overcoming them and progressing.

Sanchay Jain is a 2010 graduate of Boston Latin School in Massachusetts. He has interned in the Scheduling Office of MA Gov. Deval Patrick and is a branch manager of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, USA. Sanchay enjoys reading and listening to music. He will attend New York University in the Fall of 2010 to study political science.

Young Hindu:

I do agree that Krishna and Rama are avatars of God. But where is that God? Sitting somewhere in heaven or another loka?

Dr. Balasubramanian:

God does not sit in any loka. He is everywhere. (Gita XIII, 13) Prahlada said, “He is in a pillar” and God did emerge from there. God is a concept. He embodies all the reality in our imagination. If you have the strength to accept God in abstract it is welcome. But you may also like to be on friendly terms with him. Then he is your friendly neighborhood God. You may deal with him as father, mother, brother, sister etc.

Young Hindu:

So we can assume Gita was the outcome of loud thinking of Arjuna.

Dr. Balasubramanian:

Yes in a way. Arjuna’s predicamanet is similar to what we face in daily life though not in such stark terms. The gita tries to help us out in such situation.

Young Hindu:

The person who has seen the brahmam is a brahmin

Dr. Balasubramanian:

No. The one who has ’seen’ the Brahman is a Brahma-gnyaani. A Brahmana or Brahmin is at a very mundane level.

Young Hindu:

The 4 varnas created by god is for our mental upliftment stage by stage and has nothing to do with our social life.

Dr. Balasubramanian:

The four varnas stand for some innate qualities or predispositions we are born with. They are called svabhava. They define svadharma. The English word for svadharma is vocation. Society benefits most if everyone follows the vocation he is best suited to follow (gita III 35, XVIII,47). So varna is a social concept.

Dharma is evolutionary ethos. It simply means that we should leave the world better than what it was when we came in. Dharma is predicated upon the other three parts of purusha-artha concept. Purushaartha is the goal of life. It has four components: Dharma, artha, kaama and moksha.
Wealth is central to a happy or contented life. But it has to be creatively generated. Creative generation of wealth is called artha and is the second component of purushaartha. Artha is qualified by dharma or creativity that promotes social evolution.

The third component is kaama looked upon as instinctual sexuality. Sexuality (male and female) is accepted as part of dharma or evolution (Gita VII, 11). In the west male sexuality was recognized after the Kinsey report of the mid-1950s. Female sexuality was brought out by the Hite report in the mid-1970s. Female sexuality is dealt with in the raasa lila of the Bhagavatam.

Hinduism respects both forms of human sexuality. Human sexuality is different from the animal instinct. In this respect Hindu kaama is different from the commandments of judaism that are accepted in christianity and islam. The last part of purushaartha is moksha when one transcends existential limitations. He is the sannyaasi. He is the Brahmagnyaani. He is not bound by cause-effect relations or sin or punya . (gita XVIII, 12)

Young Hindu:

There are 3 philosophies. All these are different stages of understanding our religion.

Dr. Balasubramanian:

The Reality is One. It is not changed by your (or my) perceptions of it. It is beyond our comprehension.
The three philosophies are different ways of approaching the Reality.
It is like saying “a glass is half full” or “half empty”. Both are equally valid.
Similarly the three philosophies are equally valid. They are meant for different sets of individuals.
Hinduism respects individuality and allows space for everyone.  It is not a “one-size-fit-all” religion.
You need not be restrained to the three number. There are actually more. You can follow your own formulation. As long as it is logical and internally self-consistent it will be as correct as any other including the three.

The fundamental axiom that guides Hindu thought is, Satyameva jayate, naanrtam or “Reality prevails over delusions”. Delusion even in respect of God is to be avoided. This is a fundamental point about Hindu pluralism. I have explained it in an article. It is available on request.
It had appeard in Tattva magazine.

The Hindu fundamental prayer, recited by Rajan Zed in the US Senate, is non-denominatinal:

Lead Thou me
From the unreal to the Real
From ignorance to Enlightenment
From the ephemeral to the Eternal.

(This is the second of a series of three articles. Please read the first article of the series here and the second here)

We also have Goddesses such as Hecate. She is practically a replicate of Durga or Kali. She has the same significance as Mother Kali or Durga as well. Hecate was known as Kurotrophos (Nurse of the

Children and Protectress of mankind)  This is Durga as Shashti, The Protector of Children. Also Note the word Kuro which is most likely related to the Sanskrt word Kuru. This may indeed be more evidence verifying that some of India’s Kurus did indeed migrate to Greece.  Like Durga’s Navratri Festival, which starts the day after the New Moon, Hecate was also worshipped on the New Moon. Like Kali Mata, Dogs are sacred to Goddess Hecate and they are both worshipped on new moon nights as well. The Serpents are also an obvious similarity between Hecate and Kali Mata. Chandi is Durga as a Moon Goddess and Hecate is also connected to the Moon as seen in the carving below. Even the items held in Hecate’s hands, Fire, Weapons, Elephant Goad, Water pot and Discus, replicate those held by the Vedic Durga.

In the images above we see that both Hecate and Durga are carrying the same instrument which appears to be an elephant goad. This is not just one random example. The fact is every single Greek God and Goddess has a verifiable Vedic counterpart.

Evidence reveals that around 4500 years ago a new people arrived in Anatolia, Modern Turkey. They brought with them new pottery techniques and in particular introduced a new two handled drinking cup called Depas Amphikypallon. “The 2 handed cup, introduced by the new arrivals clearly bears the Sanskrit names Deepas (cup), Amphik or Ambhik (water) and Pellon from the Sanskrit root pa (to drink) whose participles are pipan, papan. In particular the word Ambhas occurs in the Rig Veda.”11

Turning to the sciences, particularly the medical, mathematical and astronomical sciences, we see more amazing parallels. In fact the similarities are so striking that it was hypothesized that the Indians must have gotten all their astronomical and medical knowledge from the Greeks.

Regarding Astronomy some of the obvious similarities are:

A.    In both systems epicycles and eccentric circles are used to determine the planets’ placement.

B.    Mercury and Venus are taken as the mean sun and heliocentric real planets are represented by the apex  of quick motion.  Correction for the equation of the center is applied to the mean sun instead of the real planet to determine their real orbits.

C.    Instead of elliptical orbits, planetary orbits are supposed to be circular in both systems.

D.    For determining the geo-centric position of planets instead of the actual sun, the mean sun is taken for the apex of quick motion.

E.    There are certain words that are commonly used in both systems such as Kendra = Center.12

In the Greek language the word is κέντρο= kentro. Thus even the Sanskrit word Kendra is the same as in the Greek.

Another very interesting piece of evidence suggesting Vedic connections to the West can be found in the ancient synagogue of Beit Alpha in the NE part of Israel. Despite being a Jewish place of worship the Temple has a mosaic of Helios surrounded by the Zodiac and its symbols.

Intriguingly the images of the Four Seasons at the four corners of the circle, as seen on the left are not placed next to the beginning of the zodiac signs that are usually associated with the seasons, i.e. Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, but with the signs just before them. This is because it depicts the cycle of the seasons in the Sidereal or Vedic Zodiac. The Sidereal or Vedic Zodiac is tied into the actual constellations and do not change, whereas the zodiac that is commonly used in the West changes with the seasons. So here it appears that the ancient Hebrews had the same understanding of the astronomical science as the ancient Vedic people of India.

The repeated finds of Helios within Jewish places of worship suggest that rather than merely a Greek Sun God, Helios was recognized by the worshipers of Jehovah as much more. The research of David Sherman highlights that Helios, as seen in this ancient image (left) driving a chariot with 4 horses, is none other than Hari or Krishna known as Partha Sarathi, the driver of Arjuna’s chariot. Helios’ golden chariot is a ‘Quadriga’ yoked to a team of four horses abreast. This same Helios or Hari was known as Eli to the Jews. Thus it is no surprise that Helios images have been found in many ancient synagogues discovered up to this date. To date seven synagogues in Israel alone have been found with images of Helios. This shows that Helios was widely accepted amongst the ancient Hebrews. Helios has a long history in Judaism. His figure is found in both text and magical amulets from that time period. This combined with the early Christians’ recognition of Helios as Christ suggest that the distinction between the ‘Pagan’ religions and Judaism and Christianity is artificial. They did not recognize Helios in an attempt to harmonize with their ‘Pagan’ neighbors. They worshipped Helios because He was their God. In later years the Jews and Christians divorced themselves from their own roots. Because their ways of worship were different, they gradually lost the understanding that their object of worship was one and the same as those of the ‘Pagans’. As the centuries rolled by, various doctrines arose. Political pressures developed that reinforced a sense of otherness and thus many schisms arose.

The evidence seems to back up this view. Above we see the floor of a synagogue in Ein Gedi, Israel built during the Roman occupation of Judea. It is decorated with a swastika. The floor was of simple white mosaic with a swastika pattern in black tesserae in the center. Also in Maoz-Haim, Israel another ancient synagogue was found to contain a Swastika mosaic. Again we see a strong link between ancient Judaism and Vedic culture.

Other surprising finds were discovered in two ancient Egyptian synagogues. Here statue bases with inscriptions were found. The statues themselves are long gone but the fact that a Jewish temple contained sacred images is obvious and startling.  It appears that the ancient Jews did indeed worship deities in their temples. “Finally there is evidence that several Egyptian synagogues, one in Alexandria and the other in Naucratis had statues. Statue bases were discovered in each, one with the explicit inscription “to the synagogue” the second mentioning a Sambathic association.” Sambathic connotes the Sabbath thus confirming that the Statues were indeed religious in nature. “…we may well have evidence of communities whose Jewish practice condoned such images, not unlike those who built and attended the 3rd century Nehardea (Babylonia) synagogue that also had a statue.”13 “It is reported in the Bavli that a synagogue in Nehardia had a statue inside and that, despite this, a number of sages continued to pray there.”14 “There was a synagogue at Shaf ve yateb in Nehardia that had a statue, and Rav, Samuel, Samuel’s father and Levi would enter and pray there and were not afraid of arousing suspicion of idolatry.”15 Also a lamp from the 1st century BC was discovered in an ancient synagogue on the Greek Island of Delos. On this lamp (right) is an image of Helios with His sacred Eagle.

Theories have been given suggesting that these are proofs of the immense popularity of Hellenistic culture during the post Alexander era. However the Jews, amongst all the ancient peoples of the world, were known to stubbornly refuse to bow to the political might of any earthly power. Thus the theory that the ancient Jewish people adopted Greek Gods and Goddesses as a kind of fashion statement, having been allegedly swept up into loving everything Greek, does not seem tenable. Rather, I propose that the ancient Jews recognized the Greek deities as alternate forms of the very same God that they worshipped.

Some may be confused by these revelations and cite Moses’ commandment against idolatry. Besides the obvious Vedic understanding that Deities or Murtis are not just mere graven images created by the fancies of our imaginations, it is clear that only authorized forms are to be worshipped.

