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Hinduism Now

Vol 1 / Issue 1 / March 2016

Contents

Owned, Created, Designed by:


Nithyananda Publications

Message from the Avatar

05

On NRIs and RNHs

08-09

Shivaratri - Celebrating Mahadeva

10-13

Published by:
Nithyananda Peetham, Bengaluru Adheenam
Kallugopahalli, Off Mysore Road, Bidadi
Ramanagaram - 562109
Phone: +91 80 2727 9999

The Importance of Protecting Our Gurus

14-15

Website: www.hinduismnow.org

The Purpose of Defending Dharma

16-17

Paradise Lost : Dwarka

20-22

The Glory of The Saraswati Civilization

23-25

Editorial Board
Arti Agarwal
Sri Medhananda
Sri Mokshapriyan
Sri Mukthananda

Watershed Year for Sanatana Dharma

26-27

Sivagamas: The Praxis of Hinduism

28-29

Crimes Against Hinduism - Hindu Holocaust 30-32


The Attempted Murder of Veda Mata

34-35

Hindu Myths Busted

36-37

Bhagavad Gita for World Today

38

The Science of Completion

40-42

Vyas Muni

44-45

Creating Geniuses - Nithyananda Gurukul 46-47


Nachiketa: The Embodiment of Authenticity 48-49
Great Spiritual Thinkers

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Swami Vivekananda

50-51

Concept of Wellness as per Ayurveda

52-53

Yoga - Preserving Authenticity

54-56

Yatras Srirangam-Tiruchirapalli

58-59

Chettinad Architecture

60-61

Angkor Wat: A Timeless Architectural Feat 62-63


Deity Worship - Inevitable Bridge to God

64-65

The World of Astronomy

68-69

Offshoots of Hinduism

70-71

Editor
Usha K Kent
Featured Writers
Rajiv Malhotra
Stephen Knapp
Writers
Sri Mukthananda
Ma Nithya Swaroopapriyananda
Ma Nithya Mahayogananda
Sri Mokshapriyan
Kavea Panneerselvam
Prajna Dusaija
Dr. Vinay Kamat
Dr. Shubhamangala Acharya
Sathish Selvakumar
Kanaka N Sabapathy
Ma Nithya Kavyaroopini
Poornima Venigalla
Moloy Gorai
Chauryan Srikumaran
Ma Nithya Devananda
Avinash Narrikkadan
Barbara Lippman
Shubhangi Deshpande
Varsha Singh
Evan Kamat
Ma Nithya Jayananda
Ma Nithya Vijayananda
Designers
Manikandan S & Usha K Kent
Disclaimer
The techniques described herein is not intended to be a substitute for profes-

Understanding the Bodhisattva

sional medical diagnosis or treatment. Individuals with any type of medical


condition, the elderly, children below 14, women who are pregnant or suspect

Realigning Through Fasting

they may be pregnant are advised to seek professional medical advice before

Mahadevas Kitchen - The Bhaga Shastra

72-73

The Young Corner - Life is Bliss

74

practicing this technique. Viewers who are not on two-way video conferencing
are cautioned that they are practicing these techniques at their own risk.
2016 Nithyananda Publications
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission
of the publisher. In the event that you use any of the information in this book

Cover Page - Nithyanandeshwari-Nithyanandeshwara, symbolising

for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for our

Lord Shiva and Devi Parvathi. Lord Shiva shared the knowledge of

actions.

the Shiva Sutras with Devi Parvathi seated on his lap.

Message from the Avatar


My Dear Ones,
I started this year with my Jayanti message of Living Shuddhadvaita Shaivam. Living
Shuddhadvaita Shaivam is about living with Oneness and also expressing all the experiences and powers of Mahadeva. For this, I commit with you to the whole Universe, that
within this year, I will reveal to the whole world the science of all the 400 major powers
Mahadeva has expressed in the Agamas. I will make them as practical, liveable, scientific, demonstrable and reproducible powers under controlled conditions.
For this to happen I launched the 10-week Living Shuddhadvaita Process program for
all Inner Awakening and Nithyanandoham graduates. Constantly practicing the four
eternal principles of Integrity, Authenticity, Responsibility and Enriching at their highest possibility, is one of the simplest ways to prepare your body and mind to receive
Mahadevas grace. By more and more thinking through with responsibility and activism
full awakening is possible in you. For this it is necessary for you to be an integral part of
our Sangha.
Listen, I stand before you with a begging bowl. I want you to drop yourself into this bowl
to receive the 400 major powers Mahadeva has to share. But it needs preparation. I need
atleast 400 ready people to come down, live with, be trained and become prepared for
the powers, within the breathing space of Mahadeva.
Eons ago Mahadeva stood in the same way with a begging bowl to pass on the knowledge of his siddhis. But only seven were prepared to go through the tapas needed to gain
these great powers. They became the Saptarishis. After waiting for eternities, Mahadeva
is still standing with a begging bowl, pregnant with these 400 powers, ready to deliver
them.
Also listen, the world is fast moving toward a great catastrophe. Five years down the
line it is not global warming, economic meltdown, stock market crash, weapons or even
the annihilating wars that is going to destroy humanity. What will destroy humanity is
BOREDOM. Today people are bored despite everything they have. They have the money, property, fame, food, technology everything, everything, everything. Yet they are
bored.
Even the top notch CEOs and self-starting entrepreneurs who have everything in the
world, will be bored by the time they are 30 years old. Because, they dont know what to
do with their time. There is nothing to motivate them to pull them towards the future.
Nothing attractive in the future to look forward to.
That is why, we did the two-day program on CONQUERING TIME it is my gift to you. In
this two day program you learnt to unlock the illusion of time and learnt to have time
for everything for all that you HAVE to do as also for things you WANT to do. Instead
of working against the pressures of time, you have become the masters of time!
Be Blissful!

His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda


5

From the Editors Desk


On January 27, 2016 I stepped into the Nithyananda Peetham all set to face the challenges of volunteering, as part of the Inner Awakening Volunteers Team. But even
the immensely exciting changing dynamics of the Bengaluru Adheenam did not
quite prepare me, when Sri Medhananda Maharaj peered sincerely into my face
and said, Ma, will you be the Editor of Hinduism Now?
In the blink of an eyelid, I landed right into the midst of the whirl and frenzy of a print medium targeted to become the most authentic voice of Hinduism to the world. It was a project I
had steered clear of, when I opted for other areas while choosing projects to work with in the
Sangha. Then someone quietly whispered to me, Ma, with Hinduism Now you will enrich the
whole world!
With Shivaratri set as the date for the big launch we had over a month to achieve what looked
impossible then - conceptualizing the magazine, drawing up the list of articles, identifying the
writers-editors / researchers / illustrators, sharing knowledge, working each article through at
least two levels of editing and so on. Soon, even designing became ours to do!
With Hinduism Now we have embarked on an exciting treasure hunt. Every article is a deep
revelation, of righting all the wrong said or done to Santana Hindu Dharma, discovering our
own glory in Vedic times and an urgent need for all histories to be rewritten. Be this through
understanding Shivaratri celebrations, dating Vedic times, becoming appalled at crimes against
Hinduism, busting myths about it, making a case for Saraswati River civilization or the startling
findings of a paradise called Dwaraka in the deep end of the ocean. Each of these provide stark
evidence of a heritage that goes back many thousands of years backed by scriptural references,
research and archeological findings which the world insists on ignoring.
In this launch issue we also share with all intensity the Science of Completion the one science
the world must know - for healing and bringing wholeness to every level of humanity and our
fragile planet itself.
As we embark on this exciting journey of rediscovering Hinduism and sharing its great Truths
to the world, scholars such as Rajiv Malhotra and Stephen Knapp, support us by writing regular
columns in it.
Backing this voyage of discovery, with His graceful presence and supreme blessings is rare
living incarnation and Enlightened Master, His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda, the fast
growing most authentic and authoritative voice of Hinduism in the world today.
Nithyanandoham!
Usha K Kent

Hinduism Around the World

On NRIs and RNHs

Sri Mukthananda

While the rest of the world is turning towards Hinduism, Hindus abroad (and in India) are
turning away.
Recently I was in a Q&A session about Hinduism at a very popular new age church in California, formed
with what they believed were best ideas from various religions around the world. The host was asking
me a series of questions about Hindu beliefs e.g. who created the world (Hinduism says we create our
own world), whether Hinduism believes in heaven or hell (Hinduism doesnt believe in heaven or hell
after death it is what you experience now in this moment based on your thought current), etc. After
about five such questions and answers, she turned to the audience and said aloud We too believe in
exactly these things - I wonder if we are a Hindu church!
Much like this church, most Americans believe in choosing their own path to happiness, picking whatever works in their life. And much like this church,
when choosing the best ideas that work, they frequently turn to Hindu ideas.
In 2009, Newsweek, a popular US magazine, published an article stating US Views on God and Life
Are Turning Hindu.1 Lisa Miller, the author of the
article said that Americans increasingly believe in
reincarnation, cremation, karma and other spiritual concepts that are singularly Vedic in origin.
The Yoga Journal, in 2012, found that over 20 million Americans practice yoga, and 44.4% of the
non-practitioners are aspirational yogis people

who are interested in trying yoga.2 As more and


more people believe in choosing the best beliefs
that work in their life, in choosing the best ideas
that work, they frequently turn to Hinduism. We
can call all these people who are not living in India
and yet are practicing Hinduism in their lives as
NRHs (Non-Resident Hindus).
The idea of picking the path that works best for you
is very much a core tenet of Hinduism Hinduism

believes in the ultimate freedom in each persons


choice to design their own enlightenment based
on all the spiritual tools provided. Hence, as many
people there are, so many paths to enlightenment.
As His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda says:
Hindu scriptures dont give answers they only
give the thought currents that lead you to your
own answers.
As a huge part of the world is turning to Hinduism
for answers, Hindu-born NRIs (non-residential Indians) in the US are turning away from it. A survey
by Pew Research in 2015 showed that among 11

88

Hinduism Around the World


religious groups, Hindus came in dead last in feeling that religion is very important in their lives, lowest
in attendance at a religious service at least once a week, lowest in frequency of participation in prayer,
scripture study or religious education groups, lowest in feeling of a sense of wonder about the universe,
and dead last in looking to religion for guidance on right and wrong.3
Surprisingly, they also came in second lowest in those who meditate at least once a week, and in feeling
of spiritual well-being.4 This is shocking, given that the west is moving strongly towards meditation and
in finding fulfillment by going inward.
Clearly, we have work to do. We need to speak to the hearts and minds of Hindus worldwide, to make
Hinduism relevant in their lives again. We have to reclaim an entire generation of lost Indian youth,
who have never experienced the power of seeking in their lives, but instead went chasing after limited
dreams - of a million dollars, of a house with a 3-car garage, a big screen TV and a picket fence. Yet such
dreams only leave them with an identity crisis, with a depression of success and endless worries about
saving enough for kids college or not having saved enough for retirement. They die without knowing
true fulfilment. Even as westerners realize that this dream is a bust and move towards Hindu principles
of spiritual living, people in India are increasingly falling into this trap and moving away from authentic Hinduism you can call them RNHs (Resident Non-Hindus). One of the main reasons for this is the
replacement of authentic practice of Hinduism with metro-Hinduism, one that is watered down to fit
western convenience. Such Hinduism can never give the experience of bliss or enlightenment which is
the core of Hinduism.
Hinduism is the only religion that starts with the assumption that we are amrutasya putrah children
of the divine, and hence divine ourselves. Being
divine means living with abundance in the inner
world AND in the outer world. When we are fulfilled on the inside, Hinduism shows, we will attract
abundance on the outside, too. Yes, this is possible;
everyone can experience it; and Hinduism can show
you how.
We need to go back to the basics the authentic core
of Hinduism to bring back the glory of experiencing the divine, for us to feel Brahmanyam Bahuputratam I am the chosen child of the cosmos! This
is one of the core missions of the Hinduism Now
movement; to reintroduce Hinduism to the world
once again, the way it is to be introduced.
References:
1.

U.S. VIEWS ON GOD AND LIFE ARE TURNING HINDU,

Newsweek, http://www.newsweek.com/us-views-god-and-life-are-turning-hindu-79073
2.

Ancient practice of yoga now a growth industry, USA Today,

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/03/01/yoga-healthfitness-trends/23881391/
3.

Yoga Journal, http://www.yogajournal.com/uncategorized/new-

study-finds-20-million-yogis-u-s/
4.

Religious Landscape Study, Pew Research Center, http://www.

pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

Main Feature

Shivaratri - Celebrating Mahadeva


Ma Nithya Swaroopapriyananda
Maha Shivaratri, the great night of Lord Shiva,
is celebrated each year on the thirteenth day of
the month of Maagha, (Phalguna,) with festivities continuing all through the night and into the
next morning. On this sacred occasion, devotees
celebrate Mahadeva by doing various forms of tapas (spiritual austerity) to deepen their connection
with Him and raise themselves to a state of consciousness called Shiva Bodha, the bliss of being
Shiva.

intention, or the visualization we hold behind the


words, but through the shakti of the words themselves. Mantra japa is not just mantra repetition;
its not a practice to replace ordinary thoughts
with spiritual thoughts, but a practice to awaken
in us what the mantra declares. So on Shivaratri, if
you spend the night chanting Namah Shivaya continuously, imagine the energy youll awaken!
Parvati Devi, who is deeply devoted to her cosmic
beloved, called this auspicious day Maha Shivaratri after Mahadeva revealed to her that it is His
favourite day of the
year.

The tapas practiced on this night shouldnt be


confused with the penance of a guilty person
trying to make amends
for a past mistake, or
someone inflicting self
punishment; this is tapas to achieve something great. Fasting and
night long meditations
are both direct means
by which we make ourselves one with the Adi
Yogi.

It was Devi who first


performed the ideal
abhishekam
(ritual
bath) to Shivas manifestation as the Linga,
as is revealed in Kamika Agama. (Shivaratri vrata was duly
accomplished earlier
by Devi... Kamikagama, Volume 2, Chapter 11, Verse 3).

Namah Shivaya
Likewise, another popular practice of the day,
chanting the Panchakshari (five syllable)
mantra Namah Shivaya,
(meaning, I surrender myself to Shiva,) is not
just paying lip service to the divine; its an act of
surrender given to Shiva Himself. Sacred Sanskrit
letters and their corresponding sounds are literally alive and infused with the energy that fulfill
what we declare by their verbalization. Mahadeva
revealed this great truth in the Shiva Sutras second
book, seventh verse:

On this day, Shiva


entered into eternal
union with Shakti,
danced the cosmic
Tandava as Nataraja, and became Neelakantha
after swallowing the poison that was unleashed
during the churning of the Milky Ocean. When
we celebrate Shivaratri, we celebrate these great
happenings, and tune ourselves to the glory of the
Source of All, greatest among all Gods.
It is also Devi who first performed the worship
Shiva declares as the best, in the Kamika Agama.

Matrika Shakti is the power of sound that is the


matrix of the cosmos, and manifests as the letters
of the alphabet. Matrika is the subtle force behind
thought and speech. (Shiva Sutra, Chapter 2, Verse
11, Chetanandas translation)

If youre ready to experience the glory of Shiva,


dont miss celebrating Him on His favourite day;
whether that means offering abhishekam to a
linga, fasting during the day, meditating all night,
continuously chanting Namah Shivaya, or anything
else youd like to do to forge that sacred connection. There is no other time in to do it, as powerful
as Maha Shivaratri.

Mahadeva calls each letter a Matrika, a little mother, and explains the shakti, or power, we awaken
by speaking these. Whatever we say aloud in Sanskrit manifests not just through the power of our

10

Main Feature
Rare living incarnation, Paramahamsa Nithyananda, throws a grand celebration on Maha Shivaratri
every year. On the sacred occasion in 2014, His discourse was all about becoming a part of Shiva and
joining His team. Here is an excerpt from his talk
on that occasion:
I welcome you all with my love and respects.
Maha Shivaratri is the day Mahadeva assumed
form from his formless space. Mahadeva existed
eternally, he exists eternally, but on this day he entered into the space of form from formlessness. He
created Brahma and Vishnu, empowered Brahma
to create, Vishnu to maintain; he continued to remain in the formless space, but when there was a
conflict between these two he had to resolve the
conflict. So, to resolve the conflict, on this very day,
Mahadeva assumed the form which can be perceived by Brahma and Vishnu.
Actually, you cant worship Mahadeva! Worshiping Mahadeva is impossible! Please understand,
he is beyond all the concept of time, space, form,
formless, everything! Hes beyond! He is not an
outlaw. Some people are trying to project him as
an outlaw. He is beyond law, outlaw. He is the
source of the laws, but can never be bound by any
law. He is beyond the laws, understandings, principles. You can never worship him. You can only
join his team by realizing him in you. Understand,
you can only join his team. Based on the various
levels of understanding, you can become a Shiva
Gana, Shiva Bhoota. When Shiva Ganas, Shiva
Bhootas celebrate the existence of Mahadeva, outsiders think Shiva Ganas and Shiva Bhootas are
worshiping Mahadeva. Please understand, you
can never worship Mahadeva; you can only join
his team and celebrate his existence.

Shivoham. Only Vedic Tradition has the courage to


declare even the concept of God is a stepping-stone
for enlightenment. Shiva is also a stepping-stone
for Shivoham.
Mahadeva is embodiment of Liberated Thinking.
He does not want even himself to be an obstacle
for you to achieve that ultimate liberation. That is
why he starts with Shivoham.

Only a devotee of Mahadeva can declare Shivoham! (I am Shiva!) There is no tradition where
you declare I am Narayana. No! Narayanoham
mantra does not exist! In the other religions, if you
tell you are God, you will be killed. In other religions, you will be just killed if you say you are God.
But in Shaiva Tradition, in Shaivism, your initiation starts with the great truth: Shivoham.

Reference:
1. Original video - Lets Celebrate Shiva on the YouTube
channel called Nithyananda
2. Shiva Sutra, Chapter 2, Verse 11, Chetanandas translation
3. Kamikagama, Volume 2, Chapter 11, Verse 3

Only Mahadeva can celebrate making more and


more Mahadevas! He doesnt introduce you to
you as a sinner or a slave or a follower. In Shaiva
tradition, you are introduced to yourself as Mahadeva, Shiva. The best introduction you can get
about you is from Shaiva tradition. Worship can be
tolerated if it inspires you to evolve to the level of

11

Main Feature

12

Main Feature

13

Featured Writer

The Importance of Protecting Our Gurus


Rajiv Malhotra
bring down Maharishi Mahesh Yogi when he was
in his prime of success. Swami Prakashanand Saraswati is another guru charged of child molestation at age 82 in USA. The accusers claimed to have
been groped over a decade earlier, leaving one
to wonder why it took so long to complain. Critical
video evidence was lost by the prosecutors. Yet
it took the jury only 50 minutes to pronounce him
guilty of charges amounting to 50 years of imprisonment.

One of Hinduisms most important and distinctive


qualities is the widespread appearance of living
masters throughout its long history. It is they who
have kept the tradition alive and constantly refreshed with new insights and interpretations for
each time and context. My book, Being Different,
explains how the Vedic metaphysics of sat-chitananda helps to bring about such a powerful flow
of gurus in diverse circumstances. Gurus have exerted very powerful influences in preserving and
enhancing the tradition through time.
An institutionalized religion of the book is vulnerable because it can be wiped off by eliminating
its physical infrastructure and burning/banning
its books. But in the case of Hindu dharma, every
such attempt at its destruction was followed by a
renewal brought about by living gurus. Given the
publics faith in our sadhus, mahatmas and acharyas, it is clear that as long as we have dynamic gurus, we will thrive.
This is the reason why the gurus have frequently
become the targets of vicious attacks by Hinduphobic forces seeking to undermine the tradition.
In recent decades, we saw vicious attacks against
Osho in USA charging him with serious crimes, including murder. Then Swami Muktananda, over
a decade after his death, was accused of sexual
misconduct ironically, by women who were his
ardent devotees during his lifetime. After Swami
Prabhupada died, ISKCON in USA was prosecuted
for allegations of sexual harassment. Yogi Amrit
Desai, one of the most prolific teachers of yoga for
white Americans since the 1970s, was suddenly
removed from his own institution, Kripalu Center,
on similar charges. Attempts were also made to

14

This strategy of aggressive persecution was also


imported into India. We saw the Shankaracharyas of Kanchi facing false murder charges later
proven wrong, but by then the media had worked
round the clock to damage the public image as
much as possible. Once the Shankaracharyas were
exonerated, the media did not apologize, much less
restore their image. Asaram Bapu, Sadhvi Pragya
and Ashutosh Maharaj are among many others
whose followers are convinced they have been
falsely accused and unfairly treated by media.
Similarly, one finds that the charges against Swami
Nithyananda have already been proven false, but
the media has done very little to give him fair treatment. I can say based on meditation courses I have
taken with him in Bidadi (Bangalore) as well as
Varanasi, that thousands of persons have received
great benefits from him. His followers tend to be
extremely well educated, young, fully aware and
assertive of their rights and this applies to men
and women equally. I do not find them to be the
types who would easily get duped, or who would
turn a blind eye if there were wrongdoing.
I was introduced to Swami Nithyananda by a retired psychiatrist who had closely followed my
own work for many years. He earned my trust
over time. (I did notice that he was very ambitious
to climb up the Nithyananda organization.) I relied on his side of the story when he started telling
me things against Swami Nithyananda. Later on, I
learned that it was a case of petty jealousy because
his goal to occupy some position of importance did
not materialize. So he had turned into a vicious enemy.
Since that time, I started to make my own inquiries.
I discussed the allegations with numerous women
inside the organization, and as a result I feel

Featured Writer
assured that if the charges had been true, these
educated, confident women would not remain so
loyal and supportive to their guru. Also, I examined some of the legal evidence with the help of
lawyers, just for my own curiosity. I found that the
legal due process against him seemed politically
motivated and lacked transparency. In fact, one
independent legal expert with an excellent reputation has told me that this case was mishandled as
a hatchet job just to try and nail him on spurious grounds. Unfortunately, even when legal cases
lack merit, they often linger on for years in order to
create a smear image campaign. I feel there ought
to be a time limit to prove guilt after a criminal
case starts; if the system is unable to prove guilt in
that time limit, the accused should be set free and
the case dismissed. After all, the authorities simply should not be able to destroy a persons life on
unproven charges and linger on for more than a
decade or even longer.

Most important of all, Hindus must stop being internally divisive. There is too much emphasis on
trying to falsify another gurus philosophy, rituals and practices. We face existential risks and
we cannot afford this intellectual sport to argue
with each other on issues that are not as serious.
I am disappointed at the lack of unity to stand up
for one another in such dire situations. Most Hindu leaders run for cover in order to protect themselves selfishly, rather than being able to close
ranks and take a principled stand against these
breaking India forces.

Furthermore, the media has no right to behave as


if has the authority to adjudicate. Far worse than
any damage cause by the legal action (if at all it
ultimately proves guilt) is the devastation caused
by the media mafia. They seem determined to
bring down any Hindu who is vocal and successful. There ought to be provisions that if the media
accuses someone of charges that cannot be established within a specified timeframe, then the media ought to spend three times as much space/time
to apologize, and to give the side of the story of the
person who was falsely accused. Only such a deterrent would make the media accountable and stop
the blatantly irresponsible coverage.
In my book, Breaking India, I charted the mechanisms both in India and abroad that are involved
in destroying Indias civilizational fabric. In Swami Nithyanandas case, he has been very active
and successful in fighting against Christian conversions in south India, especially in Tamil Nadu. I
know from personal experience how the breaking
India forces plan elaborate strategies to go after
someone, once he is marked as a threat. There is
no morality or ethics in their methods. This much
I can say from personal experience, having faced
these very same forces myself.

Rajiv Malhotra is an IndianAmerican activist, researcher,


writer, and speaker on the character and place of Hinduism in
the globalizing world. After taking an early retirement from a
career in the IT industry, he established the Infinity Foundation
of which he is now the full time founder-director. He also serves
as chairman of the board of Governors of the Center for Indic
Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and as
adviser to various organisations.
Some of his recent publications include:

It is important for Hindus to demand better justice


for our leaders who stick their necks out. My own
policy is to give the benefit of doubt to the guru
rather than to the media, and to put the burden of
proof on those making the allegations; this is exactly what the legal system requires. I do not want
to accept the medias version at face value.

Breaking India: Western Interventions in Dravidian and


Dalit Faultlines

Being Different: An Indian Challenge to Western Universalism

Indras Net: Defending Hinduisms Philosophical Unity

Battle for Sanskrit: Dead or Alive, Oppressive or Liberating,


Political or Sacred?

15

Featured Writer

The Purpose of Defending Dharma


Stephen Knapp
What is the true heritage of India? It is
the law of Dharma,
Sanatana
Dharma,
and all the developments that came
with it. This is the
foundation that has
preserved the spiritual
development
of its people. This is
the essential greatness of India. And this is also
what its children from an early age should learn
and understand about the great heritage of India.
They should learn to honor and respect the Vedic
literature, from the Vedas to the Mahabharata, Upanishads, Ramayana, and up to the Puranas. They
should know that when the West was still in its developing stages, the land of India, Bharata Varsha,
was already unsurpassed in what it would contribute to the world. And this is why India should
never cut itself off from its profound past and culture. It is what has built India into the great nation
that it always was and still is today. Therefore, we
should not take this lightly, but reflect on and learn
the significance of Indias ancient traditions, and
also participate in upholding them.

to investigate it in whatever way is best for each


individual. This is the reason why we must work
to protect it.
India is facing numerous threats from such directions as Pakistan and China on the political front,
but also from within by those who would prefer
to see the demise of Indias culture for their own
agenda, be it political, religious, or otherwise. India is certainly one of the oldest and most profound
civilizations on earth, and there is no reason why
it should not be proud of its past, its great history,
its developments, and its potential for a bright and
positive future. But India and all Indians must be
ready to stand up and protect their country and
its culture from all external and internal threats
with great determination. This is like taking up the
great cause of Arjuna to protect Sanatana-dharma,
after receiving the instructions from Lord Krishna
in the Bhagavad-gita.
Within the Vedic system of daily sadhana (daily
practice) are the tools, such as puja, worship, yoga
and meditation, bhakti (devotion), pranayama
(breathing), philosophical understanding, etc., that
can provide the means for us to perfect ourselves
and reach a perception of higher reality, of who we
are and our purpose in this world. This naturally
brings with it fearlessness, self-confidence, assertiveness, inner peace, freedom from ignorance and
limitations, and the empowerment to continue
with our development and progress, and attain the
Grace of God by our devotion. This will also allow
us to work toward and attain the higher goal of
life, as we can see from the examples of the many
previous acharyas and spiritual masters who have
already done the same thing. This only shows that
on the spiritual course of Sanatana-dharma andin
the service of the Divine, anything is possible, up
to and including moksha, or complete liberation
from any further material existence and all its limitations.

Indias wonderful and immense Vedic spiritual


knowledge is what has provided the deepest insights into the real identity and purpose of humanity. No other culture has provided such knowledge
and depth of realizations about who and what we
really are. It has provided the profound keys to the
mysteries of life, such as why we are here, where
we have come from, what happens after death,
what is the soul, what is the spiritual level of reality, what is God, and so on. India has kept this
truth, in spite of all the invasions and disruptions
in her civilization, and the genocides and attempts
to cause the complete demise of Sanatana-dharma.
The spiritual knowledge and developmental processes remain. But we must make sure that it stays
with us, which it can only do if it is held sacred in
the heart of every Indian and Dharmist, and every
person who values what India and her great rishis
of ancient times have given to us. In the darkest
of eras that this world has seen and will see in the
future, this will remain Indias great gift to the
people who inhabit this planet. It is this spiritual
culture of Sanatana-dharma that remains the ultimate spiritual guide of humanity with the freedom

If we can spread this consciousness, this will also


bring about a new Era of Dharmic influence, free
from the oppression of adharma or non-dharmic
cultures and religions which try to oppress anything different from them. But for this to happen,
Dharmists or Hindus need to see clearly that there
is nothing wrong with standing up for and working to preserve, protect, promote, and perpetuate
the Vedic herit age and its traditions. Other saints

16

Featured Writer
and Indian heroes have already shown this example. There is nothing wrong with simply sharing the profound and spiritual nature of the Vedic
teachings, knowing that they have already benefited millions of people throughout history, and can
continue to benefit all of society and lead it in the
right direction. If we can present this in an intelligent manner, or simply share the basics of it from
one person to another, then it will naturally be attractive, and people will want to know more about
it. Everyone can use some aspect of it to reach their
higher potential.
It is not the Vedic style to make unwilling converts,
but the universal spiritual truths within can be
useful for anyone, regardless of a persons background, culture, or religion. Thus, everyone can
participate to whatever degree is right for them.
That is the liberality, flexibility, and beauty of the
Vedic system.
However, we need to realize that the Vedic culture
is often more respectful toward other spiritual
paths and the people who follow them than they
are in return. Thus, there is a need to defend the
Vedic tradition from those who, in their ignorance
and lack of understanding, may want to destroy
it. Dharma must be protected from adharma. We
cannot be such humble Hindus that we allow others to come in and destroy us. What good would
that do? We cannot humble ourselves out of our
own existence. We must be willing to stand strong
for Dharma. As has been said before, The world
is a dangerous place, not because of those who do
evil, but because of the people who dont do anything about it.
Hindus, Vedic Dharmists, prefer to live in peace.
They do not want to be aggressive toward others,
and are usually not, but they also do not want to
see people from other religions come to their country and try to make converts by falsely denigrating
the Vedic culture.
One of the best ways to counteract any campaign
to destroy our Vedic heritage is to develop a cultural revolution by which people in society become
united by a common identity, a common cause in
a fully cooperative effort that excludes no one, but
welcomes all. Nothing could provide such a vehicle
for this sort of unity more effectively than to focus
on the unifying and universal spiritual principles
of the Vedic tradition of India. Herewith, by spreading such knowledge freely and effectively, using
all avenues of promotion and distribution, a unifying spiritual revolution, gathering people from

all walks of
life and offering peaceful coexistence
with
one another,
along with
inner spiritual strength
and support
amongst all people, could be started. This could
offer the ultimate defense of any negative outside
force by merely rising above it, failing to give it any
recognition or acknowledgement, other than pushing it back and out of the way where it belongs.
The way we can best make a stand for Vedic Dharma is to spread an accurate understanding of Vedic
spiritual knowledge and encourage people to participate in it. That can help people comprehend,
maintain, and be convinced of the importance of
the Dharmic culture. This is what I mean when I
say that over the long term, a cultural revolution
is better than a militant revolution. This is actually
what has kept the Indian people dedicated to the
Vedic traditions for so long, and it can continue to
do so well into the future if we do our duty and
promote the Vedic spiritual knowledge and welcome anyone and everyone to participate. We can
all be Vedic Ambassadors in this way. As it is said,
many hands make for light work, and then it becomes easy and joyful for everyone.
We must become united. We must see beyond
ethnic, national, class or caste divisions, and see
ourselves as members of the Global Vedic Community, one family united in the universal spiritual
knowledge that the Vedic scriptures advocate. We
must see with this vision so our true spiritual potential is realized. This will create an air of positivity, which lends to an optimistic and constructive
future for ourselves and the whole world. It is not
enough to keep it to ourselves. But it is to our advantage when we work for the benefit of others
and provide the means so that they can learn and
participate in the Vedic traditions. This is Dharma,
our Dharma, and Dharma will protect those who
help protect it. That is one reason why it is Sanatana, or that which exists eternally. Now let each of
us do our part.
Dharma Rakshati Rakshitah
Stephen Knapp is the author of over 30 books on various aspects of Vedic philosophy and culture, and the president of the
Vedic Friends Association.