So what is an Idol? The English word Idol is related to the word Id or Ego. This Id is responsible for our basic drives such as food, sex, and aggressive impulses. When seen in this way, idolatry is recognized as a form of self aggrandizement that is solely focused on the impulses of the false ego. Another instance where we find the ancient Jews use of a sacred carven image can be found in the Old Testament.

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”16

Moses made a copper snake and put it on a pole to demonstrate to the people that they could be saved from the plague of snakes if they raised their eyes to heaven. 17

Jesus Christ says: “Just as Moses lifted up the copper snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”18

Here we see direct Judeo-Christian accounts confirming that a graven image of a serpent was a symbol of deliverance!

The Sumerian god Ningizzida was the patron of medicine. In the image on the right he is accompanied by two gryphons. It is the oldest known image of snakes coiling around an axial rod, dating from before 2000 BCE. This means that once again we are seeing evidence of the ancient world’s amazing homogenous cultural development. How else can we explain a four thousand year old Sumerian emblem having the same exact significance as the Jewish ‘Rod of Asclepius.’ Asclepius himself was the Greek God of Healing and Medicine. Here we have three allegedly different cultures using the same emblem to signify the same thing.  To this day we find this potent image of healing as an everyday part of our lives as we visit any modern hospital or Doctor’s office.

Since, according to Herodotus, Greek religion was identical to Egyptian religion, we can deduce that we have four distinct and diverse ancient cultures that shared a common spiritual and mystical tradition.

The bronze serpent of Moses was called Nehushtan from the Hebrew word for Serpent Nachash. Again we see a strong linguistic similarity in the Hebrew word for Serpent Nachash and the Sanskrit word Naga. Even the English word Serpent is almost pure Sanskrit, Serpent=Sarpa.  These many linguistic evidences represent an immense field which can accurately be called linguistic archeology.  It would take many researchers years to completely catalog the immense quantities of linguistic evidence. Such an investigation will be of great value and go a long way in confirming ancient Humanity’s cultural connectivity.

According to Herodotus (440 BC) the rituals of the Greek Gods apart from Poseidon were exactly the same as those of the Egyptian gods. “Indeed, well nigh all the names of the gods came to Hellas from Egypt. For I am assured by inquiry that they have come from foreign parts, and I believe that they came chiefly from Egypt.”19 So here Herodotus clearly states that the Greek religion was indeed developed in foreign parts. His belief was that Egypt was the source. Yet it turns out that even Egypt’s culture was Vedic in nature. However that is another subject which I can only briefly highlight in this study.

Interestingly, Beef eating and cow slaughter were prohibited in Ancient Egypt. In his famous book Euterpe, Herodotus reveals that the Oracle of Ammon enforced an abstention from beef upon all peoples in the Nile area. …”being of opinion themselves that they were Libyans and not Egyptians, and also being burdened by the rules of religious service, because they desired not to be debarred from the use of cows’ flesh, sent to Ammon saying that they had nought in common with the Egyptians, for they dwelt outside the Delta and agreed with them in nothing; and they said they desired that it might be lawful for them to eat everything without distinction. The God however did not permit them to do so….”20 Herodotus also says in regards to animal sacrifice, “the cows however they may not sacrifice, but these are sacred to Isis; “..and all the Egyptians without distinction reverence cows far more than any other kind of cattle.”  Herodotus continues, “In the same manner as they bury the oxen they bury also their cows when they die; for about them also they have the same law laid down, and these also they abstain from killing.”21

As we know beef eating and cow killing is prohibited in the Vedic tradition as well. Egyptians identified Ammon with their supreme god Amun; they called Him ‘God of the oracle’ ‘Amun of Siwa, Lord of good counsel’. It can not be mere coincidence that the religion of the highest and most revered God of Ancient Egypt, Amun, also known as Yamanu to the Egyptians, strictly enforced a prohibition against beef eating. The quote above reveals that this injunction was strictly kept and enforced. Therefore this is indeed a strong indication of the Vedic basis of ancient Egyptian civilization. We also find a hint of probable Shiva Linga worship when Herodotus refers to the Egyptians as carrying images with movable phalluses in their processions for Dionysus, rather than just phalluses as the Greeks do.”22

Another common aspect of both Greek and Indian cultures has come to light by a revealing study on the grammatical and metrical content of both Rig-Vedic Sanskrit and ancient Greek. It turns out that the grammatical and metrical content of both languages is the same.

“Since the Rig-Veda reflects *klewos, when accompanied by *ṇ- and *dhgwhi-, in a metrical position which indicates archaism, it is important that the same collocation is frozen within the meters of Greek as well. The cognate of Rig-Vedic s/ra/va(s) a/kSitam, κλέος ἄφθιτον, occurs in the epic hexameter of Iliad I 413 and in the dactylic pentameter of Sappho 44.4LP…..“Furthermore, while a/kSiti- is formed by genuine Indic grammatical rules, its lack of a solidly-precedented grammatical constituency suggests that it is an ad hoc poetic creation. (There is an interesting parallel in Greek. Just as the adjective a/kSiti- is built from an abstract substantive kSiti-, so also the Greek adjective ἀθάνατος ‘immortal’ seems to be built from the substantive θάνατος ‘death’ rather than from the adjective θνητός ‘mortal’. The analogue to a/kSita- would have been *ἄθνητος, a hypothetical form which Kuryłowicz argues to be more archaic than the actual ἀθάνατος.”23

In other words the ancient Vedic language of the Rig Veda and the ancient Greek language are intimately inter-connected. Even the very meter and grammatical structure of the two languages are exact parallels of each other.

In closing let us take a brief look at the modern calendar. In the word Calendar we once again see an example of almost pure Sanskrit. Calendar (Kalandar) and Clock (Kalak) both come from the word Kala the Sanskrit word for Time. In our modern calendar we have 12 months. According to our modern calendar January to August represent the 1st to the 8th months. Next we find ourselves in September the 9th month, October the 10th month etc. Yet when we translate the actual words September, October, November and December we find that we are dealing with numbers.

Sapta is Seven as in Sapta-Sindhu=7 rivers, Octa is Eight as in Octagon, Nava is Nine as in Nava Ratna=Nine Gems and Dasha is Ten as in Decimal. Thus while September is the 9th month for us its very name reveals that it was actually the 7th month of the year. The same holds true for October, November and December.

September= the 7th month
October= the 8th month
November= the 9th month
December=the 10th month

Despite the fact that our modern calendar no longer reflects the original meanings of the months, the very names of these months inform us of their original placement. We can thus identify the calendar as it was thousands of years ago. Encoded within the names of these months is a forgotten legacy that can be revealed through the Sanskrit language. In the same way, all the answers to the mysteries of our past can be discovered. Again and again key elements that make up the very basis and fabric of ancient civilization remind us of our common global heritage. It behooves us to begin extensive, intensive onsite investigations into this important field of research. The entire world will be benefited by the cataloging, deciphering and preservation of these many astounding and incredible reminders of the World’s Ancient Vedic Heritage.

Eyes of Durga

Ancient Greek version

Sources

1.    Alexander and Alexandria in Indian Literature published in French in the Memoires del’Institut Francois vol lxvii-Melange Maspero vol II by Sylvain Levi
2.    Gates of India, pg 91 by Holdich
3.    Central Asiatic Provinces of the Maurya Empire, pg 89 Indian Historical Quarterly 1938 by H.C. Seth
4.    Anabasis of Alexander by Lucius Flavius Arrianus ‘Xenophon’ Arrian
5.    TimeSigns: Now What? National Geographic Magazine 9/04 by Virginia Morell
6.    Helios, Encyclopedia Mythica by Micha F. Lindemans
7.    The Historical Library of Diodorus Siculus, pg 336 Book V, ch.III
8.    Historical Identity = Theological Identity by David Sherman
9.    Homer’s Gods, Plato’s Gods by Dr. Jan Garrett.
10.    The Hobbit, There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkein
11.    Indo-Aryan Colonization of Greece pg 54 by Vishnu Kant Varma
12.    Is Indian Astronomy Influenced by the Greeks? By Prof M. L Sharma Sanskrit University, Varanasi, India
13.    The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years pgs 88-89 by Lee I. Levine
14.    The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years pgs 364-365 by Lee I. Levine
15.    Talmud Bavli B Rosh Hashana 24b
16.    The Old Testament (Numbers 21.8-9)
17.    Talmud (Rosh Ha-Shanah 29a)
18.    The New Testament (John 3:14-15)
19.    Euterpe Herodotus’ Histories Book II 50
20.    Euterpe Herodotus’ Histories Book II 18
21.    Euterpe Herodotus’ Histories Book II 41
22.    Euterpe Herodotus’ Histories Book II 48
23.    Comparative Studies in Greek and Indic Meter  Harvard University Press by Gregory Nagy

Orissa in the Crossfire-Kandhamal Burning provides many vital details related to the Hindu-Christian violence that has swept Orissa’s Kandhamal district. The book also highlights the history of Orissa and its tribes. While many have familiarized themselves with the propaganda that has fictionalized the events surrounding the Kandhamal crisis, few have had access to the facts. The true history of Kandhamal and the struggles of its people deserve a fair hearing in the court of public opinion. Is the Kandha religion sinister or sacred? Are they bloodthirsty savages or a people of a noble and ancient heritage? Can the tribes people of Kandhamal rise up out of their undeserved shame and be seen for who they really are? Long labeled as ‘a cruel human sacrificing tribe of ruthless savages’ it is time the truth be revealed. It is time for the world to learn about the Kandha ‘God of Light’ and their Culture of Life.

Paperback 452 pages

http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/orissa-in-the-crossfire-kandhamal-burning/7879596

The book is available in hardcopy and as a download as well.

PREFACE

I arrived in India in early September 2008. It had been over four years since my last visit. During my previous trips to India, I had travelled throughout the Northeast part of the country. In Arunchal Pradesh, Assam and Nagaland I had met with many tribal people and was fortunate to gain first hand experience of the culture and conditions prevalent in that part of the country. Northeast India is abundant and verdant. Its people represent an amazing diversity of languages, traditons and lifestyles. Unfortunately, despite the beauty and innocence of the region it is plagued by political violence and economic disparity.

In early September 2008 I found myself in Northeast India. This time I was in Hojai, Assam. Located near the Bangladeshi border it is an area of some tension and like many towns of NE India, it is a frequent target for bomb blasts and machine gun killings. I had been invited by the tribal organization VKA (Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram) to participate in their Tribal Leadership Conference. During this meeting I met with thousands of Indian people and with the representatives of nearly every tribe of the Northeast including delegates from Sikkhim. The diversity expressed by these various people emphasized the ideal of ‘Unity in Diversity.’ Here I met with the Buddhists of Tawang and Sikkhim, the Hindu Tribals of Tripura and Manipura and the tribal followers of Danyi Polo. I also met with various other representatives of the diverse tribal faiths of NE India as well. Though Northeast India is home to many Indian tribes it is actually a State to the south of India that is home to a majority of India’s tribespeople. This state is called Orissa or Odisha.