17

Upholders of Hinduism

Sri Narendra Giri Maharaj on


Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Sri Narendragiri Maharaj with Paramahamsa Nithyananda at the Nasik Kumbh Mela - September 2015

Sri Narendra Giri Maharaj on


Paramahamsa Nithyananda

About the Ashram, Deities and


Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Sri Narendra Giri Maharaj is the Head-Akhil


Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, a conglomeration of
13 Akhadas, with one million sadhus (renunciates)
under its wings. He is considered the most powerful voice in the world of Hinduism and the influence he wields herein is equivalent to that of the
Pope and the Vatican

As I entered the ashram, I saw a beautiful Shivling, very beautiful Shivling, magnificent Shivling. When I came up I saw such bright deities
of Ganeshji, Shankar bhagwan and Parvati devi.
Your disciples told me that all the deities have been
made in Swamijis (Paramahamsa Nithyananda)
ashram itself. See, every sannyasi has to be tested
once. I have no doubt in saying that Swamiji has
overcome, come forward and completed the test
successfully, and not just in the whole of India, but
all over the world.

In a rare interview with the Mahants of the Nithyananda Sanyas Order, during the Nashik Kumbh
Mela in September 2015, he opened up about what
Living Enlightened Master Paramahamsa Nithyanandas advent in our midst meant for Hinduism and the Hindu world today. Here are excerpts
from the interview.
One week ago, India news, IBN7 and many other news channels came and they asked me about
Paramahamsa Nithyananda. I said, Swamiji is the
backbone of Sanatana Hindu Dharma. Right now
Swamiji was saying, Whatever I do, I do in alignment to Vedic Sanatana tradition, and I dont do
anything opposite to that. Swamiji said that I am
the head of thirteen Akhadas. That one million
sadhus do what I tell them to do. I feel, what Swamiji is saying is right, but actually, I am Swamijis
servant.

Awakened Gurukul Kids


A while ago, I was in a discussion with Swamiji.
Two kids were brought there. Their eyes were
blindfolded. Whatever was written on my visiting
card, on my mobile, these kids read that exactly
and perfectly. I was very surprised. But Swamiji
explained that when the battle of Mahabharata
took place, Sanjay was sitting and witnessing the
battle. The battle was happening somewhere and
Sanjay was witnessing it from somewhere else. He
could see it even from that distance. That was how
it was in our Vedic tradition of those times. And
Swamiji said that we could enter the space and the
third eye of the kids. The third eye is like the one
Mahadeva has. Some people think it is fraudulent,
that nothing like this exists.

18

Upholders of Hinduism
But when the power of tapas (spiritual penance)
is present, then people can do anything. So, the
power of tapas in Swamiji (Paramahamsa Nithyananda) is so much that he is able to teach us the
science of third eye powers. I requested Him, I will
also send eleven students to get initiated by him.
He said, Please do send them. I will teach them.
So I welcome Swamiji and express my gratitude
and praise him.

About Swamijis Visit to Allahabad Ashram


Swamiji came and visited my ashram (in Allahabad, Hanuman Temple) along with the previous
honoured President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Sri
Ashok Singhal. Three four days later, respected
Ashok Singhalji came to me. He told me everything
about Swamiji. I used to listen and came to know
about Swamiji through media and television, but
when Singhalji told me everything, he told me
what was Swamijis nature. He told me that Swamiji was working for Hindus, spreading Hinduism
throughout the world.
After that, as you people say, with all respects I
started looking at him and took him as my ideal.
The way such a person is projected (in media) is
wrong. Even today I can say, whenever I visit his
ashram I feel something very extraordinary. I feel
there is surely some divine energy there.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda - Importance in


the World of Hinduism Today
All of you are extremely fortunate who are connected with Swamiji. Everyone of you should see
yourself as very fortunate. Today, I feel, even I
have become fortunate to be connected to Swamiji. I will again say one last thing. Whoever gets
connected to Swamiji will automatically become
fortunate. Whoever connects and whoever is connected, they all are fortunate. In the presence of
such a great tapasvi saint, I feel, with the power
of tapas, power of meditation, a human being can
become a form of God. Today in front of you, after
witnessing the power of tapas, the power of Swamiji, I feel, in reality I am present in the ashram of
a Divine being.

19

The Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad


Akahadas are an organization of Hindu monks,
called sadhus, under various Hindu sects and sampradaayas (lineages). These sadhus and akhadas
are further organized under one umbrella organization the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad,
which is currently headed by Sri Narendra Giri
Maharaj.
As per the records there are 13 akhadas in the
country with more than one million (10 lakhs)
sadhus. This makes the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada
Parishad the largest religious organization in the
world, with the largest number of sadhus and
yogins (nuns) under its wings, making its heads
status equivalent to that of the Pope. These sadhu
sects include those of the Nath Sampradayas, Deogirs, Gorakhnaths, Aghoris, Rananadins and Kaneyas.
His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda is the
spiritual head or Mahamandaleshwar of the Mahanirvani Peeth, the most ancient apex body of
Hinduism which is more than 10,000 years old.
The Mahanirvani Peeth was founded by Enlightened Master and great sage Kapila Muni.
Despite the brutal onslaught of anti-Hindu invaders for more than 900 years, Hinduism has
survived well into the 21st century, thanks to the
efforts of the akhadas and the fierce pride and indomitable spirit of the naga sadhus. The akhadas
and sadhus have played the role of being the living repositories of the Sanatana Hindu Dharma for
centuries, and continue to do so even today. Their
need in Hinduism today has gone up manifold,
with the threat from anti-Hindu forces, which include a very large section of the media, insisting on
shaking its very foundations.
We will discuss more about the akhadas and naga
sadhus in the forthcoming issue.

Retracing Vedic History

Kshetra

Paradise Lost : Dwaraka


Shubhangi Deshpande
In April 1983 Dr. S R Rao, accidentally lay his hands
on the monumental historical city of Dwaraka.
Along with his team, this emeritus scientist at the
marine archaeology unit of the National Institute
of Oceanography, Goa and Indian representative
of The International Committee on Underwater
Cultural Heritage (ICUCH) made this discovery
while repairing the famous temple of Dwarakadeesh at Dwaraka. Between 1983 to 1990 Dr. Rao,
armed with the moderate grant of Rs. 80,000 for a
2-year project of Marine Archaeological Studies in
India, conducted 12 expeditions and identified two
underwater settlements. One was located near
present-day Dwaraka and the other in the nearby
island of Bet Dwaraka, near the Gulf of Khambhat,
Gujarat, on the western coast of India.

The Oldest City in the World


The archeologists established that Dwaraka existed 32,000 to 9,000 years ago and was the most
advanced city of Lord Krishna. V S Gopalkrishnan,
in his article, cites video documentaries of Graham Hancock, a British writer and journalist, who
mentioned that the original Dwaraka city is datable to 9,500 BC. This establishes Dwaraka as older
than cities in the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations by more than 5,000 years. He affirms that
Dwaraka therefore becomes notable as the oldest
city in the world. In other words, Indian and indeed World history need to be rewritten!

An Ancient Tsunami Swallowed Dwaraka


This beautiful city now remains etched in our
memories through picturesque videos and images on the internet and in books. The scientists
believe that a huge tsunami may have swallowed
this golden city. The melting of the ice caps about
8,000-10,000 years ago caused sea waters to rise
nearly 400 feet, which swallowed the old Dwaraka
city. Dwaraka has behemoth relevance in modern
society and would be an immense source of advanced education and knowledge to scientists and
technologists.

A Big Jolt to Hindu Mythology Sceptics


This discovery brought to life the undeniable truth
that Dwaraka, lucidly mentioned in ancient Hindu
scriptures, indeed existed. Mahabharata (Mausala Parva), the Dvaraka Mahatmya of the Skanda
Purana, the Ghata Jataka, Vishnu Purana and Harivamsa all refer to this sacred city.

For those sceptics who debunk Hindu mythology,


Dr S R Rao responds in his book The Lost City of
Dwaraka, published in 1999, chronicling his archaeological findings based on facts and evidences
found. The discovery is an important landmark
in the history of India. It has set to rest the doubts
expressed by historians about the historicity of
Mahabharata and the very existence of Dwaraka
city.

A Science and Technology Marvel


The invincible truth is that Dwaraka was way
ahead of its time in all areas of urbanization
and civilization - be it military technology, use
of atomic power, specialised air attacks, aviation
and spacecrafts, avante garde town planning, architecture, highly futuristic maritime technology
and ports, sophisticated metallurgy and textile industry, and above all, highly progressive trade and
international business. Dwaraka was the epitome
of technology and science. The human race took
multiple centuries to re-learn and assimilate research to reach some level of advancement to that
of Krishnas state-of-the-art Dwaraka.

The Gateway to Heaven


The modern city of Dwaraka which means Gateway to Heaven in Sanskrit, is regarded as the most
prominent Char Dham (the four sacred pilgrimage
sites of Hinduism). It is also one of the seven most
ancient religious sites in the country, namely Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Banaras, Kanchi, Ujjain
and Dwaraka.
In Hindu mythology, Dwaraka was a city where
Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, and his clan
Yadavas once lived. In one account of the history,
Krishna was brought to the coast of Saurashtra in
north-western India by Garuda (the sacred vehicle of Vishnu), where Krishna founded the city
of Dwaraka. In another account, Krishna invoked
Vishwakarma, the deity of construction, when he
decided to build his new city. Samudradev, gave
Krishna twelve yojanas (773 square km/298.5
square miles) of land. With this land, Vishwakarma used his divine powers to build the legendary
city of Dwaraka.

Fabulous Town Planning


The ancient Dwaraka layout can be a quintessential piece of art and instruction for modern city

20

Retracing Vedic History

Kshetra

planners and civil engineers. The city, also referred to as Kususthali, was divided into six sectors
- contained residential and commercial areas, wide
roads, plazas, palaces (700,000 that were made of
gold, silver and precious stones), as well as numerous public facilities, including beautiful gardens
and lakes. A hall called the sudharma sabha (Meeting of True Religion) was the place where public
meetings were held. As the city was surrounded by
water, it was connected to the mainland via bridges and a port.

Industries and Harbor of an Advanced Port


City
The discovery highlighted how Dwaraka was an
urban center with certain specialized industries
such as boat-building, shell-working, pearl-diving
and metalworking too. The existence of massive
blocks with L-shaped joints to withstand battering
by waves and currents, proves that Dwaraka engineers had the necessary skills to build port installations in the sea or in the intertidal zone. The
Dwaraka harbour provides the earliest evidence
of modifying natural rock to serve the needs of a
harbour.
During the course of the explorations in 1988, It
was found that the buildings were raised on boulder foundation - as is now done by modern engineers for buildings in reclaimed areas of Bombay.
This ancient technique confirms the references in
the Epic and Puranas to reclamation of land from
the sea for building. [pg 73, Lost City, Dr. S R Rao]

All Good Things Come to an End


The Bhagavata Purana (11.30.5) mentions:
ete ghora mahotpata dvarvatyam yama-ketavah,
muhurtam api na stheyam atra no yadu-pungavah.
The literal translation of which is, This calamity
itself has become a symbol of death. The Yadavas
should not stay here even a moment longer.

21

Retracing Vedic History

Kshetra

An account in the Mahabharata mentions the submergence of Dwaraka thus: The sea surrounding Dwaraka, which had been beating against the
shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it. The sea rushed and coursed through
the streets of the beautiful city. It covered up everything! Even as they all looked on in horror, Arjuna
saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged
one by one. He took a last look at the mansion of
Krishna. It was soon covered by the sea. In a matter of a few moments it was all over. The sea had
now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace
of the beautiful city that had been the favourite
haunt of all the Pandavas. Dwaraka became just a
name; just a memory.

Dwaraka: The Home of Krishna is a Gateway to Heaven and an


Underwater City, 18 October, 2015 - 00:49 dhwty
6.

Dwaraka-pre-harappan-city-that-could-rewrite-the-history-of-theworld/ : Home Ancient Civilizations & Places Sophisticated


Vimanas Over Dwaraka Pre-Harappan City That Could Rewrite
The History Of The World
7.

Conclusion
We sadly lost several years of advancement when
the rising sea swallowed Dwaraka. Words from
poet John Miltons poem Paradise Lost aptly fits
Krishnas Dwaraka - These are sweeter than all
the delicious fruits he could have grown in Paradise before he fell.
References:
1.

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Dwaraka.htm

2.

http://creative.sulekha.com/ancient-indian-history-needs-rewriting-Dwaraka-is-the-oldest-city-on-earth_498610_blog : Ancient
Indian History Needs Rewriting: Dwaraka is the Oldest City on
Earth, V.S.Gopalakrishnan

3.

https://kalyan97.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/1057/. Notes on
Rama Setu and Dwaraka by S R Rao

4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBQO7gOMLuw : Discovered Underwater in Gulf of Khambhat) , Documentary run by


History.com, where main reporters were Graham Hancock, David
Childress, Author technology of Gods, Michael Cremo, Editor ,
Forbidden Archaeology, Published on Aug 25, 2015, Lost Worlds :
Lost City of Dvarka : S R Rao

5.

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/sophisticated-vimanas-over-

http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/Dwarakahome-krishna-gateway-heaven-and-underwater-city-004227 :

22

A TLC series segment chronicling the discovery of what was


thought to be the Hindu God Krishnas underwater city, Dwaraka.
Written, Produced and Directed by Virginia Williams. (2001)
*Best Documentary, TV Asia Awards 2002

Retracing Vedic History

The Glory of The Saraswati Civilization


Barbara Lippman
cleanse us, may they who purify with butter, purify us with butter, for these goddesses bear away
defilement. I come out of them pure and cleansed.
The Saraswati River sustained and created the
worlds earliest known civilization and its peoples.
She started from the Himalayas and went through
the Punjab plains of what is now Pakistan and India, through present day Rajasthan into the ocean.
At her peak, the Saraswati sustained over five million inhabitants living in over thousand communities in villages, towns and the twin cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.

The Saraswati River Civilization

The purpose of this article is to give focus to the


Saraswati River as the true namesake for the Harappa Civilization as opposed to the use of the Indus
River Valley nomenclature. It is time that due respect is given to the power of both the river and
the goddess.

Multiple Evidences of the River Saraswati


Many organizations in India confirm that the Saraswati river not only existed but efforts are on in
India to resurrect it from the deep recesses of the
earth. These organizations include the Central Arid
Zone Research Institute, Regional Remote Sensing
Center and The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Dr. J R Sharma, Chief General Manager of ISRO said, ample scientific evidence from
remote sensing to archaeological excavations reveal beyond doubt that the Vedic Saraswati River
was flowing in Northwestern India, sub-parallel to
the Indus River around 6,000 BC.

The Hindu Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of


knowledge, music, the arts, wisdom and learning.
As the great Saraswati river, she gave abundance
and plenty to the ancient alluvial plains along
which her waters ran. In Mehrgarh, south of what
was to become the city of Harappa, traces of a settled agricultural life has been found by archaeologists with evidence of granaries that stored barley
and wheat. This evidence has been dated to about
9000 BC. David Frawley, in his book, The Search
for the Cradle of Civilization, adds that the people of Mehrgarh were the first to grow cotton and
weave it into cloth.
Also at Mehrgarh Dr. Roberto Macchiarelli, a paleoanthropologist, discovered dental drills and evidence of drill holes in the teeth of both male and
female skeletal remains. This evidence is corroborated by Prof. Frayer in his find of nine skeletal remains. This means, that the Saraswati River people
had the knowledge of dentistry thousands of years
before any other civilizations learned about it.

The Saraswati River is mentioned approximately


71 times in the Rig Veda. It is praised in the Rig
Veda (2/41/16) as: Best mother, best of rivers, best
of goddesses. In Book 10 Saraswati is powerfully
invoked in the plural: May the waters, the mother,

23

Retracing Vedic History


Urbanization Thousands of Years Ago
The Saraswati River Civilization continued to
flourish for centuries leading to urbanization and
growth of cities. The most famous are the twin cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro the remains of
which are dated to 3500 BC to 1500 BC. They reveal
well planned buildings constructed on a grid system facing in all cardinal directions, which some
scholars say was built for astronomical pursuits.
The bricks used for the homes and public buildings were all of a uniform size and shape and were
found in towns, villages and cities all over the valley. Sophisticated engineers designed an intricate
sewage system and many homes had bathrooms
which included toilets connected to underground
pipes leading out of the city. There were public
bathing areas and the city was equipped with sump
pumps. Archaeologists have found an abundance
of jewelry and toiletry items and female figurines
with intricate hairstyles that tell of a cleanliness
and luxury conscious people.

Mohenjo Daro Seals


The voice of the Saraswati River Civilization, was
the Rig Veda. The medium for the Rig Veda to communicate were seals made of soapstone and terracotta, many of which have been found in the
site identified as the city of Mohenjo Daro. Also
found were larger seals of copper 2.5 to 5 cm diameter. Each seal depicts a different animal which
include zebra, bears, tigers, elephants, to name a
few. There are also etchings of different deities on
numerous seals. Above each illustration on each
seal is a pictographic type of script.

Decoding the Pictographic Script - Hidden


Secrets of the Rig Veda
The secret of the pictographic seal script, which
eluded scholars for decades, has now been deciphered. The credit for this goes to Dr. C.P. Trivedi
who broke the code. He discovered that the pictographs are not communicating in a language
as such, but were coded messages. They are ...
cytological models for teaching. They explore the
cellular genetic evolution in the earth with genetic
recombination. He continues, I am proud to say
that DNA was first discovered in India more than
18,000 years ago and their representation are engraved on seals that were found in excavation in
the Indus Valley. Not only DNA structure, but also
the processes of cell division are illustrated clearly
in the seals and tablets of rock in Mohenjo-Daro.
The seals also represent evolution of cosmic creation and mans evolution.
Dr. Trivedi has recognized that the seals are a
written story taken from the Rig Veda in order to
preserve for posterity the wisdom that the rishis
(seers who from intense meditation received the
sacred truths from the Cosmos) shared with humanity. From reading the Vedas he discerned that
their knowledge had been transferred by the ancients on to the tablets and soapstone artifacts as
pictorial documentation for the public. Confirming
this belief, larger copper seals were found with the
same pictorial images as on the tablets and soapstone seals.

Higgs Boson Phenomena - We Knew It 18,000


Years Ago!
Interestingly, C.P. Trivedi shares that the Rig Veda
were passed down through hymns as far back as
18,000 years ago. Dr. Trivedi not only decoded the
hymns from the Rig Veda, but also the writings
from the seal, and matched them up as parallel
teachings. He further says that the seals contain

24

Retracing Vedic History


scientific information that is far ahead of what scientists know today.
From his readings of the Rig Veda and the seals
he asserts that there are answers to the questions
that theoretical physicists involved with the Higgs
Boson phenomena are answering. Dr. Trivedi declares that the Rig Veda has within its hymns the
description as to how particles change into matter.
Dr. Trivedi asserts that the Higgs Boson god particle has its corollary in the Rig Veda, where it is
called, Hiranyagarbha-the Golden Egg. In Hindu
cosmology, it is known as the source of the creation of the universe.
The Rig Veda contains in its hymns vast knowledge
about astronomy and the heavens which was also
translated and codified into the seals. Most importantly, the Rig Veda contains the very spiritualbackbone of Hinduism. This certainly had to be
a key element for the centuries of peace that pervaded the communities of the Saraswati-Harappan
civilization.

2000 Years of Peaceful Civilization


There is no evidence that any of the Harappan cities were ever burned, besieged by an army or taken over by force within. Annalee Newitz writes
in the article, Did This Ancient Civilization Avoid
War for 2,000 Years? Furthermore, there is no
evidence in artwork in Harappa that depicts war
or battles and there are no monuments to war. In
contrast, Mesopotamia, at relatively the same time
tells the story of bloody warfare and enslavement,
in their inscriptions on stone monuments.

Conclusion
The people in the Saraswati River Civilization experienced all the benefits of a civilization. In addition, they had an existence based on spiritual
understanding, material comfort, and conflict-free
living. They were a people who had the technology and scientific knowledge that far surpassed
that of modern times. The fact that there was no
indication of warfare means peoples of the Saraswati River Civilization had a deep knowledge and
understanding of the human condition and had an
evolved concept of harmony and how to respect
their fellow human beings. This is an accomplishment that we in the 21st century are nowhere close
to even imagining, let alone achieving. By connecting the Mohenjo Daro seals to the Rig Veda, Dr.
Trivedi has clearly pushed the Saraswati River Civilization dates back by an astonishing 18,000 years.
In reality, we do know the Vedic Civilization is at
least 60,000 years old. Clearly, the theory of Mesopotamia, Egypt and Indus Valley being the oldest
civilizations needs re-examining. It must give way
to a more thorough research of Vedic times - beyond archeology, inscriptions, coins or even skeletal dental remains!
Reference
1.In Search of The Cradle of Civilization by George Feurstein
2.Did This Ancient Civilization Avoid War for 2,000 Years Amalee
Newitz
3.A New Type of Copper Plate from the Indus Valley by Visant Shinde
and Rick Willis
4.Gods, Sages and Kings by David Frawley
5. Vedic Genetics in the Indus Valley by C.P. Trivedi
6. Vedic Cell Biology with Life Energy and Rebirth by C.P. Trivedi
7. UPSC Times of India August 13, 2004
8. New York Times Science Section Man Was Enduring Dentists Drill
2,000 Years Ago by Kyle Jarrard

25

Vedic Philosophy Schools of Thought

The Beginning of a Watershed Year for


Sanatana Hindu Dharma
Sathish Selvakumar
Spiritual legitimacy
One of the ways the detractors of Sanatana Hindu
Dharma have tried to undermine its strength is
by creating a false narrative that the powers mentioned in our Puranas are nothing but myth. By
physically demonstrating and scientifically proving these powers under controlled conditions, as
has been done for the third eye, we will re-establish the spiritual legitimacy of Sanatana Hindu
Dharma. In Paramahamsa Nithyanandas words,
It is time that we bring spiritual legitimacy back
to Sanatana Hindu Dharma. We have a right to exist and our existence is good for humanity. We will
make this science available to the whole universe
by Mahadevas grace.

Lifestyle of constant expansion


This year is set to be a watershed year for Sanatana Hindu Dharma as the highest possibilities of
living in a human body are set to unfold by the
grace and blessings of Paramahamsa Nithyananda. Agamas mention 400 major powers that can
express through the human body. Paramahamsa
Nithyananda has so far revealed about 60 of them
that have been proven scientifically under controlled conditions. These include powers such as levitation, teleportation and materialization.

Extraordinary powers made practical


Paramahamsa Nithyananda has dedicated the
year 2016 to living Shuddhadvaita Shaivam. The
year 2015 was dedicated to living Advaita. Living
Advaita is about the experience of Oneness the
ultimate pure consciousness as declared in the
Upanishads, whereas living Shuddhadvaita Shaivam is not just about living the Oneness but also
expressing all the experiences and powers of Mahadeva.
On January 3, 2016, Paramahamsa Nithyananda
declared in His Jayanti message that I commit
through you [the audience] to the whole Universe,
[that] within this year, before the next Jayanti, I
will reveal to the whole world the science of all the
400 major powers MaMMahadeva is expressing in
the Agamas. Not just the power of third eye, but all
the 400 major powers. I will make them as practical, liveable, scientific, demonstrable and reproducible under controlled conditions.

Now the question occurs as to what do I need to


do as a human being to receive this grace and
express the powers of Mahadeva? Paramahamsa
Nithyananda has said that living the four eternal
principles of Integrity, Authenticity, Responsibility
and Enriching to their highest possibility is one of
the simplest ways to prepare the body and mind
to receive Mahadevas grace. Paramahamsa Nithyananda has presented the beautiful opportunity
of being part of the Nithyananda Sangha and take
up responsibility and live these tattvas fully under
His guidance. Being part of the Sangha structure
and taking on new responsibilities paves the way
for constant expansion. In His words, More and
more thinking through with responsibility and activism makes full awakening possible in you.

Mode of revelation
Paramahamsa Nithyanandas morning satsangs
are watched regularly by people in over 347 cities
spread across 47 countries. The morning satsangs
will be a mode by which the revelations of different powers and experiences will be delivered.
When one is prepared to receive the grace of Mahadeva, these powers will simply start expressing
through the person.
The satsangs will act as a prism through which the
thought currents of the Upanishadic rishis will be
intercepted to reveal the sacred secrets embedded
in them. Only an incarnation such as Paramahamsa Nithyananda can make such treasures available
for human beings.

26

Vedic Philosophy Schools of Thought


Upanishads are the breath of Mahadeva. The
morning satsangs will be the time and place where
Mahadeva will infuse words into His breath.

Too good to be true


The promise of 400 powers being expressed by people across the world, sounds too good to be true.
This has been the case with many other declarations that Paramahamsa Nithyananda has made in
the past. It starts out as too good to be true. These
400 powers will be made available as a science to
all of humanity within this year. That is why Paramahamsa Nithyananda says that This year will be
very important for us and for the Sanatana Hindu
Dharma. Buckle up, sit back, relax and enjoy the
flight of a jet that is being piloted by none other
than Mahadeva Himself.

These beads are the seeds of the Rudraksha fruit


obtained from trees which have mystical properties. Every Rudraksha has dividing lines running
from top of the seed unto its bottom with equally
spaced clefts called Mukhi (face) on the surface
of the beads. According to the number of mukhis
(faces) the Rudraksha bead type ranges from single face to a several faced bead (up to 21 faces).
Rudrakshas can be worn by anyone as a single
bead necklace, as a string of beads called mala
or as bracelets. Rudraksha mala is a spiritual tool
used in the practice of chanting mantras (a meditative practice).
Empower yourself with Rudraksha, the true biojewelry which is one of the most potent manifestations of the cosmic force!

Live Shuddhadvaita Shaivam!

Reference:
1.

https://www.youtube.com/atch?v=Y03QOH64-Fg

The Quintessential
Rudraksha
Rudraksha is a beautiful power-packed bead
which is full of energy. This sacred bead is a symbol of spirituality, fearlessness and a source of
power, health, peace and prosperity. In Sanskrit
Rudra means Lord Shiva and aksh means eyes.
The mere utterance of the sacred word Rudraksha
is said to create emotions and vibrations touching
the soul and bringing a person closer to God.
The benefits of Rudraksha can be felt at the level of
both body and mind. Physically it exhibits amazing curative properties for many diseases as well
as anti-aging properties. For ages it has been observed and reported that people suffering from
hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems, stomach disorders, stress, arthritis and phobias get
beneficial results by wearing Rudraksha consistently. It has been proven that wearing Rudraksha
has positive effects on a persons blood pressure
and controls stress, anxiety, depression and palpitations. Mentally, it gives a tremendous amount of
tranquility, concentration power and helps in attaining calmness of mind with ease.

27

Hindu Scriptures

Sivagamas: The Praxis of Hinduism


Prerna Dusija

A Foray into the Agamas of Hinduism


Agama literally means, that which has been bequeathed or come down. They are an assemblage of scriptures of a gamut of Hindu devotional schools, with three main branches: Shaivism
(of Lord Siva), Vaishnavism (of Lord Vishnu) and
Shaktism (of Adi Shakti). The Agama literature is
very copious and include: 28 Shaiva Agamas, 77
Shakta Agamas, which are also called tantras
(Hindu mystical texts), and 108 Vaishnava Agamas.
Most of the plenipotentiaries of the Hindu tradition assert that the maxims of these Agamas bring
out the true spirit of the Vedas (ancient scriptures,
meaning, to know or to have knowledge of). Agamas teach systematic methods of spirituality that
involve worship in the form of rituals, pujas (acts
of worship) and yajnas (a ritual sacrifice with a
particular objective), but they also lay down the
means to live the lifestyle of the Gods themselves
the Shivagamas especially stand for this.

Each Shivagama upholds a particular set of instructions, be it for priests who want to conduct homas
and pujas, or for people who want to live the lifestyle of Lord Shiva and who want to strengthen
the connection with Him. These Agamas are also
meant for those who strive for enlightenment, or
simply for those individuals who wish to follow
Lord Shivas dictums and live His very life. There
are per se ten Shiva Agamas or Shivagamas that
could be traced through the Himalayan Academy
(but there are eighteen more) and these are translated into English by Dr. S.P. Sabharathanam Shivacharyar.
The following are ten Shivagamas explained
briefly:
1. Kamika Agama Purva Pada (Part 1) - It is the
fundamental Shaiva Agama. This Agama constitutes the primary source for in-depth details on
personal and daily worship, food, lifestyle, temple construction, practice of rituals, observance of
auspicious times, examination of omens, etc.
2. Kamika Agama Uttara Pada (Part 2) - This book
or the second section of the Kamika Agama deals
with directions for the following: worship of Shivalinga that is west or south facing, performing and
celebrating daily and grand festivals, performance
of pujas, and performance of Samaya and Vishesha initiations, etc.