Coincidently, a mere two weeks before my arrival in India the tribes of Orissa had gone on the warpath. According to media reports, countless Christian churches were being burnt and worst of all Christians were allegedly being hunted down and killed. The violence had erupted after an 82 year old Hindu Monk dedicated to the upliftment of Orissa’s tribespeople had been assassinated in a most brutal manner. The day chosen for his assassination was also seen as an intentional provocation. The day was Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna; a holiday celebtrated across India. The location of the assassination also caused great anguish to the tribespeople. A group of somewhere between 18 to 36 armed men had descended upon a local girls school, lobbing grenades and firing machine guns into the air. The headmistress of the school was gunned down as she attempted to shield the life of her mentor, the 82 year old monk and founder of the school, Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati. A visiting parent along with two junior monks were also viciously slaughtered as the young students fled for their lives.

Orissa was stunned by the violence and the entire State went into mourning. Hindus throughout the world were outraged. Yet worst was to come. As a stunned people began to confront the fact that the authorities had failed to protect its citizens, the media began a campaign of calumny. Ignoring the brutal assassination of a beloved spiritual leader as the root of the crisis the media began to depict the response to the massacre as the story. Report after report flooded the world media depicting the outraged tribal response as the actions of blood-thirsty criminals and marketers of hate. Ignoring the hundreds of years of anguish and the long simmering disputes between the local Kandha tribespeople and the Christian converted Pana, the media and political left created an artificial template lambasting the Hindus as the sole perpetrators of the violence.

It was in the midst of this crisis that I arrived in Orissa to investigate the circumstances surrounding the violence. I arrived in Bhuvaneshwar, the capital of Orissa, on September 15, 2008. The monsoon season was in full swing. The worst floods in nearly 70 years washed over the land. The state highway was washed out several times and thousands of people were left homeless. Amazingly life went on as usual with very little interruption. I had a couple miraculous escapes as we drove around Orissa crossing bridges only hours before they were swamped by the swollen rivers of the region.

During my 5 weeks in Orissa I met with many people on all sides of the issue. Most people were forthright and clear about the issues plaguing the people. Many of the people, in fact, most of the people I met with had excellent solutions to the problems at hand. However the violence and disparity experienced by the people of Orissa and India at large has created a kind of chaos and instability. Thus India moves from one crisis to the other. The greatest obstacle in the way of India’s progress is the state of denial that is endemic to country. Without understanding the true foundation of the problem it is almost impossible to provide any solution. The truth is most often buried and manipulated by vested interests. Any effort to reveal the truth is highlighted as a ‘communal’ or ‘prejudiced’ effort. Victims are ignored and culprits are emboldened as the various political players entrench themselves in the suffering of the people. India’s people are categorized and cataloged and thus divided againt themselves by language, religion, ethnicity, caste and clan. Government benefits are given out and fought over. Many take advantage of government largesse based upon their greed as the truly needy are left on the way side. India’s tribal people have been left far behind as some of India’s non-tribal citizens expertly and criminally manipulate the system. In this way tribal lands and rights are being accessed by non-tribals to the disadvantage of the tribals. Long embittered, India’s tribes are only now attempting to regain lost ground. Their struggle has been a long one and is ongoing.

In this report I have attempted to present the facts as they happened. I have referenced many experts in both the history of the region and personally interviewed the leading investigating journalists and other informed parties in regard to Orissa’s tribal crisis. I was also quite fortunate to have met with and interviewed the world’s leading experts on India’s tribal condition. I am grateful to the faculty, staff and students of North Orissa University’s Tribal studies program. It is the only one of its kind in the world and is located in the heart of Orissa’s tribal country. In particular Professor Laxman Sahu of NOU’s Tribal studies program and his students were very enlightening. I also gathered much information from Orissa’s Tribal Museum experts and was delighted to see the many artifacts from Orissa’s living cultures. The experts from the Governments Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes (ST-SC) Dept were also generous with their time and I am grateful to them for their help. These many expert views on Orissa’s tribal condition are irreplaceable and crucial towards gaining an accurate understanding of Orissa’s socio-political conditions. I am also grateful to Janmejay Sahu and Sanjay Jena for their hospitality, assistance and guidance during my stay in Orissa.

The information in this report is primarily based upon the testimony of the leading academics of Orissa, authoritative and verifiable news reports and my personal observations obtained during interviews and during my interactive visits to various locations during my fact-finding mission to the region.

“Orissa in the Crossfire’ not only provides many of the vital missing details related to the Hindu-Christian violence that swept the Kandhamal district of Orissa in 2008, it highlights the history of Orissa and its tribes. Forgotten by most is the fact that Orissa was once a great naval power. Its ships plied the ancient seas from Japan to Rome. However today, Orissa is one of India’s poorest regions. Ironically it was once one of the wealthiest kingdoms of the ancient world. Its city of Puri has long been a place of great significance and it remains as an epicenter of devotion and faith for countless millions.

While many have familiarized themselves with the propaganda that has fictionalized the events surrounding the Kandhamal crisis few have had access to the facts as they are. It is my hope that the these truths and facts can now be accessed. The true history of Kandhamal and the struggles of its people deserve a fair hearing in the court of public opinion. Let us not add to their anguish by ignoring, negating and vilifying their cause and their cries for justice. Let the tribes people of Kandhamal rise up out of their undeserved shame. Long labeled as ‘a cruel human sacrificing tribe of ruthless savages’ it is time the truth be revealed. It is time for the world to learn about the Kandha ‘God of Light’ and their Culture of Life.

Brannon Parker
November 7, 2009

Chinmayananda Jayanti was celebrated on May 8 this year in over 250 Chinmaya Mission centers in India and almost 50 centers outside India. This day marked the birthday of Swami Chinmayananda, one of the foremost preachers of spiritual knowledge in recent times. Chinmaya Mission was established by the devotees of Swami Chinmayananda in1953 and is rendering valuable service in inculcating spiritual, cultural and social values among children and adults all over the world. Swamiji dedicated four decades of his life for the service of humanity by establishing ashrams, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and clinics throughout the world.

Swamiji is popular worldwide as a spiritual master and was considered an authority on the ancient Hindu scriptures, especially the Bhagwad Gita and the Upanishads. He was the author of over 30 books dedicated to the philosophical belief behind religion. He is credited with the revitalization of spirituality and cultural values in India.  Swamiji also worked ceaselessly for spreading the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta expounded by Adi Shankaracharya all over the world. Swamiji made Vedanta accessible to everyone regardless of age, nationality or religion.

Swami Chinmayananda was born in a devout Nair family called ‘Poothampalli’ in Ernakulam, Kerala on May 8, 1916 as the son of Parukutti and Kuttan Menon. He was given the name of Balakrishnan (Balan) by Chattambi Swami, known as the ‘Saint without saffron.’ Swamiji lost his mother at the age of 5 and was introduced to formal education in a nearby school where he learnt Malayalam and Sanskrit. After graduating from Lucknow University in English Literature and Law, he joined the Indian freedom struggle and was arrested and sent to jail. After coming out of jail, he entered the journalism profession and joined The National Herald in Delhi as a reporter. His writings during those days displayed his inherent compassion for the poor.

In 1947 he went to Rishikesh and met Swami Sivananda of the Divine Life Society to get his doubts cleared as to why saints who cared about mankind chose to stay away from people and did not enter mainstream life. Meeting Swami Sivananda and interacting with him proved to be a turning point in his life. He pursued spiritual studies for nine years under the guidance of Swami Sivananda and under the tutelage of Swami Tapovan Maharaj of Uttarakashi. Known as the vibhuti of the Himalayas, Swami Tapovan Maharaj was an authority on Indian scriptures.  Swamiji was initiated in the order of Sanyasa in 1949 and was named Swami Chinmayananda Saraswathi. Since 1951, Swamiji has been working tirelessly to spread the eternal message of Hindu Dharma to the masses. Swamiji introduced the Gita Gnana Yagna first in Pune and subsequently all over the world. Through Jnana Yoga (Vedantic path of spiritual knowledge), he emphasized the balance of head and heart, pointing out selfless work, study and meditation as the cornerstones of spiritual practice.

Administered by the Central Chinmaya Mission Trust in Mumbai, the Mission undertakes a wide range of spiritual, educational, and charitable activities including Jnana Yajnas (Vedanta lecture series, seminars, workshops); Bala Vihar (Vedanta forum for children and youth); Yuva Kendra (Vedanta forum for university students and young professionals; Study Group (Vedanta forum for adults) and Devi Group (Vedanta study and discussion forum for housewives); Spiritual Retreats and Camps; Intensive Vedanta Courses (training for monks, swamis/swaminis and brahmacharis/brahmacharinis); Temples and Shrines; Educational Institutions; Medical Services; Rural Village Development Projects; Pitamaha Sadans (homes for senior citizens); and Research in Sanskrit and Indology. Chinmaya Mission sponsors 62 schools in India where Vedic heritage is included in the curriculum. Chinmaya ashrams are established in Mumbai and Siddhabari in India and in Piercy, San Jose, Washington, Chicago, Flint, New York, Florida and other places in the U.S.

Chinmaya Mission imparts the wisdom of Vedanta in the Vedic tradition of guru-shishya parampara (teacher-taught tradition). “To give maximum happiness to the maximum number for the maximum time” is the tenet that drives the Mission workers and each person has gained personal growth, heightened efficiency, contentment, and the ability to live with others in peace and harmony.

Swami Chinmayananda was appointed as a President of Hindu religion for the Centennial Conference of the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, where Swami Vivekananda had addressed hundred years ago. Swami Chinmayananda attained Mahasamadhi on August 3, 1993 in San Diego and his body was buried in the Siddhabari Ashram.

The teachings of Swamiji record his presence eternally reaching out to all those aspiring for the higher ideals in life. His legacy remains in the form of publications, audios and videos; social service projects; Vedanta teachers whom he taught and inspired; and Chinmaya Mission centres worldwide, serving the spiritual and cultural legacy. Swami Tejomayananda, a disciple of Swami Chinmayananda is the present spiritual head of the Chinmaya Mission worldwide.

The author is a social activist and Director, Indo-Gulf Consulting. He can be contacted at telegulf@gmail.com.

The following letter appeared in “Dear Abby,” a syndicated column published in hundreds of U.S. newspapers:

A rough approximation of the Bible Belt. (Copied from Wikipedia)

“Dear Abby, I am a Hindu woman living in the ‘Bible Belt.’ Many of my friends and acquaintances are Christians, and they are all wonderful except for one thing. Some try in small, subtle ways to convert me to their faith. With Christmas approaching, I know what’s coming: boxes of baked goodies with little brochures and pamphlets tucked inside all about Jesus and the Christian faith. I wish you would remind people that all of us in this diverse nation should respect the faiths of others. To try to convert someone to your faith implies that you consider your religious beliefs superior, and this is just plain wrong. I know these gestures are well meant, but I wouldn’t dream of sending Hindu brochures with my holiday goodies. Abby, what is a tactful, but firm, way of dealing with this?” Signed, Happy Hindu In The Bible Belt.

Abby’s response:

“Dear Happy Hindu, much as you would like, you are not going to change people who feel its part of their religious commitment to ‘save’ you. Ignore the brochures and enjoy the goodies.”

Based on a 12/21/02 Chicago Tribune feature under the head-line “American Advice Columnist Responds to a Hindu’s Concern.”

This sloka is to be recited while lighting lamp.

शुभं करोति कल्याणम्  आरोग्यं धन-सम्पदा |
शत्रुबुद्धिर्विनाशाय  दीपज्योतिर्नमोस्तुते ॥

subham karoti kalyanam  arogyam dhana sampada
shatru buddhir vinashaya   dipa jyotir namostute

Sanskrit to English Word Meaning:

Subham- auspiciousness; karoti – which brings; kalyanam- prosperity; arogyam- good health; dhanasampadah- abundance of wealth; shatrubuddhih- of the intellect’s enemy (ignorance); vinasaya- for the destruction; dipajyotir- that lamplight; namosthuthe- I salute thee.

Translation

I salute the One who is the lamplight that brings auspiciousness; prosperity, good health, abundance of wealth, and the destruction of the intellect’s enemy (ignorance).

Brief explanation

This prayer is chanted before lighting the lamplight. Light is considered a symbol of auspiciousness, prosperity, and abundance in many cultures. Light brings with it brightness, but how does it destroy the intellect’s enemy? The intellect’s enemy is ignorance, which is likened to darkness. Light removes the darkness and  makes it possible to see things clearly.

Maha Kali, the first of the ten Mahavidhyas, is perhaps one of the best known goddesses of Hinduism. She is the very force behind the movement of time, our very life and the order that maintains it. Fearful though she appears, she is capable of granting the ashta siddhis to her Upasakas. She is portrayed as dark blue in colour, her eyes wide open, her tongue rolling wildly, dressed with severed human heads and hands and wearing garlands of skulls with various arms bearing different weapons. She is often shown straddling over a corpse (which is in the form of Shiva) amidst a blood spattered battle field or a cremation ground. She represents death and beyond, thus standing for all eternity as the only ultimate truth.

Deepak Saagar is

The decision of leaving India for education in the USA is a tough one for every Indian student. It is a big leap in the career path that comes with a huge financial investment and a challenge of adjusting to a completely new country and culture. So, when I started my journey to Seattle for my master’s degree at the University of Washington, there was a sense of apprehension over whether I would be able to adjust to the way of life in the USA and if I would ever get a chance to follow Indian culture and traditions.

The kind of welcome I received from the Hindu YUVA at UW was amazing. The ‘Suswagatam’ program (new student welcome program) organized by the Hindu YUVA at UW, made me feel at home. I was hosted by two Hindu YUVA volunteers, who were also students at UW, and they helped me settle down in Seattle. Hindu YUVA and its members soon became my family in Seattle. They not only helped me meet many new people but also re-introduced me to Shakha , which I had been occasionally going to back in India. Shakha is a weekly program of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, where people meet to practice yoga, play team-building games, have discussions and do community service activities.

Hindu YUVA celebrates Navaratri

Shakha and the activities organized by the HSS brought in a sense of discipline in my lifestyle and pride towards the Hindu culture. Participation in the activities and events organized by HSS also helped me go  beyond just the normal academic schedule. I was amazed by the way Hindu culture is lived and celebrated in the US. HSS, Shakha and all the activities have now become a part of my everyday life here. All this have immensely contributed to my success in academics.  As I plan to move ahead with my academic goals towards a doctoral degree at Indiana University, I have no doubts in my mind that the next 4 years are going to be enjoyable with the Sangh Parivar always around me.

Akshay Bhagwatwar just completed his master’s in Information Management from the University of Washington, Seattle. He plans to start his Ph.D. at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University this fall.

Mother’s Day is an annual celebration that recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds, in addition to the positive contributions mothers render to the society. By raising children and inculcating good qualities in them, mothers carry out the vital responsibility of building and molding tomorrow’s leaders. All around the world, people take Mother’s Day as an occasion to reflect on the importance of mothers and to appreciate the many sacrifices they make.

Mother’s Day came into being due to the efforts of two American women, Ms. Julia Ward Howe and Ms. Anna Jarvis. In New York City, Ms. Julia Ward Howe led a ‘Mother’s Day’ anti-war observance on June 2, 1872, which was accompanied by a Mother’s Day Proclamation. The Resolution that created a dedicated Mother’s Day was signed by US President Woodrow Wilson on May 8, 1914. Most countries, including the US, Australia, Canada and India, celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May.

The idea of worshipping the divine as the Eternal Mother has been in the Hindu tradition from time immemorial. Goddesses, such as Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Durga and Kail, are worshipped as forms of the Universal Mother. The concept of Mahadevi as the supreme goddess emerged as a term to define the powerful nature of female deities. Women are considered manifestations of the Divine Mother. According to Manusmruti, “The daughter is the highest object of tenderness,” and “The mother is revered a thousand times more than the father.”

Personal God is worshipped in various forms in Hinduism, and this has led to the formation of various sects that all fall under Hindu Dharma. Siva is the supreme deity to Saivites, and Vishnu is the absolute deity for Vaishnavites. For Shaktites, Shakti manifests as Mother or Devi. The idea of worshipping God as Mother finds expression in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa always referred to God as “my Mother.”

There are traces of Mother worship in the Indus Valley civilization. The female terracotta figurines found at Mohenjo-daro are comparable to similar artifacts found in Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, Baluchistan and Egypt. The generally accepted view is that these figurines represent the Great Mother whose worship under various names and forms is still prevalent in India.

The origin of the idea of Mother Goddess in the Vedas is difficult to be pinpointed, but deities like Aditi and Saraswati are described as “motherly.” This shows that the idea of the Mother underlying such Puranic deities as Uma, Durga, Parvati and Lakshmi is of Vedic origin. The Vedic concept of the Mother Goddess is found represented in Aditi who is referred to in the Rig Veda several times. This tradition of Aditi being the mother of the gods is found in the Puranas as well. Agni is conceived as the Divine Mother in the Durga Sukta of the Taittiriya Aranyaka. In the later Puranic texts, night is described as originating from Maya, and is called Bhuvaneshwari, the sovereign mistress of the worlds. Devi Sukta gives the concept of the Divine as Shakti, and Mother Goddess makes her appearance in the Kenopanishad as Uma Haimavati. Devi Bhagavatam describes this legend elaborately and records Lord Indra’s adoration of the Supreme Mother.

The Mundaka Upanishad speaks of seven female powers which are personifications of the flames of sacrificial fire. The first chapter of the Ramayana, the Balakanda, refers to the story of Goddess Uma, the youngest daughter of Mount Himavan, who was married to Rudra. The Mahabharata also refers to Pradyumna’s worship of Goddess Katyayani and Aniruddha’s hymn to Goddess Chandi.

It is a universally accepted fact that there cannot be a creation without the union of two elements-the male and the female. The linga and yoni representing the masculine and feminine aspects have been the symbols of Shiva and Shakti. It was observed that the Supreme Being is responsible for the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe.

Purusha and Prakriti are two independent realities. In the Puranas, Prakriti is conceived of as Purusha’s female counterpart. In the Puranas, the concept of Shakti as Mother Goddess attained remarkable development. The Devi Bhagavatam is devoted to the exploits of the Great Goddess whereas Devi Mahatmyam describes the concept of Shakti as the Great Mother and is regarded as a sacred text of the mother worshippers of India.

Durga is worshipped as Annapurna, the provider of food, and as Jagaddhatri, one who upholds the world. In the Devi Kavacha, Devi is conceived as Nava-Durga in nine forms, such as Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalaratri, Mahagauri and Siddhidatri. The Devi is also conceived of in three forms according to three gunas such as Maha Saraswati (Sattva), Maha Lakshmi (Rajas) and Maha Kali (Tamas). The ten Mahavidyas are another set of representations of the Devi such as Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Matangi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagala and Kamala. From this, it is clear that the concept of Mother as a divine personality has been prevalent in the Hindu tradition from time immemorial.

The author is a social activist and Director, Indo-Gulf Consulting. He can be contacted at telegulf@gmail.com

(This is the second of a series of three articles. Please read the first article of the series here.)

A vivid example of the confusion caused by Homer can be seen when we look at his view on Kronos the Greek God of Time. Our word Chronology is rooted in the word Kronos. Homer presents the God Kronos as a disturbed and psychotic being who kills and eats his own children. The image is horrific, dark and blatantly asuric-demonic in nature. However when we apply the Vedic perspective to this image it becomes clear that Homer took ancient knowledge and repackaged it to suit his own ideas. Kronos is God as Time. In the Bhagavad-Gita Krsna as the Supreme Being states,” Time I am, the Devourer of worlds.” Homer took this concept and turned it into an actual human-like entity that brutally murders and eats his own children. However the original concept points to an actual and obvious law of nature. Recognizing Time as the all consuming and merciless destroyer, the Ancients were in awe of this power. This concept was well known throughout antiquity and still rings true today.

This thing all things devours;

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats mountain down.

…Time…It is Time!

If we so desired we could easily portray such a force as evil merely based on the impact it has upon the world. However such a perspective would not be accurate nor just.

Another important point regarding Greek spirituality is to recognize the one recurring and common symbol that has always been associated with the Greek sense of the sacred. This symbol is the Vedic Swastika. In the alleged city of Troy over 500 Swastikas were discovered. Thus this symbol is found over and over again and it is generally found in the most sacred and religiously important sites.

Whether it is the grand Swastika mosaic (seen above) found in Dion, Macedonia, Greece the ancient pilgrimage place and sacred city built at the foot of Mt Olympus….

Or the Ceremonial Swastika Shield of King Phillip, the father of Alexander the Great. This was discovered in his tomb and it is encircled with Swastikas. Again because it is a sacred ceremonial shield it is covered in Swastikas to symbolize its connection to the Divine. This Swastika held the same place of honor in Ancient Greek culture as it does today amongst Hindus, Buddhists, American Indians and others.

Ceremonial Swastika Shield of King Phillip, the Father of Alexander the Great

Here, on this ancient Greek warrior helmet 325 BC, we see a Swastika. Found at Herculanum.