While we focus on the Agama texts of Shaivism, it


would be good to say that the Shivagamas assert
the Advaitic or non-dualistic philosophy, positing
absolute oneness and charting a course that leads
to enlightenment.

Delving into the Shivagamas


Shaivism is one of the biggest branches of Hinduism and the available literature of the Shaiva system is abundant. Although, it is not very clear to
whom the Shiva Agamas or Shivagamas were
delivered to, it is understood that some of the sages
and adherents of the Shaivite order were the first
to hear and record these Agamas directly from
Lord Shiva.

28

3. Kamika Agama (Grantha) - It is one of the longest


Agamas followed by most temples in South India.
It is indisputably looked upon as the feet of Lord
Shiva. It deals with all rituals from turning the sod
or mud to installation of deities. It is a complete
manual for priests, the layman and the curious
scholar who are interested in the details, significance and symbolism of Agamic worship, that is
both private and public.
4. Sarvajnanottara Agama Vidya and Yoga Pada- It
is one of the prime Agamas and the key subjects
tackled in this book (section of Agama) include, the
Advaitic principles which explain how to connect
with the divine. It talks about the direct, blissful
experience of absolute oneness with Shiva, and
the nature of the physical Self, inner Self, Self associated with tattvas (principles or truths), Self in
the form of mantras (chants) and the nature of the
Supreme Self.

Hindu Scriptures
5. Raurava Agama Vidya Pada - This book or section of Agama tackles subjects that include Shiva
tattvas, transmission of scriptures, metaphysical
path, significance of various kinds of initiation, departure and absorption of the soul, and different
set of directions for: holding palms and fingers in
different positions, performing the Nyasa of Shivakala Mantras (placing of the Shivakala mantras),
and Yoga practice of Dharana (single-pointed concentration and focus).

Nature of Sadashiva Tattva.

6. Pauskara Agama - With its roots firmly entrenched in philosophy, this book or section of the
Agama deals with the nature of Shiva, Maya (illusion), the Soul, or the Soul that has been bound,
Time or Kaala, the nature of Subtle and Gross Elements, the revelation of the Agamas, etc.

10. Karana Agama (Grantha)- This is the Grantha


version and was prepared by Mudaliar, probably
in the early 19th century. The book was written in
the Grantha script and is yet to be translated from
archaic Tamil into English.

7. Mrgendra Agama Vidya Pada - It is one of the


knowledge sections of the Agamas that deals with
subjects such as, An Analysis of the Essential Nature of the Supreme Lord, in chapter five. Other
areas that are observed are On the Nature of
Bonds, On the Absolute Lordship of Lord Shiva, An
inquiry into the nature of Karmas, Descriptions of
the Worlds Existing in Different Planes of Bhuvana Adhva, and so on.

9. Kirana Agama or Kiranagama MahatantraThis book or section of Agamas contains several


sub-sections on Charya (spiritual performance
or practice), Yoga (method of uniting with the divine), Kriya (action) and ...imparts the knowledge
of pasu (individual soul), pasa (maya or illusion),
pati (Lord), jnana (knowledge) and vicara (self-enquiry).

Paramahamsa Nithyananda says, Enlightenment


is your birthright, and it is rightly so. The Shivagamas are the stanchions of the Shaivite tradition
and by strictly following any Agama, it can lead
one to enlightenment. So get hooked and watch
out for interpretations on Shivagamas in further
issues of this magazine!

References:
1. https://www.himalayanacademy.com/site/search/title/
agama/tags/Agama

8. Matanga Agama Vidya Pada - This section of Agama expounds profoundly on the Nature of Shiva
and of liberation. It also covers, ruminations on
the nature of two tattvas- Laya and Bhoga, and the

29

2. Grimes, John A. (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. State University
of New York Press. Pgs 16-17

Crimes Against Hinduism

The Hindu Holocaust: An Introduction


Sri Mokshapriyan
The greatest treachery in the recounting of the history of India, perhaps in the history of the world, is
the fact that most Indians do not know of the horrific abuse that they have been dealing with for the
past 1000 years; that they are ignorant about the
100 million or more Hindus who have met their
death or destruction at the hands of the Muslim
and Christian invaders into India. This is the unsaid story of the Hindu Holocaust - a holocaust that
continues till date and shows no sign of abating.
People who forget history are bound to repeat it.
It is high time Hindus wake
up to this war that they are
sleeping through.
We have been told that India has always been made
up of small princely states
that were constantly at war
and that the Muslim and
Christian invasions were
just an addition to the already present state of division and fighting. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Wars in pre-Islamic India were fought
in open fields, far away from the cities, to avoid
civilian losses. Women and children were never
hurt or abused. No cattle or human habitation was
attacked and no destruction of lands or property
happened. This is in stark contrast with the barbaric onslaught that the Islamic invaders brought
with them. Their armies burnt villages and ravaged the lands, they plundered all the wealth and
killed all they could. They took the men and women as prisoners and made them into sex slaves and
servants. Their inhuman nature was something
that the Indian civilization was not prepared for.
They had, for many millenia, lived in a civilization ruled by Vedic Dharma and the fact that such
beasts roamed the earth had been forgotten.
Perhaps the crown jewel of the lies that have been
fed to Indians is this theory of the Aryan Invasion.
Not willing to accept the truth that India was the
home of all of the worlds civilizations and to justify their own bloodthirsty and greedy conquests,
the British historians invented a non-existent civilization. They proposed that this civilization existed somewhere around Persia from which they
claimed the Aryans came and then invaded India.
No proof exists for this ridiculous theory except in
the minds of the people who created it. Yet many

30

historians carry this lie because it suits the worldview they want to project. This theory makes people not recognize the Hindu Holocaust as a clear
and terrible happening in the history of the world.
Traditionally, the story of the Hindu Holocaust begins with the invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni who
invaded India during the 11th century in order to
spread Islam. But the precursors to that started
right from the beginning of Islam. All the countries between Arabia and India had been practicing some form of Hinduism
and in the 400 years from
when Islam began, all of
them had been brutally conquered, ravaged and converted. Their stories are not
told, because no civilization
remains to remember them.
Mahmud of Gaznis campaigns across the Gangetic
plains are often cited for
their iconoclast plundering and destruction of
temples. Mahmuds court historian Al-Utbi viewed
Mahmuds expeditions as a jihad to propagate Islam and extirpate idolatry. Of his campaign on
Mathura, it is written:
Orders were given that all the temples should be
burnt with naphthala and fire and leveled with
the ground. The city was given up to plunder for
twenty days. Among the spoil are said to have been
five great idols of pure gold with eyes of rubies and
adornments of other precious stones, together with
a vast number of smaller silver images, which, when
broken up, formed a load for more than a hundred
camels. The loot from Mathura is estimated at 3 million rupees and over 5,000 slaves. His son sacked the
second Somnath Temple in 1026, looted it, and the
famous Shiva lingam of the temple was destroyed .
Alberuni, a historian who accompanied Mahmud
of Ghazni, described the conquests in North Western India by stating that Mahmud impoverished
the region and that the civilization of the scattered
Hindus declined and retreated from the North
West.
Thus, with blood, rape and wanton destruction, began the largest and longest running targeted abuse
that any civilization has faced in the history of the
world.

Crimes Against Hinduism

The First Loot and Plunder: Invasions of


Mahmud Ghazni and Muhammad Ghori
Kavea Panneerselvam
Bharat, with all her riches and glory, attracted
many from the west. Some came to learn from
her, and others, to loot, plunder, rape, and tear
her apart until she was left as nothing more than a
mere shell of her former self. The infamous Mahmud of Ghazni committed the first of these lasting crimes against Hinduism. Muhammad of Ghor
continued Mahmuds legacy. India had seen invaders before, but she had
embraced them as guests
and they simply merged
with her. With Mahmud
of Ghazni came the first
attack in which the concept of atithi devo bhavah (guest is God) could
not stand up to the savagery of the invaders.

The First Invasion


Mahmud of Ghazni plundered India no less than
seventeen times, each time leaving her broken and
in need of rebuilding. Every year he would leave
before monsoon season, only to return the next
year. He looted, raided and destroyed temples and
used the loot to build libraries, museums, and elaborate mosques in Ghazni. His most famous raid
was on the Somnath temple in Gujarat; he plundered the temple and broke the sacred jyotirlinga.
In his book Tarikh-i-Yamini, Mahmud of Ghaznis
secretary records that the Sultan separated two
more pieces of Somnath and sent them to Mecca
and Medina (so) that they might place them on the
main roads [so] that poor and great might walk
over them.
At the battle for the Somnath temple, he killed
50,000 warriors and took 20,000 men, women and
children as slaves. With delight, his court writers
recorded the looting, pillaging, forced conversions,
slavery, violence, and rape. Mahmud of Ghaznis
secretary also records, The blood of the infidels
flowed so copiously that the stream was discolored, notwithstanding its purity, and people were
unable to drink itthe infidels deserted the fort
and tried to cross the foaming river...but many of
them were slain, taken or drowned... Nearly fifty
thousand men were killed. The most incredible
aspect of resilient Bharat is that the Somnath tem-

31

ple has withstood this battering, to be regarded as


Gujarats most revered archeological monument
today .

The Second Onslaught


After Mahmuds death in 1030, Muhammad of
Ghor invaded India in the later part of the 12th century. While Mahmud of
Ghazni was content with
looting once a year, Muhammad of Ghor wanted
to conquer the land and
establish a kingdom.
His attack on India was
bloodier and even more
barbaric than his predecessors. In the 1935 book
The Story of Civilisation:
Our Oriental Heritage,
Will Durant writes, The
Mohammedan conquest
of India is probably the
bloodiest story in history. The Islamic historians
and scholars have recorded with great glee and
pride the slaughters of Hindus, forced conversions, abduction of Hindu women and children to
slave markets and the destruction of temples carried out by the warriors of Islam during 800 AD
to 1700 AD. Millions of Hindus were converted to
Islam by sword during this period.

Indias Vulnerability
Sanjeev Sanyal writes in The Indian Renaissance:
Indias Rise after a Thousand Years of Decline, that
the main factor that seems to have let down the
Indians is [...] growing technological naivet after
the 11th century. He goes on to quote Al Beruni
and Marco Polo and concludes that the reason
behind Indias decline was primitive technology.
What Mr. Sanyal fails to realize here is that the
Hindu civilization that inhabited India at the time
never had a reason to prepare for the egregious violence that they faced at the hands of the invaders.
They also refused to resort to the lowly practices of
the invaders in order to defeat them, even though
they had unparalleled technology. The Hindus fell
victim to the attacks by these Muslim warriors because of a nave world-view, not a lack of technology. They had always been protected geographically; they were self sufficient, and most importantly,

Crimes Against Hinduism


they lived by dharma (the path of righteousness).
In Bharat, the rules of war were prescribed and
both sides wholeheartedly respected them. In
Hindu India, battles were noble affairs, and war
was fought with grace and dignity because without
these qualities, it becomes purely animal savagery.

War Wisdom from Kautilya


Kautilyas Arthashastra prescribes the rules for
war by saying, When a king at war with another
finds that greedy, impoverished, and oppressed as
are the subjects of his enemy, still they do not come
to his side in consequence of the troubles of war,
then he should, though of superior power, make
peace with his enemy or remove the troubles of
war as far as possible. Even in war, Kautilya tells
the kings to be considerate of the subjects of the
enemy and make sure that they are not negatively
impacted by the war.
When Mahmud and Muhammad arrived, the Hindus were unsuspecting. They did not know that the
invaders would take the battle off the battlefield
and into civilians homes. Many of the invasions
happened at night. Many a soldier was killed when
he was without arms. The war waged outside of
the boundaries of the war fields, savaging homes,
killing children and mistreating women. Hindus
had no reason to suspect unfairness and savagery
from their war opponents because they lived in a
civilization that taught the rules of dharmayuddha
(righteous war). They had never seen such brutality and utter disregard for dharma.
In other words, the wars with Muslim invaders
were won with deceit, not bravery or war skills.
Mahmud of Ghazni and Muhammad of Ghor had
only one objective: to establish their rule on the
land, loot the land and spread Islam by brute force.
They went to every length to achieve this, without
any consideration towards the subjects of the land
or the laws of war and peace. Multiple incidents
recorded in the accounts of their own court poets
verify this.

technologies to fight the Christians in the west. The


defeat that befell the Hindus occurred not due to
a lack of technology but due to a lack of barbaric
and adharmic (unrighteous) principles. These two
invasions were just the beginning of an 800 year
long bloodbath that occurred in India. The genocide of the Hindus cost hundreds of millions of
lives and was one of the most brutal conquests the
world has ever seen.