Ancient Greek Swastika Bowl discovered at the site of Troy

We find other striking similarities between India’s Vedic culture and ancient Greece in the symbols of the Serpent and the Swastika. The Greek Cross has the same shape and form (crux quadrata) and is the basis for the swastika which was also called ‘fylfot’ or ‘tetraskelion’. Over 530 Swastikas were discovered in the ancient city of Troy by Schliemann. Details of this were presented in an article by the Northvegr Foundation entitled ‘Dispersion of the Swastika’.

“Figure 69 represents one Swastika in which the main arms cross at nearly right angles. Both ends of one arm turn to the left and those of the other arm turn to the right in figure 8 style. One of the ends is curved, the others bent at different angles. Fig. 70

shows the parallel lines representing segments of a circle similar to figs. 60, 64, 65 and 69, except that it has four instead of three. It has one Swastika; the main arms (of double lines) cross at right angles, the ends all curving to the left with a slight ogee.
The U. S. National Museum was, during 1893, the fortunate recipient of a collection of objects from Madame Schliemann, which her husband, before his death, had signified should be given to the United States as a token of his remembrance of and regard for his adopted country. He never forgot that he was an American citizen, and, preparing for death, made his acknowledgments in the manner mentioned. The collection consisted of 178 objects, all from ancient Troy, and they made a fair representation of his general finds. This collection is in the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology. In this collection is a spindle-whorl, found at 13 ½ feet (4 meters) depth and belonging to the fourth city. It had three Swastikas upon its face, and is here shown as fig. 71.
The Fifth City.–Schliemann says:
The rude stone hammers found in enormous quantities in the fourth city are no longer found in this stratum, nor did the stone axes, which are so very abundant there, occur again here. Instead of the hundreds of axes I gathered in the fourth city, I collected in all only two here. The forms of the terra-cotta whorls, too, are in innumerable instances different here. These objects are of a much inferior fabric, and become elongated and pointed. Forms of whorls like Nos. 1801, 1802, and 1803 [see figs. 72, 73, and 74], which were never found before, are here plentiful.

The Sixth and Seventh Cities.–The sixth city is described in “Ilios,” page 587, and the seventh on pages 608 and 618. Both cities contained occasional whorls of clay, all thoroughly baked, without incised or pointed ornamentation, and shed no further light on the Swastika.

Fig. 75 represents the opposite hemispheres of a terra-cotta ball, found at a depth of 26 feet, divided by incised lines into fifteen zones, of which two are ornamented with points and the middle zone, the largest of all, with thirteen specimens of

and .

Zmigrodzki says that there were found by Schliemann, at Hissarlik, fifty-five specimens of the Swastika “pure and simple” (pp. 809,826). It will be perceived by examination that the Swastika “pure and simple” comprised Swastikas of several forms; those in which the four arms of the cross were at other angles besides right angles, those in which the ends bent at square and other angles to the right; then those to the left (Burnouf and Max Müller’s Suavastika); those in which the bends were, some to the right and some to the left, in the same design; where the points tapered off and turned outward with a flourish; where the arms bent at no angle, but were in spirals each upon itself, and turned, some to the right, some to the left. We shall see other related forms, as where the arms turn spirally upon each other instead of upon themselves. These will sometimes have three, five, and six, for more arms, instead of four (p. 768). The cross and the circle will also appear in connection with the Swastika; and other designs, and zigzags (lightning), burning altars, men, animals, and similar representations will be found associated with the Swastika, and are only related to it by the association of similar objects from the same locality.”

In this we have direct verification of the Vedic links to ancient Greece. As in the Vedic tradition, the Swastika was not a mere decoration but rather it was always intimately associated with the sacred. It was also always connected with the cross and the disc.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Diez de Velasco discusses the similarities between Indian and Greek religion is his thesis ‘Serpentine Power in Greece and India’.

“The essential role played by serpents in some mythical Greek episodes does not appear to be sufficiently clarified. In view of the impossibility to find decisive explanations in the Hellenic culture itself, we decided to use an instrument of historical-religious analysis, the comparative method, to find an extra-Hellenic example with a sufficient degree of relevancy to enlighten the religious “reality” that underlies these serpentine episodes. The country where the systematization of the symbolism of the serpent is accessible and with a suitable development for our purpose is India. In this multiform culture we will try to find an example that offers an explanatory linkage for the sparse information that survives in the Hellenic culture… Gorgo seems a candidate to symbolize among the Greeks the radical alterity named Kundalini in Tantric tradition, a terrific power mastered by a select group of special men, transformed into heroes. Thanks to the Indian parallel we can better understand the subtle role of Hermes, the god in the Greek pantheon who best symbolizes the ritual of ascension and change to a new reality that is the experimentation of serpentine power, the alterity and strength of which are reflected in the hypnotic and terrifying glance of Gorgo… Among the Greeks knowledge seems to be attested of subtle or mystical physiology having a number of elements comparable with Indian Tantrism. The symbols (serpent, light, ascension) and the experience (importance of sex, access to a greater personal development) are similar. In the Greek case the information is hidden in the mythical language (in the literary or iconographical transmission), re-elaborated and transmitted in most cases by authors who are unaware of the real dimension of the facts they are relating. Without the instruments of the comparative method the sole interest of the vicissitudes of diviners such as Teiresias, Melampous or Branchos, heroes like Perseus or gods like Hermes is to show the ravings of mythical creation; in the light of the Indian example, the Greek myth grows in meaning and could be explained, in part… we are dealing with similar models to characterize extraordinary religious experiences. But the result is different and exemplifies the cultural adaptation produced in the social mentality in each country that seems to illustrate the archaism of the practices and permits us to refute a recent loan. Heroes, kings or diviners in the Greek case or creatures liberated from the bonds of human nature in the Indian case are two ways to represent the man who had developed potentialities beyond the reach of common human beings.”

Another interesting aspect of the Indo-Greek nexus is underscored by the research of Manoj Bhatty. In his thesis entitled ‘Antikythera mechanism origin - India or Greece - Ancient Indian Astronomy’ he states, “There is a good chance that the mysterious Antikythera mechanism had its origin in India. Let me elaborate on what Antikythera mechanism really is. In layman’s terms Antikythera mechanism is the world’s oldest computer! Yes, Antikythera mechanism is an ancient device that is closest to being a mechanical computer (or analog computer if you may) than any other ancient artifacts that range back to around 150 BC. Fundamentally Antikythera mechanism was very useful for extremely intricate astrological calculations and predictions and it has been found to be incredibly accurate and fairly advance for its time… the fact that the instructions were written in Greek language because Greeks didn’t know how to use the device! Add to it the fact that it was being shipped to Greece and it becomes a very strong argument in the favor of the assertion that it Antikythera mechanism was manufactured elsewhere for Greeks but not by Greeks. Another extremely important point that I’d like to make is that the timing of the whole thing coincides with Hipparchus’s reforms… Hipparchus was trying to improve Greek’s astrological sciences to get them to make more accurate predictions; this whole era being Greeks reaching out to outside world (Greeks students coming to Takshashila, India for studies is well documented) and it’s very likely that Antikythera mechanism was being shipped to Greece as a part of an effort to import some more advanced technologies. This again, sits well with the aforementioned facts that that Antikythera mechanism was found shipwrecked on its way to Greece and the verbose “how to use it” instructions written in Greek. Antikythera mechanism is just one of many such devices invented by Indians: Antikythera mechanism is essentially many different devices rolled into one. More specifically, if you start with an Armillary sphere (gola-yantra) and make adjustments (some complex ones) to include many other ancient astrological devices while using a clock like mechanism, you would end up with something like Antikythera mechanism. So, it’s not a mysterious thing, it’s just a rather advanced piece of machinery that hints at the craftsmanship and astrological knowhow of the people using it. The astute reader might make a case that later Greeks have also been known to use Armillary spheres but the problem is that even Greek Armillary spheres were not accurate enough. Greek’s Armillary spheres used ecliptical coordinate system while Indian Armillary spheres used Equatorial coordinate system (more accurate, while also providing a way to switch to ecliptical system if needed). And various other devices (yantras) like Yasti-yantra, Ghatī-yantra have been in use in ancient India since well before Antikythera mechanism so it follows that Indians must have had been trying to improvise on the devices they already had and came up with the Antikythera mechanism.”

We also find Vedic symbols such as the 3 shaped ‘OM’ sign in Crete. In the thesis entitled ‘Aum Sign in Crete’ the researcher Sunil Shrivastava writes in this regard, “While reading William Durant history book on Crete and Greek Civilization, I found that Crete people were worshipping snake, a mysterious letter 3, and a Fertility Goddess. The mysterious letter 3 would resurface in the temples discovered in Crete. It is clear that across the Middle East and the ancient world, peopled worshipped snakes. This was nothing new for people whose verbal traditions were basically the same. The snake worship was often associated with the Phallic Worship, which is a symbol of the Male Principle or the Father Principle Worship. The Fertility Goddess was the symbol of the Female Worship Principle. The number “3″ worship reminded me of the sign AUM, and many years back, I found it in the archives of Crete Museum, which I carefully saved in my private collection… like Hindus, the Troy people would cremate and mourn the dead for 13 days and on the last day of the mourning, they would have a feast. Their women would wear something like an Indian Sari. Troy and Crete were the early civilizations that influenced Greek Civilization. Ancient Greek and Sanskrit are very close. There is a lot of parallelism and similarity between Greek and Hindu Religion, Languages, Philosophies, Science and Astronomy. Lately, as the field of researchers has opened up the club of history writers, which was initially dominated by colonial historians, there is “pressure” to revisit these facts. There were some honest historians among the colonial historians but for obvious reasons, they were not very popular and accepted by their main stream brothers. History and Academia demand physical and “hard” proofs, such as the discovery of archaeological sites with artifacts. “Soft” facts like similarity in Languages, Religion, Philosophies, and Science are difficult to admit and usually hard to prove. Grudgingly, these similarities are being labeled under an unknown Proto-Indo European Civilization. DNA study, and other observations of mine, suggests that an ancient migration from the North-Western Region of Indian Peninsula to Europe took place in 40,000 BC.”

The Temple of the Oracle of Delphi was at the heart of ancient Greek Religion and Spirituality. As discussed earlier, the Shiva Linga or Omphalus was at the center of its Holy of Holies. Not only this, a Vedic phrase was inscribed at the Temple. An inscription stating ‘Gnothi Seauton’ meaning ‘Know Thyself’, reminded the visiting pilgrims of their goal of ‘Self Realization’. This goal represents the essence of the Vedic path. In the Sanskrit language this phrase is ‘Jnanoti Sotam’.

At the time of the migrations of the Indian Vedic people they moved into the Middle East and into the Mediterranean regions. In ancient Mesopatamia the Vedic God of the Waters, Varuna was known as Ea or Ayus and Indra, the God of storms and the King of heaven was known as Enlil. Both Balarama and Krishna were referred to as Baal as in Balarama and Bal Gopal. Lord Ramachandra or Rama is none other than Ra, the alleged Sun God of Egypt. In fact the disc emblem signified much more than the sun. Since the very sun itself was a symbol of the Supreme Being and was considered a manifestation of the Sudarshan Chakra of Vishnu, the solar emblem became the primary symbol for God. In the Yantra forms of both Rama and Krishna-Vaasudeva they are represented by disc. The Vedic Sun Yantra itself is connected to Rama and is presented as a disc encircling the name of Rama. This same disc was also represented by the Swastika, the Cross and the Ankh for they all symbolized the Supreme Godhead. The Sudarshana Chakra of Vishnu is the same emblem as well. Along with the disc we always find the eagle, the serpent and the lion. The image of the winged disc, usually accompanied by a serpent, symbolized the Supreme God across the world. Civilizations from India, the Mesopotamian region, Egypt, Judea, Ethiopia and the Americas all used the winged disc to symbolize God. So rather than ‘Sun Worshippers’ the Sun Disk, like Sacred Fire, was used as a tool for communion between the worshipper and the Divine. The Divine Goddess, the pleasure potency of the Divine, was referred to as Shakti and Shekinah. She was always associated with the Red Lotus, Rose or Flower and this was her symbol. Both God and Goddess were worshipped as the Divine Couple. They were as inseparable as Fire and Heat, Water and Wetness and the Sun and Sun-Light. Vishnu, himself, was worshipped by the ancient Babylonians and Sumerians as Marduk. Marduk was always associated with Mushushu. Mushushu was his carrier and was an amalgamated creature consisting of the Eagle Garuda, the Serpent Ananta Shesha and Hari the Lion.

The Vedic Fire God, Agnidev is considered to be the ‘Mouth of God’ and during Vedic Fire Yajna oblations, offerings are made to the Divinities and poured into the fire. We find the name ‘Agnidev’ in the Latin as ‘Agnus Dei’. ‘Agnus Dei’ symbolizes the same principle in both the Vedic and Christian traditions. Our English words ‘Ignite’, ‘Ignition’ and ‘Initiate’ are all rooted in ‘Agni’, the Sanskrit word for ‘Fire’.

Some may naturally question the conclusion that identifies the Gods of Greece with those of India. Yet we find that history itself confirms this view. The ancient Greek writer Arrianus’ short book ‘Indica’ clearly refers to various Greek Gods in relation to India. ‘Indica’ is one of the oldest surviving foreign descriptions of India. Flavius Arrianus was a biographer of Alexander the Great and he relied upon other Greek sources, like the writings of Niarchus, which are now lost.

He writes, “The looks of the people of India and Aethiopia are not entirely dissimilar. The Indians who live towards the south are more like the Aethiopians, they are black in their faces, and their hair is black; but they are not so flat nosed or so curly-headed as the Aethiopians. The more northern Indians would especially resemble the Egyptians in their bodies. Megasthenes says that there are in all 118 Indian nations. I myself agree with him that there are many Indian nations; but I am not able to conjecture how he learned the exact number and recorded it, for he only visited a mere fraction of India, nor do many of the races have any intercourse with each other. He says that in ancient times the Indians were nomads, like that section of the Scythians who are not agriculturists, but wandering about on wagons, live at one time in one part of Scythia and at another time in another part, neither inhabiting cities nor consecrating temples to the gods. So the Indians had no cities or temples built for the gods. They clothed themselves in the skins of the wild beasts which they killed, and ate the inner bark of certain trees, which are called tala in the Indian language, and, as upon the tops of palm-trees, there grow upon them things like clews of wool. They also fed upon the flesh of the wild beasts which they caught, eating it raw, until Dionysus came into their country. But when Dionysus came and conquered them, he founded cities and made laws for them, and gave the Indians wine as he had given it to the Greeks. He also gave them seeds and taught them how to sow them in the earth; so that either Triptolemus did not come to this part when he was sent by Demeter to sow corn through the whole earth, or this Dionysus came to India before Triptolemus and gave to the inhabitants the seeds of cultivated crops. Dionysus first taught them to yoke oxen to the plough, and made most of them become husbandmen instead of being nomads, and armed them with martial weapons. He also taught them to worship the gods, and especially himself with the beating of drums and the clashing of cymbals. He taught the Indians the Satyr-dance which among the Greeks is called the cordax, and to let their hair grow long in honour of the god. He also showed them how to wear the turban, and taught them how to anoint themselves with unguents. Wherefore even to the time of Alexander the Indians still advanced into battle with the sound of cymbals and drums… The Heracles, who according to the current report came to India, is said, among the Indians themselves, to have sprung from the earth. This Heracles is especially worshipped by the Sourasenians, an Indian nation, in whose lands are two great cities, Methora and Cleisobora, and through it flows the navigable river Jobares. Megasthenes says, as the Indians themselves assert, that this Heracles wore a similar dress to that of the Theban Heracles.”

The two cities of ‘Methora’ and ‘Cleisobora’ mentioned by Megasthenes are Mathura and Krishnapura. The ‘river Jobares’ is the Jamuna River and Hercules is Krishna as ‘Hari Kula Ish’ the ‘Lord of the Family of Hari.’

The scholar and researcher David Sherman has discovered many aspects of Vedic Vaishnavism at the heart of Western Religion. His vast explorations of the ancient religious traditions of the world reveal a common devotional revelation. This revelation appears to have been global in its scope.

“The Bridal Mysticism of this Rhoda-Kouros worship was at the core of the great Heliopolitan Civilization of Earliest Dynastic Egypt. According to legend, the Egyptian Capital of Heliopolis was founded by an actual son (Actis) or ‘ray’ of Rhoda and Helios Kouros. Tracing all of the interdisciplinary connections to Rhoda and Kouros worship led me back to the Biblical Bridal Mysticism Tradition in the Song of Songs, where the Divine Lovers Doda are clearly related to Rhoda and Rhodos, on their sacred Lotus Isle of Rhodes, in Greece. Thus the Bible calls the Rhodanim/Dodanim. Of course Rhoda and Rhodos Kouros are the East’s Radha Krishna! Their Hierophant and Master of Mysteries is Bal-Yahu-Dionysos, who in the East is Bala-Vasudeva (compare Vasudeva and Hebrew Toba-Yahu). Baladeva in his multi form as Dionysos Polieus is the ‘Descending Savior’ of all worlds (Messiah/Nyasa), the Deva Nyasas of God (Eli/Hari) who anoints/initiates, and who is himself anointed. Investigating these astounding connections further, I found interdisciplinary evidence of the entire salvific tradition of Radha, Krishna and Baladeva-Vishnu in the Mediterranean thousands of years before the Christian era. This tradition was clearly related to Pure Land Buddhism, and thus confirmed it as the earliest and most authentic form of Buddhism.”

Vrndavan Parker is currently working full time for the Dharmic cause. He is a founding member of WAVES, the owner and founder of Vedic Empire Productions, a founding member and former Vice-President of the Vedic Friends Association, and a former executive board member of Community Television of Lane County, Oregon.

When we browse through the philosophical concepts and spiritual manuals of various Hindu schools and sects, we can see that the spiritual evolution conception of God can be broadly classified into 3 stages.

First, the Vedic (which includes Veda Samhita, Aranyakas, Brahmanas and Upanishads). Second, the Agamic or tantric (which includes various tantric texts of various schools such as Shaivas, Shaktas, Vaishnavas and Ganapathyas). Although Aghoras, like Naths, form a separate category themselves, they can be clubbed in Tantras under Vamachara (Left hand Path). The third stage is the Puranas.

The usual division of Hindu philosophy (Astika schools) is into 6 schools: Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaishesika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. All of them can be traced back to the Gita, Upanishads and Itihasas.  For one, Mimamsa and Vedanta take the Vedas as the ultimate authority. The ideas of Yoga and Sankhya are mentioned in the Upanishads and Gita. Yoga is a practical application of Samkhya. Mimamsa is ritualistic aspect of Vedic Knowledge. The Vedanta is based on the Prashtana Trayi (Upanishads, Gita and Brahma sutra). Thus, the Astika schools are just the extension and independent development from the Vedic stage.

In the Vedic stage, we first find the evolution of period of Mantra Samhita. The Samhita consists of Mantras that are the spiritual truths realized by rishis in meditation and expressed in human language. That is the reason that the Vedas are called “Apaurusheya” and “Drashtya.” Apaurusheya means divine origin, that is not created by humans. The rishis visualized these truths in meditation, hence they are called “Drashtya.”

It appears that, Rishi’s mainly worshiped 5 elements, Agni being most prominent. They attained highest realizations using upasana the 5 elements. In Rig vedic period, Agni is clearly the Internal Bhuta Agni. By Yajurvedic period, Agni seems to have materialized into external fire of Yagnya. This seems to suggest that spiritual methods were discovered and/or invented to help common people. These common people were not spiritually advanced enough to worship the Bhuta Agni, so external fire worship was conceptualized to help them spiritually advance to a stage where they could worship the internal fire directly.

The Brahmanas are detailed manuals for conducting Yagnyas. Every fire ritual includes Jap and Dhyan. Doing Jap and Dhyan in a fire ritual will purify the fire element in the body to begin with, whereas Pranayam purifies the air element in the body. This pranayam was codified and developed in the Yoga school in the later age. Doing a fire ritual not only purifies the Sadhak but also amplifies the effect of the Jap and Dhyan done.

The Upanishads sages concentrated more on laying down proper philosophical explanations for the various spiritual experiences mentioned in Samhita. Upanishad means “Near Guru”; they are teachings from Guru to Shishya. They give the meanings and interpretations of other aspects of Vedas.

The later development of Astika schools not only takes inspiration from the Vedas but can also be traced back to Upanishads and Gita. So we find a continuous development of Vedic thought and practice, even while they became less prominent day by day in practice, even though they dominated the Philosophy. Shankaracharya, the first person to codify Vedic thoughts and write commentaries on them, was also a SriVidya upasak, a tantric path of Maa Lalita Mahatripurasundari. Ramanuja and Madhava were proponents of Bhakti, derived from its Puranic version.

These clearly establish that even during the time of Adi Shankara, Vedic and Tantric methods were used in an integrated way. Some scholars believe that Tantra is contradictory to Vedas, but this claim is far from true. If we examine basic Tantric texts, we clearly see that they do not differ from Vedic thoughts. In fact, Tantric texts are mainly practical manuals. They explain different ways of attaining siddhis and realizations of spiritual truths.

The differences, if some do exist, are merely in the practical approaches and not in Spiritual truths between Veda and Tantra.

The Vedas were composed over a few millenia and have been passed down to the present age. The Agamas are of comparatively recent origin. Agamic texts are similar to Vedic texts in the sense that they are also collections of spiritual experiences of Sadhakas. They were also passed from Guru to Shishya. It appears that after the Upanishadic period, there was a need to expand the domain of spiritual practices and explore new ways and Siddis. This led to individual sadhakas pursuing deep sadhana to understand different aspects and tap different energies of the cosmos.