Impact of the Invasions


Apart from the direct impact the invasions had that of debilitating the countrys resources, mass
murder and forced conversions to Islam - there
was also a bigger, more deep rooted impact of these
Muslim invasions on all those who survived. There
was now a constant fear in the masses. A highly
dharmic population, which lived, ate and slept
practicing a lifestyle taught by the Vedas, was now
in a rude shock and was forced to be constantly
afraid of either death, pillage or their very religion
being snatched from them. The common subjects
could not explain the acts of their invaders according to any principles of the Vedas, and their own
belief and faith in their dharma was under attack.
Further invasions and attacks on India only deepened this identity crisis. The riches which Mahmud
of Ghazni and Muhammad of Ghor looted were
not as precious as the true richness of the land,
which was its spiritual strength. Despite the many
attacks, Hindus did not lose faith in the precepts of
the Vedas, but every attack made a bigger dent in
the mindsets of people and forced them to question their own dharma. The fear instilled by the
invaders had a far reaching effect in the history of
India, one that Hindus are trying to erase till date,
without much luck.
Reference
1. The Indian Renaissance: Indias Rise after a Thousand years of
Decline by Sanjeev Sanyal
2. Tarik-i-Yamini by Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad al Jabbarul Utbi
3. Kautilyas Arthashastra translated by R. Shamasastry (pg. 378)

Setting the Context Right

4. Gunpowder, Explosives, and the State: A Technological History by

Mr. Sanyal also neglects the fact that the civilization was highly advanced and had the greatest gift
of technology. According to Brenda Buchanan in
her book Gunpowder, Explosives, and the State:
A Technological History, the Sukraniti talks about
the technology of making gunpowder. This technology was later used by the West in their wars. Indians had firearms and aviary warfare before the
Moguls even set foot on the subcontinent. Moreover, the Muslims used Hindu metallurgy and other

Brenda J Buchanan

32

5 The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage by Will Durant

Enlightenment Stories

Enlightenment - Satyakama
Enlightenment can happen now, at this moment. It is
only a matter of being receptive. The Master is a gateway to eternal consciousness. It is up to the seeker to
have the courage, determination and intelligence to
take the first step in the right direction. Thousands
of parables exist in the Vedic texts about the lives of
seekers and the paths they must travel to reach the
ultimate goal - that is, moksha or liberation. One such
story is that of Satyakama, from the Chandogya Upanishad.
Satyakama Seeks the Truth
Satyakama was a boy who
lived in the dense forests of
India with his mother Jabala.
He had an intense desire to
learn meditation and know
the nature of the brahman. His
search for a guru took him to
the sage Gautama. The sage
asked him, Of what family
are you, my boy? Satyakama
fearlessly
answered,
My
mother said that I should tell
you that her name is Jabala
and my name is Satyakama
and I know nothing more about my family. So I am
Satyakama Jabala. Appreciating his honesty and
courage to speak the truth, the sage accepted him as
a student.
The next day, sage Gautama initiated Satyakama into
a meditation to quieten his mind. This was the first
step to the knowledge of the Brahman, brahma vidya
- knowing the self. After teaching Satyakama to meditate, Gautama did something that was very unusual.
He took Satyakama to the pasture where hundreds
of cows were grazing. To Satyakamas surprise, Gautama separated out four hundred thin, weak cows.
He then told Satyakama that he was about to enter a
different type of journey. He instructed Satyakama to
take the cows to another part of the forest and to tend
to them carefully. He was to return after the cows
had multiplied to a thousand. Satyakama had many
doubts in his heart, but in deference to the guruvaak
(His Gurus words), he left the gurukul with the cows
for the deepest part of the forest.
What Happened in the Forest
Deep in the forest, Satyakama lost all sense of time.
At first he felt lonely, but soon he sought companionship in his cows and the surrounding nature and forgot even the human language. His mind had become

33

completely silent and even the very goal of his journey was forgotten. He began enjoying his life in the
forest. He became one with the nature around him
and completely alive in the moment, lost in ecstasy
and joy. He carefully tended the cows. His cows ate
fresh grass and drank pure water from the streams
and soon became very healthy.
Satyakama stayed in the deep forest for many years,
living a peaceful and happy life, so much so that he
even forgot his goal of returning to his guru with a
thousand cows. Satyakama
never felt alone. Every living creature became a part
of his family. When the time
had come to return, a cow
approached Satyakama to inform him that they were now
a thousand in number, and
that they should return to the
Master.
Satyakama Returns
Satyakama traveled back to
the gurukul with the cows,
and upon seeing them all, the
Master exclaimed that now one thousand and one
cows had returned. In other words, Satyakama himself had lost all sense of his former identity, and had
simply become one of the cows. The Master simply
pronounced the Vedic declaration for enlightenment
- Tat Tvam Asi, or Thou art that. Satyakama was
so empty of identity, and in a state of such pure listening, that the Masters words just penetrated his
being and became a reality in him. In that moment,
Satyakama got enlightened.
Listen to the Masters Words
The Master has the power to create the right situation in which a disciple can flower. It is through the
guidance and instruction of an enlightened master
that a seeker can reach the state of the ultimate bliss.
Satyakama also had doubts, like any spiritual seeker,
but he had the intelligence to listen to his Masters
words and the courage to practice the Gurus instruction. In this way, Satyakama was able to transcend
the plane of the mundane and reach a higher level
of consciousness. The Master is a vessel for our own
transformation, but the disciple must take the first
step. Once that step is taken, then the possibility towards enlightenment, eternal bliss, becomes a reality.

Special Feature

The Attempted Murder of Veda Mata:


Western Academia on Trial

Ma Nithya Swaroopapriyananda
In order to protect the very biased and limited
world view that chooses to see history in terms of
western development coming first, all true findings that prove the earliest civilizations were in
the East are thwarted and then ridiculed into irrelevance. One need look no further than the investigative works of those exposing forbidden archaeology to see how systematic and all encompassing
the suppressing of ancient artifacts and information has become.
Despite the incessant attempts made by anti-Hindu
forces to sully our vast wealth of consciousness, we
still remember the innate divinity inherent in our
temples, texts, traditions and celebrations; those of
us with the sincere intention to preserve and live
Dharma can see beyond the white-washing of our
glorious past.

Imperial greed of the British was one of the causes


for two centuries of colonial crimes against Bharat,
but it was through the western academic system
that a diabolical plan to destroy our Vedic tradition
was executed.
We have been systematically taught to think lowly
of our own roots, to deny our spiritual powers, and
to all but forget the innumerable scientific discoveries made by our rishis and munis, all because the
schools in which we are forced to learn follow the
principles and curriculum of our invaders, while
the schools in which the rest of the world studies
paint our society as underdeveloped, our tradition
as superstitious and our culture as primitive.
They call our history mythology, and write off our
ancient architectural wonders, claiming them to
be much newer than we know they truly are, or
denying them completely, ignoring the evidence
we have, and instead perpetuating their pre-determined conclusions based on academic convenience. This leads the public to ignore the true ancientness of our Vedas, and makes us feel a sense
of cultural inferiority.

34

Our ability to know that truly our distant past was


glorious is not in question; when we think of the
Vedic times, our minds invariably turn towards
ages long past. Thoughts of this bygone golden age
inevitably spark a sense of nostalgia in our hearts;
we miss the divine connection and cultural extravagance for which Bharat is known.
The modern world around us, with its corrosive
socio-political structures built on western materialism, is sure to leave in us a gaping void where
once we cherished a sincere quest for Truth. Oh, to
return once again to the soft lap of Veda Mata! But
alas, our Vedic Mothers sweet embrace has slipped
far into antiquity, who knows how many centuries
or millenia back. We have now been struggling
and suffering with inner poverty for many yugas...
Or have we? When, exactly, did the last group of
enlightened sages sit, legs locked, under the rushing waters of northern falls? When did a Raja last
make his rounds atop a brilliantly decorated elephant? And when were our children last sitting,
chanting, expanding in sacred wisdom, under the
warm rays of Surya? Surprisingly for many, not as
long ago as we have been led to believe. Even as
recently as 1833, less than 200 years ago, Thomas
Babington Macaulay addressed the British Parliament at the inception of their plan to colonize
Bharat, saying,

Special Feature
I have travelled across the length and breadth of
India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in the
country, such high moral values, people of such
calibre, that I do not think we would conquer this
country, unless we break the very backbone of this
nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and therefore, I propose that we replace her
old and ancient education system, her culture, for
if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will
lose their self esteem, their native culture and they
will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.
This is the smoking
gun, the hand caught
red, the indisputable proof that our
current British-born
school system is not
actually an institution by which we become intelligent, but
an elaborate trap by
which our birthright
is stripped. 1833 was
only 183 years ago!
That means, in less
than two centuries,
the motherland of all
Hindus was reduced
from rich, and without sign of thieves or
beggars, to poor, with
many left homeless
due to the atrocities committed by invaders, and
a corrupt government following in the footsteps of
those who came here to force rule at any human
cost.
Of course, thats just physical; whats worse is what
we have lost spiritually. Veda Matas very life is on
the line, and those who attempted her murder continue beating her badly injured body while most
of her children go on with their lives, ignorant to
the fact that their inaction is making them accessories to the horrendous crime. In a court of law, the
charge of attempted murder is not taken lightly;
though the victim of this crime yet lives, the intention on which the defendant acted was an intent
to kill.
By conscientiously assessing the state of Bharat,
and discovering that her strength was in her education and traditions, then strategically attacking

35

those, the British essentially stabbed Veda Mata in


the heart. When she didnt die completely, a now
nearly two centuries long tradition of abuse and
denial ensures that though shes not dead, she is
also not fully alive.
What we all Hindus must do now, is convict western academia for this heinous crime, and lock it
up lest it perpetuate the abuse. How can we do
that? By becoming outspoken Hindu activists; by
questioning what outsiders tell us about ourselves
and our traditions; by putting our children in Gurukul instead of the schools established to dumb
us down; by speaking up when we see a blatant
lie; by defending our Gurus, Temples and Sacred

Knowledge. On their side, European hubris and


a penchant for destroying other cultures. On our
side, Vedic divinity, and an innate ability to realize, then share, the Cosmic truths. We will win this;
our Mother will return to her full radiance. All we
have to do is realize who we are, and act accordingly.

Confronting Controversies: Hindu Myths Busted

Myth 1 - Hinduism Oppresses Women


Ma Nithya Swaroopapriyananda
[Confronting Controversies: Hindu Myths Busted
- here-in, youll find the real truth about the most
criticized and misunderstood aspects of Sanatana
Hindu Dharma, why they offend people, how theyve
been misinterpreted, and how we can stand strong
and share our conscious gifts with the world]
We live in a world that prides itself on so-called political correctness; a world in which we cant openly
call violent religious militants terrorists for fear
of offending members of their hate groups; where
we cant demand all missionaries stop undermining other traditions and manipulatively forcing innocent and uneducated people into religious conversion at the expense of their livelihood and well
being. Because somehow, people think that telling
missionaries to stop burning temples and lying to
members of other traditions would be infringing
on their religious freedom.

The first myth were going to bust in this series is


the false idea that Hinduism is a misogynistic, patriarchal system bent on repressing the feminine
and oppressing women.
No matter how much critics of Sanatana Hindu
Dharma avoid understanding this, Hinduism is, in
fact, of all the religious traditions in the world, the
most open and embracing of women. In fact, its
only in Sanatana Dharma that women are considered equal to men and revered in the form of Devi
or the divine feminine.

Despite carefully tip-toeing around members of all


other faiths and nationalities, the media goes on
abusing Hindu masters, Hindu traditions, Hindu
festivals and more, and whats worse, it skews our
own customs in such a way as to try to support its
abuse of us.

36

In the Abrahamic creation story, womankind came


to be when the first man, Adam, was lonely. God
created for him a companion out of his own rib.
The rib-born woman, named Eve, was meant to
serve and obey him. But instead, they say she disobeyed God, fell into temptation, and for her failure, God cursed not only all future women, but all
future humankind, to live away from paradise, to
suffer and to die as sinners. In Christianity, man
is created in the image of God, and woman is only
a fragment of man. The ancient myth of Eves sin
continues to colour the perception of all females
in the Christian community, to the point that their
wedding vows demand a wife must love, honour

Confronting Controversies: Hindu Myths Busted


and my Lord (husband) shall be submissive to my
will. and obey her husband.
Its a sad fact that the cultural landscape of the
Vedic era was greatly diminished by years of Islamic invasions and occupations. The Middle East,
cradle of all Abrahamic faiths, including Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, has a long recorded history
of negating the innate equality of women to men.
In the Bible, the Koran and the pre-Christian Hebrew texts, daughters are described as the property of their fathers, and were bought and sold
without consent.
That some of the sick practices of misogynistic traditions contaminated Indian society as a result of
invasions and colonialism is obvious, but to blame
that contamination on Hinduism is preposterous.
For a clear insight into the actual Hindu treatment of women, one need look no further than the
Saptapadi, seven sacred Sanskrit marriage vows,
of which this is the fourth:

take Hindu widows as sex slaves for their harems.


Unwilling to suffer that indignity, widows chose,
instead, to walk into the pyres on which their husbands burned, slow fiery death being the less painful of their two options. (See Origin of Sati System
or Self Immolation in India by Hinduism Glance
for further information on sati).
At its very heart, ours is a tradition of Mother worship. Every sacred event in our divine Dharmic
Cosmology involves the Mother; we have a Goddess for every God, a feminine to balance every
masculine; the ideal being is Ardhanaareeshwara,
the God and Goddess who are One. The idea that
Hinduism oppresses women is not only a myth, its
the exact opposite of the truth.
Jai Sri Maa!

tri vratya viustv anvetu |


Translation: I will not force myself upon the other
at the physical or mental level when the other does
not prefer it.
This is the antithesis to a vow demanding a wife
obey her husband, and its the antithesis to the notion that she is there only to gratify his base desires.
But this is only one example of Vedic equality;
there are, beyond this, clear statements showing
not only ancient gender equality, but even a matriarchal bent of female supremacy! This statement,
in Rig Veda book 10, verse 159, lines 2-4, is to be
declared by the bride at her wedding:

We welcome your suggestions! If you know a Hindu myth that


needs to be busted, we invite you to post a comment on our web-

aha tadvidvalaa patimabhyasaakshi vishaasahih


aham keturaham moordhaahamughraa vivaacani|
mamedanukratum patim sehaanaayaa upaacaret||

site or in our Facebook group.

Translation: I knowing this, as conquerer, have


won my husband for my own. I am the banner
and the head, a mighty arbitress am I. I am victorious. Scriptural evidence aside, people continue
to abuse our tradition for what they mistakenly
perceive as violence or prejudice against women.
One key example of this is the so-called sati practice. This has been unequivocally proven to have
risen out of Islamic rule. In the middle ages, when
Mogul invaders raped and plundered their way
into India, it was a common practice for them to

37

The Sacred Song - Bhagavad Gita for World Today

Bhagavad Gita for World Today


Sathish Selvakumar
[This column will share
excerpts from the commentary on Bhagavad
Gita by Enlightened Master and rare living incarnation
Paramahamsa
Nithyananda. The intention is to highlight
the eternal relevance
of Bhagvad Gita in addressing challenges, issues and dilemmas faced
by humanity in present
times.]
Bhagavad Gita is a sacred scripture of the Vedic
culture. As with all scriptures, it was knowledge
that was transmitted verbally. It was called sruti
in Sanskrit, meaning something that is heard. It
is part of the ancient knowledge base of the Vedic
tradition, which is the expression of the experiences of the great sages.
Gita, as Bhagavad Gita is generally called, translates literally, from Sanskrit as Sacred Song. Unlike Vedas and Upanishads, which are standalone
expressions, Gita is written into the well known
Hindu epic Mahabharata, called a purana or, an
ancient happening. It is part of history that was
recorded by Vyasa Muni, the great sage and the
greatest writer the world has ever known.

a simple explanation of that translation. He takes


the reader through an expansive journey while
talking about each verse. It is believed that each
verse of Gita has seven layers of meaning. What is
commonly shared is the first level meaning. Here,
a rare living incarnation takes us beyond the common to the uncommon, with ease and simplicity.
To read Paramahamsa Nithyanandas commentary on Gita is to obtain an insight that is rare. It is
not mere reading; it is an experience; it is meditation. This is because He is established in the same
frequency as Krishna.
Sankara, the great master and philosopher said,
A little reading of Gita, a drop of Ganga water to
drink, remembering Krishna once in a while, all
this will ensure that you have no problems with
Yama (the lord of death).

Exerpt
The reading of the commentary is meant to help
every individual in daily life as well as in the endeavour to realize the ultimate Truth. It creates
the possibility to attain nithyananda, eternal bliss.
There are millions of scriptures on planet earth.
But Bhagavad Gita is incomparable. Unlike any
other, this book has penetrated human consciousness so deeply. Bhagavad Gita is the unabridged
dictionary and encyclopaedia of spirituality.

Gita is a direct expression of the Divine. As a consequence of the presence of Gita, the Mahabharata
itself is considered a sacred Hindu scripture. Gita
arose from the super-consciousness of Krishna, an
incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and is therefore considered a scripture.

Spiritual literature can be classified into three categories:


Shastras: They give clarity about the goal of human
life. They give intellectual understanding about
the ultimate truth about man and god. Shastras
are like signboards that explain the basics of life.