A simpler fire ritual - Homam - was designed. The Vedic mantras had given more importance to intonations. But Agamic mantras had more to do with intent than intonations. The spiritual diagrams, the Yantras, were conceptualized. Deities are nothing but personification of different energies. They represent different aspects of the cosmos. As the source of the whole Universe is the primordial sound OM (Shabda Brahman), mantras are mediums for tapping different energies of the universe.

Mantras are the subtle bodies of the deities. Every mantra meditated upon creates a particular visualization corresponding to that aspect of Cosmos. A sadhaka who does a jap of mantra first purifies his ego which will create a void in him. Then the deity of the mantra can fill him fully. His whole personality will be transformed. And hence, the Mantra is the subtle body of that deity. Similarly, we could invoke the deity either in fire (Homam) or in Yantras. During the Agamic period, Agni was not directly worshiped, but he was used as a medium where different cosmic energies can be invoked.

The third stage, the Puranas, appears to be compilations done specifically for the masses. The spiritual truths have been symbolized in the form of stories. Even the spiritual Sadhanas have been included inside the stories. These were composed specifically for people who are yet to involve themselves in sadhana. The latter day Bhakti traditions derive heavily from Puranic literatures.

The mantras, Yantras and the icons/idols are not only representations of deities but also the abodes of subtle bodies of deities. During the Vedic period, Mantras alone were enough to visualize and invoke the Deities (cosmic energies). But by the time of Agamas, Yantras were used along with Mantras in the process of Sadhana. It was only during Puranic age that personifications of cosmic energies were complete. The icons and human representations of divine energies were materialized during this age. What is important to note here is that the images and idols of deities are not products of whims and fancies of some superstitious people, but were representations of cosmic visions which genuine sadhakas had experienced.

One important conclusion can be derived from the evolution of representations of deities. It appears that people’s spiritual level in the Vedic period was more advanced than that during the Agamic or Puranic. And hence, with the Kali Yuga set in, and the spiritual level successively deteriorating, new methods and simpler tools were introduced to assist the masses. And as a result, aids to help in Visualizations were successively introduced.

There is a lack of research in this direction. If more research is done in this aspect of “spiritual evolution,” many misconceptions about Hinduism will be cleared.

Nithin Sridhar is studying civil engineering in Mysore, India. You can contact him at nkgrock@yahoo.co.in.

Pandit Madana Mohana Malaviya is well-known as the founder of the Hindu Benares University. Just as Gandhi has the epithet “Father of the Nation,” Malaviya has earned the title “Teacher of the Nation,” for his determination in manifesting the greatness of India and her culture in the Indian youth. He was three times elected the President of the Indian National Congress, and is also known for popularizing the slogan “Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone will Triumph).” Though his boyhood was spent in utter poverty, he earned much respect through his scholarship, pure life, and selflessness, and this itself earned him more than thirteen million rupees for the university. He is an example of one of the rare geniuses that take birth from time to time in this world.

Birth and Poverty

Malaviya was born on December 25th 1861 in Ahiyapura, Uttar Pradesh, which is now named after him and famous as Malaviyanagar. His ancestors hailed from a place called Malwa near Jhansi in North India, hence the surname. Just a few years before he was born, there were freedom struggles led by Nana Saheb, Tatia Tope, and Rani Lakshmibai, to drive the British out of India. Despite the resistance, India was made a part of the British Empire, and there was a great social change occurring in Indians, as they wanted to look and act more Western. Malaviya’s ancestors, however, held on to their roots, and his father Pandit Vrajanath earned his living only by reading and delivering discourse on the Srimad Bhagavatam. Because his income was quite low, their house was small and built with walls of mud. Vrajanath was not even rich enough to distribute sweets to guests, and would just thank his well wishers with folded hands. Such were their family tribulations.

Early Years and Education

As a boy, Madana Mohana Malaviya was very cheerful and active. His education started when he turned five. There was no school at that time in Ahiyapura, so he learnt under a private scholar, Pandit Haradeva, where he studied the Bhagavad Gita, Manusmriti, and many other works. He was bestowed with the sacred thread when he was eight, and afterwards he used to perform religious rites in the morning and evening with his father. Madana wanted to learn English, but the schools that taught English also charged heavy fees. Since they were so poor, Madana’s mother had to sell her gold bangles in order to get Madana admitted to the school. Since in his house fresh food was never ready for him in time to attend the school, he had to eat cooked food from the previous day. Nevertheless, little Madana did not lose heart and within a few days, he topped his English class and became his teacher’s favorite. Madana was also very devoted to music, and he learned to play the flute and sitar. He also learned to sing the songs of Meera and Suradas. This kept him happy despite his family’s financial burden.

College Years

Madana passed the F.A. examination in 1881 and joined the Muir Central College. In 1884, he passed the B.A. examination at Calcutta University. Though he wanted to go higher and pursue M.A., he understood the financial strain of his parents and instead took up employment to assist them. He worked as a teacher on a salary of forty rupees a month.

The Lawyer

Malaviya became an advocate of the Allahabad High Court in 1892. He became famous for his charming and persuasive speech, simple and clear analysis, and profound scholarship. He was also very honest, as throughout his life, he never accepted a false or hollow case. He preferred to argue cases in which innocent and poor people were involved.

Benares Hindu University

As Malaviya observed the nation around him, he realized that there was a problem with Indian society. Many Indians were so proud of the English language, customs, manners and civilization that they were getting the feeling that anything Indian was shameful. This was partially because of the education system that was in place in India. After the British Empire regained their control in 1857, they established universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. However, these universities simply followed the model of the English universities. Malaviya realized as an eminent scholar and patriot of the nation that in order for Indian culture to receive due respect by educated men, there had to be a change in the education system. He decided to establish a Hindu University in Varanasi (Benares).

In the twenty-first session of the Indian National Congress held in Benares, Pandit Malaviya called together the senior leaders of Congress and spoke to them about his strong desire to establish a Hindu University in Benares. All of the leaders heartily welcomed the idea. To obtain the sacred land for the university, he spoke to the Raja of Benares, who happily gifted him the land on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranthi.

The next problem was funding. Malaviya went on a tour of the whole country to solicit funds for the Hindu university. His coffers began to swell as his tour progressed and on his way he reached Hyderabad. At that time, it was ruled by the Nizam, who refused to donate any money to a Hindu university, because he was Muslim. However, Malaviya did not want to return without a donation from the Nizam. It so happened that a rich person died that day in Hyderabad, and his admirers were showering lots of money on his dead body. Malaviya then began to pick up the money and put it in his bag, and interestingly the people surrounding him also helped to collect the money. The bag was full by the end of the day, and the Nizam was so ashamed that he also donated generously.

Malaviya traveled many times across the length and breadth of the country, from Himachal to Kanyakumari and from Peshawar to Brahmadesh. He solicited funds wherever he went. The Maharaja of Dharbanga was so pleased with Malaviya’s work that he himself pledged to work for the noble cause for the rest of his life. Malaviya earned a total of one crore and thirty-four lakh rupees and earned the title of “Emperor of Beggars”. Gandhiji later exclaimed that he learned the art of ‘begging’ from his ‘elder brother’, Malaviya.

On February 4th 1916 on the auspicious day of Vasant Panchami, the foundation stone of the Hindu University was laid by the Viceroy and the Governor-General of India, on the bank of the holy Ganga. The ceremony was attended by distinguished persons and leaders of every community, including Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, and Christians. Rajas and Maharajas graced the occasion.

The Ideal Journalist

Malaviya also exhibited great service in the field of journalism. When he took over as editor of “The Hindusthan”, he made a pact with the owner of the newspaper that he should have full freedom in his writing. He had all the qualities to make a world-famous journalist, such as self-respect, dignity, sense of honor, and a sense of responsibility. He wrote only for the service of the country. The “Hindusthan Times” and the “Hindusthan” published from Delhi are the fruits of his inspiration. He also served as the editor of The Indian Union, an English newspaper.

Round Table Conference

In those days, the British government was considering the question of giving India “Swaraj” or self-rule. In 1931, the second Round Table Conference met in London. Mahatma Gandhi was one of the leaders invited from India, and he decided to take Malaviya with him. Malaviya’s role at the conference was so memorable that he won the hearts of even eminent politicians in distant lands. In his book “Indian Dairy”, Montague has spoken appreciatively of Malaviya’s part in the conference. Tej Bahadur Sapru also heartily praised Malaviya’s courage.

Revolutionary

When he was asked how Hindus who had been converted to Islam could be reconverted to Hinduism, he said “Ram Nam and the holy water of the Ganga, these will do”. With the goal of organizing Hindus, he worked hard day after day. At the same time, he worked for Hindu-Muslim unity. He proclaimed that India could never progress if the lot of the Harijans (untouchables) did not improve. He was always thinking of the ways to uplift the backward classes, the poor people, the young widows, and illiterate villagers. He was a great man whose dream was that India should grow stronger in every way.

Malaviya’s Views and Outlooks

Pandit Malaviya passed away on November 12th, 1946. But his vision and thoughts still live on in many hearts today. His multifaceted personality made him, at the same time, a great patriot, an educationist with a vision, a social reformer, an ardent journalist, reluctant but effective lawyer, a successful parliamentarian and an outstanding statesman.

He strongly felt that the study of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Gita, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the holy books, and fostering of Indian culture and of the Sanskrit language were matters of importance. He established the university to fulfill these ideals of his life, and it soon became his very breath. Some of his quotes and excerpts from famous speeches are printed below:

“Conduct is more important than economic progress. Every country must always be prepared to protect its religion. If our modern young men and women do not protect the Hindu Dharma which has been bequeathed to us, we will be surrounded by uneducated, useless, mean people or educated people who misuse their learning. The result is the total loss of religion. We need not understand religion in a narrow sense. It is also not necessary to reject religion. A proper understanding of the Hindu religion will be a guiding light in one’s life. The younger generation of India should understand Indian culture.”

“Let our youths receive liberal education. Side by side let them also try to learn how to evaluate the teachings of other religions.”

“Have faith in the Supreme Being; be kind to all animals. Have pity on the poor and the weak. Always respect women. Sympathize with people who are in distress and give them all the help you can. Do not be cruel to anybody.”

“Lead a pure life. Protect the sacred cow. Do not desire another’s money. Good deeds beget good results and evil deeds bad results.”

“Always have self-confidence. Do not speak ill of others. When there is difference of opinion respect the other man’s opinion.”

“Do not be afraid of anybody; do not make anybody afraid of you.”

“India is our mother land. This country is a blessed land, and a holy land. Act according to morality and justice.”

“Bharat, that is India, is also known as Hindusthan. Blessed are the people born in this country.”

“Hindu Dharma, the Hindu Religion, is a great religion. According to the Hindu philosophy, God laid down that man should aim at righteous conduct, riches, pleasure, and salvation. For man to attain these goals god laid down four phases of life; bachelorhood, family life, life in retirement, and “sanyasa” (detachment from worldly affairs). By observing these, let all people be benefited and thereby protect and preserve moral values forever.”

“If a man lives for his own pleasures he is no better than animals. He must live for his country, live for his religion and live for others. The Vedas are the oldest moral treatises in the whole world. Even western scholars accept this view. The Vedas say: before God created this world there was ignorance, utter ignorance. Then God appeared with his divine radiance. God loves light. Man must seek light and more light in his mind and in his life.”

Sai Tenneti is an undergraduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Guru Vandhana, “Reverence to the Teacher,” took place for the first time in the history of one of America’s top universities, Case Western Reserve University. The event honored Professor of Mathematics, Christopher Butler. Guru Vandhana is a concept, an idea that is as old as humanity itself. If looked at from the literal definition, the “Gu” in Guru means Darkness/Ignorance, and “Ru” means Light. The Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of ignorance and bestows upon him or her knowledge. From a spiritual prespective, the word Guru is “one who is beyond attributes and forms.” Gu stands for Gunaatheetha - one who transcends the three Gunas (Satva, Rajas and Thamas); Rustands for Rupavarjitha - one who is formless. The One who is beyond all attributes and forms is none other than the Supreme Self (the Brahmam) who is resident within each of us. Only God can be regarded as One who is beyond attributes and forms. “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devoh, Maheshwarahah. Guru Sakshat Parabrahama, Tasmay Shri Guraveh Namah,” Guru is Brahma, who is the Creator of the universe. Guru is Vishnu who is all pervasive and is also the Doer in the universe. Guru is Maheshvara who commands and ordains everything in the universe in the right manner. Guru is not one who merely teaches. A real Guru is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, He is God Himself.

With such a beautiful, inspiring, and revered concept of Guru, the Hindu YUVA at Case Western Reserve University chose Guru Vandhana to be one of their Cultural events of the year, a tradition that they hope to continue every year honoring all those Educators and Teachers that impart knowledge on the student. The event took place in Adelbert Hall/College, the Administrative Building of Case Western, which included students, faculty, the local Indian community, as well as members from Undergraduate Indian Student Association, Muslim Students Association, Undergraduate Student Government, Satrang Graduate Students Organization, Art of Living Foundation etc. President Barbara Snyder was also at the event showing her support and appreciation for such an event to take place right across from her office. The event began with an Electric Lamp Invocation by Professor Chris Butler and a Shanti Mantra by Hindu YUVA’s Philanthropic Chair, Apurva Kaushik. The Shanti Mantra was repeated by those present in the room to create a peaceful atmosphere and as invocation of peace among everyone. Priya Singh of the Junior Board of Hindu YUVA, welcomed everybody to the event. The Executive Board of Hindu YUVA which consists of the President, Sai Kolluru, Vice-President, Ricky Patel, Secretary, Rekha Iyer, and Treasurer, Sagnik De spoke about the organization of Hindu YUVA which was created to raise awareness through Hindu Culture, Principles and Values to promote Seva, Selfless Service for the benefit of the community. The event then went on to the Guru Mantra which was repeated by Ph.D student and Hindu YUVA member, Jayant Avva. Dr. Sudesh Agrawal of the Cleveland Clinic was also present with Jayant at the podium representing Hindu Education Foundation, which recognizes events such as Guru Vandhana by Hindu YUVA as not only a cultural event but a educational event. Dr. Sree Sreenath of the EECS Department then introduced Professor Butler and an official Ceremony took place.

The Ceremony consisted of Hindu YUVA students and other students present at the event putting Tilak on Professor Butler, doing Aarti to him, and a Shawl Ceremony with a Bouquet. Mohammed Gazanfer Khan (Gazy Khan), community relations director, next year’s President of Muslim Students Association and a junior, spoke at event talking about the scene in the Great Epic, Mahabharata, between the relationship of Ekalavya and his Guru Donacharya. He then on to point out that events such as Guru Vandhana are “beyond culture, religion, caste and creed”. Such events only create Unity within Diversity among the students and its faculty and the community. He also expressed strong interest in Hindu YUVA and its team to collaborate with the Muslim Students Association next school year to have events such as this to promote Unity among campus life. After Gazy Khan’s mesmerizing speech on Guru Vandhana everyone was amazed and impressed to see a person of different faith knew so much about Hinduism and the specific concept of Guru it entails. Gazy’s presence clearly proved that such a concept is Universal and that the boundaries we create between each other mean very little. After Gazy’s speech, Dr. Adityan spoke about the Guru-Shishya Parampara. Dr. Adityan, named as top 100 NeuroPsychiatrists in America, and currently serves as the Secretary, Board of Directors at the Hindu University of America, Orlando, FL recognized Gazy for his speech and said perhaps Dr. Adityan himself could not have put the event in better words. Dr. Adityan spoke about the Guru-Disciple Relationship and the pivotal and universal role it plays. He pointed out the relationship as something Divine and Transcendental, illustrating stories throughout the history of Hinduism that played a significant role in honoring and showing Reverance to the Guru.

The event concluded with Professor Chris Butler speaking about how humbled he was and honored he was for the event. He said that students usually ask him to sit in Dunk Tanks for student life activities but they have never asked if they can felicitate him through a unique culture and tradition and such as Guru-Vandhana. Dr. Jessica Gerard, the Director of ESL who works with Hindu YUVA in the Sewa Project Vani helping the Bhutanese with ESL Classes, described the event, “I had tears in my eyes the entire time while this was happening, you guys did an absolutely wonderful job and I wish you all the best.” Many distinguished faculty members, intellectuals, and community leaders that were present at the event congratulated the Hindu YUVA organization for having such a unique cultural event “that should become a tradition every year.”

-Report by Sai Kolluru, Case Western Reserve University

UNC Charlotte Hindu YUVA conducted a program, named Bridging the Gap, involving two Dharmic faiths (Hindu and Sikh) and three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).  It started with an introduction to Hindu YUVA and the need for communication between the religions.  The last part of the program was reserved for questions from the audience, which had many things to ask the panel members.  Even though there were not many religious similarities uncovered during the discussion, everyone agreed that the program went well.  About 30 people participated in the two hour program.

-Report by Sanjay Lohar, UNC Charlotte

Hindu YUVA at University of Cincinnati won the 2010 Outstanding New Group Award (First Prize) and Diversity Award (Runner-up). The awards were given by the Student Activities Board of the university in recognition of Hindu YUVA’s many successful events and activities on campus.

Hindu – YUVA (Youth of Unity, Virtues and Action) started at the University of Cincinnati in April 2009. Since then, it has grown to more than 110 members. The vibrant YUVA group is now well known on campus as one of the most happening and enthusiastic groups.

Following are a few of Hindu YUVA’s activities, which were recognized by the Student’s Activities Board:

• Weekly get-together — Shakha
• Surya Namaskar Yagna
• Speaker on Campus
• Work with refugees from Bhutan
• Youth camps, picnics and many more fun events

The University of Washington chapter of Hindu YUVA organized their annual Speaker on Campus program on May 2, 2010. Hindu YUVA (Hindu Youth for Unity, Virtues and Action) is a registered student organization at the University of Washington which organizes a range of weekly and annual activities to increase awareness about Hindu culture in the community. There were two very informative talks by invited speakers –“Indian Culture and Traditions” by Dr. Yashwant Pathak and, “Introduction to Ayurveda” by Shri Harvilas Das. The event saw an attendance of around 60 people which included people from different cultures. The general response was good and everybody learnt a lot of new things from the two talks.

The first talk by Dr. Yashwant Pathak focused on the beliefs of Hindus, emphasizing on the existence of multiple forms of God and introduced the concept of “Karma.” It compared the Hindu culture with different cultures and traditions and it was pleasantly surprising with similarities with the African tradition and other traditions. The Hindu philosophy is applicable to all of humanity. A good example was “karmaneye vadhikare maphaleshu kadachana” meaning to work to the best of your ability without being attached to results. This holds steady in all walks of life irrespective of any belief.

His lecture also focused on the concept of “Dharma,” which keeps the society together and is one of the main contributions of Hindu culture. “Dharma” guides everyone in his or her passage through life and thereafter. The freedom of thought in Hindu culture gives rise to many forms of God. The manifestation of God is unparalleled as far as Indian philosophy is concerned. The concept of family and extended families was also introduced by the Hindu culture. The acknowledgement of famous personalities about the contributions of Hindu culture ranging in diverse fields from science and technology to arts and society was cited by Dr. Pathak.

The second talk about Ayurveda, one of the major contributions of Hindu culture, is an excellent example of treating any system in its entirety by the Hindu culture. Dr. Harivilas Das explained, Ayurveda is an ancient form of medicine practiced and popularized by Hindus and it believes in prevention more than curing a disease, which is in contrast to other systems where more emphasis is placed on curing than prevention. Ayurveda places an emphasis on moderation in food intake, sleep, sexual intercourse, and the intake of medicine. Ayurveda incorporates an entire system of dietary recommendations. The main principles summarized by the speaker include usage of natural products compared to packaged or processed foods. Milk and raw milk in particular should be the most important component in any person’s diet. The audience showed great interest in understanding the principles behind Ayurvedic medicine. Since the majority of the audience was students and people from non-Hindu cultures, the talk on Ayurveda was an eye opener for them. Some of the most basic assumed practices in our life were deemed detrimental according to Ayurveda.

The talk was followed by a panel discussion with the speakers. In general, the audience showed great interest and enthusiasm in learning the Indian culture, traditions, their contribution to mankind and Ayurveda. The audience included students from the culture center at the University of Washington, families of both Indian and Western origin and Indian students.

The talks have been uploaded on YouTube and can be accessed here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KjLwAp11g0

Prayer to recite while taking a bath

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव  गोदावरि सरस्वति |
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि  जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु ॥

gange ca yamune caiva  godavari saraswathi
narmade sindhu kaveri  jalesmin sannidhim kuru

Sanskrit to English Word Meaning:
Ganga, Yamana, Godavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri-names of holy Indian rivers; Ca- of; Jalesmin- In this water; Sannidhim- presence; Kuru- Invoke

Translation:
In this water, I invoke the presence of holy waters from the rivers Ganga, Yamana, Godavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu (Indus) and Kaveri.

Brief Explanation:
An important part of ritual purification in Hinduism is the bathing of the entire body. It is considered auspicious to perform this form of purification before any festival, before visiting a temple or performing a pooja. One not only purifies one’s body but also the mind during taking a bath. Such a purificatory bath is ultimate if it is done in the sacred waters of some great rivers of India like the river Ganga. Hence one chants this shloka invoking the presence of holy waters while taking a shower.