The Uncommon

Stotras: Stotras means expressing our love or


devotion to our master or god. Hinduism does
not have idol worship. We worship through
the idol; we do not worship the idol itself. In
Vaishnavism, there is a beautiful word arca avatara. Arcavatara means the Divine descending
on planet earth. Idols are the incarnations of
God.
Sutras: Sutras give us the techniques to reach
enlightenment.
Shastras are from the intellectual level. Stotras
are from the emotional level. Sutras are from
the being level.
(Contd. on page 39)

There have been many hundreds of commentaries


written on the Bhagavad Gita over the centuries.
The earliest of them were by great spiritual masters such as Adi Sankaracharya, Ramanuja, Gyaneshwar and Madhava, thousands of years ago.
In recent times, great masters such as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Ramana Maharshi have spoken from Gita extensively. Many others have written volumes on this great scripture.
Paramahamsa Nithyanandas commentary on
Bhagavad Gita is not just a literary translation and

38

Vedic Women

Sati and Parvati


Two Powerful Incarnations of Devi
Varsha Singh
Lord Shivas feminine dimension is Devi. She is the embodiment of devotion, creativity,
compassion and strength. She
first assumed the human form
as Daksha Prajapatis daughter, Sati. But in due course of
time Lord Shiva cut off Brahmas fifth head, and due to
this Daksha developed a deep
hatred for Lord Shiva. Daksha
tried to keep Devi Sati away
from Lord Shiva (Mahadeva)
and his hatred of Lord Shiva
made him more ignorant and
arrogant by the day. In spite
of all his efforts, he failed to
stop Devi Sati from marrying
Mahadeva.

and Murugan, the warrior


god created to defeat the demon Tarakasura.

After their marriage, Daksha decided to sever all relations with Devi Sati and Lord Shiva. He arranged
a Narayana Yagna (ritual) for which he invited all
gods, goddesses and relatives except Shiva and
Sati. On hearing this Devi Sati decided to go visit
her father. Shiva did not want her to go as he knew
what the result of Dakshas arrogance would be.
After seeing Devi Sati at the yagna (fire sacrifice),
Daksha repeatedly insulted her and Lord Shiva. It
was then that Sati, with all her rage, assumed the
form of Adi Shakti and declared who she was to
Daksha. She cursed Daksha and then cast her body
into the flames of the yagna. On hearing this, furious Lord Shiva created Virabhadra, his own dimension, to kill Daksha and end his arrogance.
The remaining parts of Satis body were buried to
form sacred pindas. Soon after, Lord Shiva went
into deep penance to restore the peace of the
world. Devi once again assumed the human body
as Himavat and Menakas daughter, Parvati. As
Parvati grew up, she became greatly devoted to
Mahadeva. She performed years of penance in
order to attain enlightenment. At the end of her
penance, Mahadeva appeared in front of her and
made her realize her incarnation-hood. With her
parents blessings, Lord Shiva and Parvati get married and move to Kailasha. Shiva and Parvati become parents to two powerful gods - Ganesha, the
god of supreme intelligence and auspiciousness

39

Devi was also given knowledge on various subjects by


Mahadeva like the Upanishads, Bhaga Shastra, science
of Tantra, Yoga, etc. Devi Parvati assumed many roles. For
e.g. as Mahakali she is worshipped as an embodiment
of darkness who protects her
devotees and destroys evil. As
Annapurani she enriches the
whole world with food. Durga
is her fierce form who slays
demons like Mahishasura.
She is worshipped as the cosmic mother in Hinduism and
each of the roles she plays
have a great significance in
different parts of India.
References:
1.

https://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1 >Rudra
Samhita - Satikhanda (Section 2)

2.

https://archive.org/stream/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart2/Siva%20
Purana%20-%20J.L.Shastri%20-%20Part%202#page/n1/
mode/2up >Rudra Samhita - Parvatikhanda (Section 3)

3.

Rudha Samhita - Yuddhakhanda (Section 5)

(Contd. from page 38...)

There are three kinds of human beings; head oriented, heart oriented and being oriented. To fulfil everyone, our enlightened sages have created
three kinds of literature shastras, stotras and
sutras. Bhagavad Gita is the only book that is a
combination of all three literatures and something
more.
Within the Vedic literature, our masters have chosen three books and call them prasthanatrayathe ultimate authorities in spirituality. They are
the Brahma Sutra, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.
Ved Vyasa, an enlightened master, wrote the Brahma Sutra. Many enlightened masters revealed and
taught the Upanishads. However, Gita is directly
from God, from a purnavatar a perfect incarnation, Krishna.

Vedic Sciences

The Science of Completion


Ma Nithya Mahayogananda
This is one of the most profound truths you will
ever come across on why you experience life as
you do: blissful or tortuous. Whenever an incident
happens in your life, the components of time
and space are interlaced (flowing into one another). If the flow is smooth, you experience joy.
If the flow is disturbed, you are unhappy. Your inner space is just TIME (matter) and SPACE (Consciousness) moving. But let us assume, in your inner space, if there is an obstruction - like a traffic
jam or an obstacle on the road, you might see that
what you want is not happening and what you
dont want is happening.This projects out, just like
a stone or nail sticking out in the road. If your car
is going on that road, what happens? The tyre gets
punctured!
In the same way, for instance, what you want is
GREED and what you dont want is FEAR,and if
you carry those two in your inner space and approach TIME, then time gets punctured here and
there. Those moments become KARMA, that get
caught in your inner space. This is what we call
incompletion. Now if we go back to the same time
and space (through remembrance), about the situation that occurred in the past, when you RELIVE
it in the present, they will not matter any more in
your life. The tyre that got punctured, which delayed you going to the office, was a headache in
your life then. Now when it is no more a pain, and
it doesnt matter anymore, that TIME will be relived in a SPACE where there is no nail or stone
sticking out like fear or greed. Thus a smooth flow
of time and space is ensured.
When there is a smooth flow of TIME & SPACE,
it is called Completion. The punctured time is
made to run through your inner space again CONSCIOUSLY, so naturally, the fear and greed do not
impact the time again.Those wounds melt down
and get healed. Smooth flow of time and space
ensures that the karma melts down, and you become free from the incompletions created in the
past. The most basic science of incompletion is
answered with the most basic questions of WHY,
HOW incompletions are built and why it gets completed when the reliving happens. Your life is nothing but TIME flowing over SPACE. If you just keep
your space with so much love, expansion, bliss and
allow the time to cross your space, it will be such
a beautiful flow, and you will feel life is flowing
through you uninterruptedly.

You will naturally feel more blissful, energetic, and


enthusiastic. But whenever you stick the fear and
greed into the wheel of TIME, you dent it and the
dented wheel therefore cannot move fast. Removing the dents is Completion.
If you hold the inner space consciously without
fear and greed, you will never create incompletions.
Going back to the past when you are in the
present is Completion.
Going forward to the future, while you are
present is inspiration.
What you are going to do, if you visualise in the
present that becomes inspiration.
What you have done in the past if you relive in
the present, it becomes Completion.
If you consciously relive, you will be removing all
the dents of the past, and TIME gets healed. This
will be equivalent to worshipping Kalabhairava the Lord of TIME and SPACE, where you will be immediately blessed with Completion.
You are a Multiple Personality Who Needs to Become One Person
Will you believe it if anyone told you, you are a
bunch of multiple personalities? It is only after
Completion, that you become integrated, means
one person. Till then we are nothing but multiple
personalities. Because you are multiple personality, you dont know what is good and what is bad
for you. Many times you attract disease thinking
it is much better than living these personalities in
you.


Relationship problems directly create disease


in the body
Disease directly creates depression in the body
Depression directly quickens death of your life

It is all interconnected how you feel about you.


If that is a constant shivering, and how you feel
about you is a constant unstable fear, then simply
you can expect disease, depression, agony, and
everything which should not come in your life.
When you have a multiple personality, unintegrated being, what you attract is negativity and
more incompletion, and you will not know why
you attract that. People often ask, why me? why

40

Vedic Sciences
me? why did I attract this disease? There are more
bad people! Why me? I am such a good person,
I never thought of or did any wrong to anybody.
Understand, its nothing to do with good or bad, because good or bad is certified by society. That certificate does not get accepted by cosmos! Whether
you are integrated or not, is only accepted by
cosmos. Understand, good or bad is not accepted
by cosmos. Somebody may be bad, but he is integrated! You may be good, but you are a disintegrated person who neither knows what he is attracting
nor knows why he is attracting or you can be clear
about the fact that integrity is absolute. Integrity
doesnt change with society. It is not social ethics,
but it is a spiritual principle. Till you are integrated, you will not know what and why you
are attracting certain situations in your life.

force yourself, literally like putting a stick between


both your eyelids, so that it doesnt close! With
Completion, listening starts! With Completion, life
starts, listening starts, Integrity starts, Authenticity
starts, Responsibility starts, and Enriching starts.
Completion is the most important aspect of Cosmos. Understand, your Completion is not just experienced by you, your Completion is celebrated
by the Cosmos! When every individual completes,
Cosmos feels complete through them. Cosmos celebrates!!

The Sacred Secret of Completion


The first truth you need to know about Completion
is: Do Completion just to be in the space of Completion.
First thing you
need to understand is Completion that is done
to be in the space
of
Completion
transforms your
personality, transforms your being,
heal the intense,
constant, agitated
violence you carry
towards you and
others.

Only when you are


complete, integrated, you will even
know about where
you are in life and
what is life. Good
and bad keeps
changing
with
age, time and society, but integrity
is there forever!
Only when you are
complete, you will
become Authentic.
Without completing, you will not
know which part
of you is your Mamakaara
(inner
image).
Instead
of enriching you,
you will be enriching your parasites, the parasites
which are sitting inside you! Instead of enriching
and consciously building your Mamakaara (inner
image), you will be enriching your unconscious
root-patterns! No wealth is wealth if you are not
integrated. No energy is energy, if you are not integrated. Anything that comes in life will not have its
positive impact on you, if you are not integrated.

When you drop a


stone in the water
notice how the ripples are created.
Similarly, the moment
incompletion is dropped in
your
consciousness, the ripples of
violence towards
you and others starts in your being. Worrying becomes your lifestyle. Worrying becomes a compulsive pattern in you. Because of worrying, you develop the inability to handle life. At the most, you
only push your life under the carpet, which is not
going to be the solution.
Lets look at an example: One person had a compulsive worrying pattern for years. He had been
a compulsive worrier for years to the point that
it started ruining his life. He went to a psychologist, who recommended a specialist who could
help him. Suddenly, his friend noticed a dramatic
change in the behaviour of this guy and asked,

Understand, completion is the basic need of life!


Unless completion starts happening, even listening
doesnt start. Listening is the judgement-free space
of God in you. Even listening is achieved with
Completion! Without Completion, even listening
will be difficult. With a lot of difficulty, you have to

41

Vedic Sciences
what way you want to experience life.

What happened? Nothing seems to worry you


anymore!
This person says, I hired a professional worrier
for me, and I have not had a worry since. Now he
worries for my sake. That must be expensive! the
friend asked. This guy said, Yes, he charges fivethousand dollars a month.The friend said, What
are you doing? How are you paying?
This person replies, Yes, the question is how can I
pay five-thousand dollars! But, I dont worry about
it. He has to worry, that is his problem!

Anything pushed under the carpet, will explode


like a volcano one day.You cannot push or cover the
whole thing under the carpet and live. It cannot go
on for a long time. Understand, even if it is a small
thing pushed under the carpet, it explodes like a
volcano, because, when you are trying to push it
into your mind, unfortunately, it reaches deeper
and goes closer to your consciousness. Anything
goes closer to consciousness becomes powerful.
That is why a small incompletion that happened
in your life when you were young, or a small incompletion which you are suppressing without
completing, explodes in you as a dangerous imbalance! Many a time, your imbalance is such you
do not care about your own destruction. Continuously completing for the sake of completion leads
you to the experience of enlightenment! Completion is not a way of life, it is LIFE itself.
Learn the science of completion and go one step
ahead by making it a part of your very being by
getting initiated into Completion by Paramahamsa
Nithyananda at the 21-days Inner Awakening spiritual retreat.

Understand, all your entertainment is nothing


but professional worriers with whom or through
whom, you try to hide your worries under the carpet. You think by pushing the worries down, you
can live life!

Reference:

There are only three ways to handle


incompletion:
One, pushing it under the carpet
Second, trying to forget it either by alcohol or
through seeking some other entertainment
Third, completing it and liberating yourself.

Complete all the incompletions just to be in the


space of Completion. Understand, living in incompletion does not even let you know what you
want in life. There are people who lived as engineers for twenty-five years, and are then planning
to become doctors! There are women who lived
for twenty-five years as housewives and are planning to become lawyers! Maybe the training in the
house will help them to argue in the court! It is so
unfortunate, most of us do not know what we want
to be!
Get your context right! Even when you take up a
spiritual life, you should know why you are taking
what you want through a spiritual life, understand
what is your life, what you expect from life, and

1.

Videos of Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Completion - The Secret of Causing


Ian Narcisi

Its a simple truth understanding the fact that


the space you create within you just prior to causing another person is exactly what the space the
person on the other end will reflect in return. This
is based off of a sacred Vedic truth. For example:
lets say you were in a low mood due to the fact
that your bank account was reducing and you did
not have any income and were unable to complete
with this incompletion. Next, you make a causing
call from this space. When the person answers on
the other end when asked when they will be attending a given program - will respond with, I
dont have any money right now. I cannot afford it
and I am currently out of work. The secret behind making a causing call successful is to complete with any incompletions within you (money
and work in the aforementioned example) prior to
making a call. The simple process of dropping all
associated incompletions at Paramahamsa Nithyanandas feet allows for the causer to work from a
fresh space. A space of completion.

42

Testimonial

Using Third Eye Powers in Daily Life


Krishnan Natarajan
Nithyanandoham!
What an experience of a lifetime. When I attended this program in December 2015, I had no expectations. I was like a sponge ready to absorb whatever is poured on me and I was blessed with something
unimaginable, the third eye awakening!
Initially when I was able to identify alphabets, numbers, pictures and words while blindfolded, it was
something that I was exploring with no pressure on myself. It was not something that I was desperate
about. I was doing it with the feeling that I was blessed by Paramahamsa Nithyananda and it was him
seeing through my third eye. Then I went on to read books and mails in mobile phone which was a total
surprise to me during demonstration on-stage. Upon returning home, I shared my experience with my
family members and they were astonished, surprised and somewhat in disbelief.
Here is an interesting experience with my daughter. One day she came to me and said Appa, Im not
able to find my spectacles. Could you please help me to find it? My usual response would have been
Go and find it yourself. You need to be more responsible, but I suddenly realized that she was asking
me because she trusted me to locate it. So I said, It is on the table opposite the TV on the floor below.
She went down and found it at the exact spot I mentioned. When she came up and saw me, her expression was priceless. So you would have realised that I have become sort of a lost-and-found booth for
my folks at home.
How has the third eye awakening impacted me in my daily life? Here are some examples:
I am able to heal people. My mother is under palliative care and I wanted to heal her from pain. For
her to allow me to do so has been a huge blessing in my life. One night after I did the healing on her,
she woke up the next day saying she had a very good sleep and did not have any pain. I have also done
healing for my wife and son.
I am able to sense peoples feelings just by looking at them and empathize with them. I can respond
to their hidden emotions and not on the basis of the words they utter which can be contradicting. It has
given me the wisdom of knowing when to share and when not to share so as not to hurt the sentiments
of others.
In my profession, which requires me to coach and provide advisory service to people, there are times
when I intuitively know what the real issue or incompletion is which the person is having, so I would
guide them through the process of completion first because only when this is done, would any of my
advice have an impact on them (it is like making the soil fertile first before sowing the seed). I have received testimonials that this is very effective.
I am able to forecast and anticipate what is ahead, especially at my workplace. In the past, I used to
react very quickly without understanding the reason behind what was happening, but nowadays I intuitively know what to expect and respond accordingly. It has been a phenomenal shift for me in terms
of managing and influencing people.
Basically, having my third eye awakened has given me immense confidence that I can achieve whatever
I want to do. I AM THE SOURCE.
Thank you Mahadeva for your blessings!
Krishnan Natarajan is 48 years old and is a family business consultant in Bengaluru, India. He received third eye initiation from Paramahamsa Nithyananda at the 21-Day Nithyanandoham program in Phuket, Thailand in December
2015. He has since been demonstrating his abilities in the hi-tech city of Bengaluru, South India.

43

Spiritual Giants of Vedic Times

Vyas Muni - The Spreader of


Sanatana Hindu Dharma
Kanaka Nagaraj Sabapathy

It was on a cold, windy, February morning, on the


outskirts of Haridwar, twenty eight years ago, that
I stood witness to the kumbhabhishekam (consecration) of the first ever full fledged temple dedicated to Vyasa Muni (saint) the greatest and most
prodigious author/ compiler of Hindu scriptures
and epics the world has ever known. This recognition of the great saints centrality to the transmission of knowledge contained in the ancient Hindu
scriptures, for future generations, was to say the
least, long overdue.

Ignored by Mainstream Media


As a journalist of the
Press Trust of India
(PTI) New Delhi Bureau, I had been sent
by my organization
to report on this religious event in response to an invitation by the 700 year
old Kashi Math Samsthan, which has revered the saint from
its very inception and
adopted him as their
presiding deity.
I remember that the event was not given the prominence it deserved by the mainstream media and
my memory cannot recall any newspaper carrying PTIs report of the event which speaks volumes
about the neglect of our rich heritage by modern
society.

Limited Knowledge about Vyasa in India


In retrospect, I am forced to admit that my knowledge of Vyasa at the time of the temple consecration was very limited. I knew him then only as the
compiler of the Vedas and the author of the Mahabharatha. Little did I know that Vyasa was also
an important protagonist of the epic; the splitter
and simplifier of the vedas; writer and compiler of
the 18 major Puranas; the Brahma Sutras, and the
Upanishads to name just a few of his works.

44

Penning the Vedas, Puranas and Epics


Vyasa, as I have come to know now, was also the
author of the Guru Gita (Song of the Guru) a part of
the larger Skanda Purana that highlights a conversation between Lord Shiva and his wife Goddess
Parvati on the Guru and liberation. He also wrote
the Yoga Bhashya, a commentary on the Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali.
The Vishnu Purana lucidly expounds the pivotal
role played by Vyasa in adapting the Vedas to the
limited capacities of human beings to understand
the great truths.
It states, In every
third world age
(Dvapara), Vishnu,
in the person of
Vyasa, in order to
promote the good
of mankind, divides
the Veda, which is
properly but one,
into many portions.
Observing the limited perseverance,
energy and application of mortals,
he makes the Veda fourfold, to adapt it to their capacities and the bodily form which he assumes, in
order to effect this classification, it is known by the
name Veda Vyasa.

Vyasas Motivation
The question, however, remains as to what Vyasas
motivation was in undertaking this monumental
task? Swami Chinmayananda sheds some light in
his tribute, Vyasa The Versatile Genius. According to him, Vyasas life was contemporaneous to
events that put Hinduism in direct threat of annihilation. The scriptures were fast fading away
even among those who were supposed to be the
custodians of sacred lore. The mantras of the Vedas
were slowly being forgotten by the people. In that
general forgetfulness of the generation, the entire
subjective science of the Vedas would have been
lost, had it not been for the great revolutionary reformer, the poet-philosopher known as Vyasa.

Spiritual Giants of Vedic Times


As Vyasa moved around the country, realization
dawned on him that there were various versions
of the Vedas that was obliterating the original
meaning. He therefore collected all the Vedic passages and edited them into written volumes for
the first time, from the oral tradition. He added the
Upanishads (philosophical revelations) at the end
of each of the Vedas. The philosophy of the Upanishads thus came to be known as the Vedanta, the
end of the Veda.

Swami Chinmayanandas Tribute


What Vyasa did for the common people through
the splitting of the Vedas, he also did for the pundits (experts) by penning the Brahma Sutras. He
found that the essence of the Upanishadic literature was getting atrophied and slowly forgotten
among the pundits, although the ritualistic portion
was being followed faithfully. He therefore crystallized the philosophical thought of the Upanishads
in the sutra form, into a text, the Brahma Sutras.
It became the definitive text of Advaita Vedanta.
Vyasas work thus became the substratum, the
very foundation for the entire Hinduism that grew
out of the Vedantic tradition, according to Chinmayananda.
According to Swami Chinmayananda, Vyasa had
become an institution representing the Hindu heritage and that no scriptural study or Vedic chanting has ever begun without prostrations unto this
greatest of seers. He further says if we must attribute Hinduism to any single individual there
is none else to whom we can most appropriately
attribute its present existence and past glories, except to Veda Vyasa.

Great Humanitarian Outpouring in the Gita


Vyasas concern about the path society was taking
is tellingly brought forth in his final lament in the
Mahabharata when he asks his son Suka to read
with him the final four verses of the epic contained
in book 18 of Svargarohanika Sarva Parva. I quote
from its English translation by Kisari Mohan Ganguly.
Thousands of mothers and fathers, and hundreds
of sons and wives arise in the world and depart
from it. Others will (arise and) similarly depart.
There are thousands of occasions for joy and hundreds of occasions for fear. These affect only him
that is ignorant but never him that is wise. With
uplifted arms I am crying aloud but nobody hears
me. From Righteousness is Wealth as also Pleasure. Why should not Righteousness, therefore, be

45

courted? For the sake neither of pleasure, nor of


fear, nor of cupidity should any one cast off Righteousness. Indeed, for the sake of even life one
should not cast off Righteousness. Righteousness
is eternal. Pleasure and Pain are not eternal. Jiva
is eternal. The cause, however, of jivas being invested with a body, is not.

Birth and Lineage


Vyasa was born into a very distinguished lineage.
The divine circumstances of his birth with surreal
elements are enough for the perceptive to realize that here, in this boy, there was greatness. His
father was Sage Parashara while his mother was
a fisher woman called Satyavathi. Legend has it
that while being rowed across the river Yamuna
by Satyavathi, Parashara fell in love with her and
their amorous relationship led to the immediate
birth of their lovechild. Vyasa who grew into a
boy immediately, started work on the Vedas. The
significance of this relationship shows that the circumstances of birth is not important but the erudition and learning of the person is what matters in
typifying that persons caste.
Vyasas father Parashara is well known for his
book on astrology, Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, which is still the definitive book on Indian
astrology. Parasharas grandfather was the Sage
Vasishta, one of the Sapta Rishis. Vashita was also
the guru of Prince Rama. Vasishtas father was
Brahma himself.
Appearing for the first time as a compiler of the
Bhagavad Gita, Vyasa was the grandfather to both
the Kauravas and Pandavas. Their fathers, Dhritarashtra and Pandu respectively, and uncle Vidura, were Vyasas sons.
Vyasa is one of the seven Chiranjeevis (immortals)
who are still in existence in the world. The festival
of Guru Purnima is dedicated to him and is also
known as Vyasa Purnima for it is the day of his
birthday and also the day he divided the Vedas.
Reference
1. http://www.gsbkonkani.net/Maths/SHRI%20KASHI%20
MATH%20SAMSTHAN.htm
2.http://www.chinmayayuvakendra.org/index.php?option=com_conten
t&view=article&id=275&s=959&p=506&f=960&Itemid=960
3. http://www.sacredtexts.com/hin/m18/m18005.htm
4. Vyasa%20%20Wikipedia,%20the%20free%20encyclopedia.htm

The Future of Hinduism

Creating Geniuses
The Nithyananda Gurukul Way
Dr. Vinay Kamat
Our first priority is to create Vedic Education Institutions. We need Universities creating Vedic
Scholars. I will create huge universities teaching
Vedic philosophies, creating Doctorates in different branches of Vedic philosophies for those who
have the passion for Hinduism. There will be online Vedic courses for distance education.
- Paramahamsa Nithyananda

The Background

Gurukul, literally translated to the Gurus home or


becoming part of the gurus family, was the original Indian education system of Sanatana Hindu
Dharma. In ancient times students lived with enlightened masters from a young age, learning the
64 vidyas or types of knowledge.

Gurukuls are not teacher-centric but rather education-centric. They are conceived to allow students
to develop, discover and invent autonomously.
Students are also given the freedom to explore
their highest creativity. The Guru is the Divine
guide and he supports their explorations; he is the
light in the dark and the hand that raises them if
they fall.

As described in the Taittiriya Upanishad:


aum saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu | saha
viryam karvavahai |
tejasvi naavadhitamastu maa vidvishaavahai ||
aum shantih shantih ||
AUM. May we both (the Guru and the disciple),
together be protected. May we both be nourished
and enriched with knowledge. May we both work
with great strength, energy and enthusiasm. May
our study and learning illumine us both with the
sharp, absolute light of higher intelligence. May
we both not have enmity or incompletion with
each other. AUM. Let there be Peace (in my inner
space). Peace (in the nature). Peace (in the divine
forces).
Krishna Yajurveda, Taittiriya Upanishad 2.2.2
Unlike current didactic teaching systems, knowledge was transmitted through the very bio-memory of the master. Children emerged as spiritually
anchored geniuses who radiated siddhis (mystical
powers), were high-achievers and world leaders.
In an effort to revive this lost educational system,
living incarnation Paramahamsa Nithyananda has
spearheaded, developed and instituted Nithyananda Gurukul not only in India but around the world.

46

The Training
In addition to standard academics, students learn
through training of Nithya Yoga, mallakhamba
(pole yoga), rope yoga, dhanur vidya (archery), dhyana (meditation), akhada (traditional gym),veda
parayana (Vedic chanting), natya-nataka-sangeetashilpa- chitrakala (all forms of traditional performing arts and fine arts), vakyartha sadas (spiritual
discussions for life solutions), puja vidhi (worship
and rituals) and lifestyle as per the Agama Shastra.

The Outcome
Gurukul encourages whole brain learning, a stressfree environment, it has zero teen violence and aggression. The system currently boasts the following accomplishments: 50% of children are at 1 to
3 years ahead of their grades, giving their Class X
Board Exams before 15 years while 35% children

The Future of Hinduism


have IQ scores above 130 categorized as a gifted
category as per SLOSSON IQ score.
Gurukul students participate in spiritual practices
in addition to their rigorous academics. The children organize and conduct their own sacred temple rituals around the year puja, abhishekam,
homa, and alankaar. They are fluent in complex
Vedic Sanskrit chanting such as Agamas, Upanishads, Rudram, Guru homa, Sri Vidya Homa, Guru
puja and can read and write in this ancient language of enlightenment. They are taught to live
and breathe by the core spiritual truth of Paramahamsa Nithyananda: Integrity, Authenticity, Responsibility, Enriching, Completion and Shravana
(authentic listening).

The Leisurely Activities


In their leisure time the children use their creativity and intelligence to explore various, traditional Indian art forms such as dance,music, theater,
painting, sculpture, jewelry making and flower
garlands.Thirty percent of the children spontaneously play musical instruments without formal lessons. In fact, they continuously teach themselves,
updating their skills by tuning into the Cosmos.
Additionally all the children produce creative temple arts like deity making, alankar (deity decoration), planning and building childrens temples,
making deity jewelry and art.

responsibility to nurture various animals such as


fishes, turtles, rabbits, pigeons and lovebirds including food and shelter (they created a large natural ecosystem with a cave, rock hill, pond, etc.).
Children also learn about the sacredness of cows
in the Goshala, a special loving home designed for
bovines.

The Spread
Gurukuls have been established in Bidadi, Tiruvannamalai and Chennai. These institutions currently serve 250 children. Thousands of more
children are taught through Nithyananda Weekend Gurukuls worldwide. Third Eye Awakening at
gurukul has resulted in many children and adults,
expressing powers deemed superhuman. Powers
included high creativity, significantly faster learning of new subjects, and amazing intuition.
Students have seen health improvements with
stronger immunological responses. Additionally,
the ability to see and read without the need for two
physical eyes. Since new dimensions of the brain
are awakened, the possibilities for human health
and growth are enormous. For example: helping
the visually challenged to see using the third eye.
Another example includes, scanning the human
bodies via the third-eye to diagnose patients without x-rays or invasive techniques.

The Goal
The Mystical Powers
The students enjoy other powers including Quantum memory activation to recall verbatim after a
single listening (called ekashantagrahi in the Vedic
age). Awakening yogic powers such as communing
with and commanding nature to cause rain and
rose plants to drop their thorns. All children are
initiated into Third Eye Awakening, showing high
intelligence, intuition, blind folded reading, X-ray
vision, and clairvoyance. Children have taken the

47

The gurukul system has a goal to take the light of


authentic Vedic education to every child on the
planet. At its core, it is a fusion of spiritual sciences and higher order thinking that will educate students on life skills. Gurukul creates a truth-based
foundation for life by design it awakens higher
intelligence and gives powerful tools for creating
geniuses and future leaders.

Vedic Balasanth

Nachiketa: The Embodiment of Authenticity


Kavea Pannerselvam
Nachiketa can only be introduced as the ideal child
of Hinduism. His authenticity is such that no one
could have dreamt of such a unique and genuine
character. He is the protagonist of the Katha Upanishad and the embodiment of trust, honesty, innocence and seeking.
First, Nachiketas story needs to be told before
his character can be expanded upon. Nachiketa,
a young boy
of seven lived
comfortably as
the prince of a
wealthy
kingdom. The young
boys father, Vajashravas, was
a
great
king
with abundant
wealth. He loved
his son and considered his son
Nachiketa to be
very
precious.
Vajashravas, in
his old age began
to perform charity in order to gain merit so that
he may reach heaven after death. In the name of
charity, he gave away all the worst things that he
possessed, such as cows that were old and no longer gave milk.
Here, there are two flaws in Vajashravas beliefs.
Firstly, he believes that he can have worldly pleasures after leaving his body, and attempts to make
arrangements for life after death. Secondly, he
thinks that charity (sincere or insincere) will allow
him to access heaven. Nachiketa immediately recognizes hypocrisy in his father and stands firm in
what he believes as the truth. He takes responsibility. However he doesnt aim to hurt his father in
any way.
Nachiketa, who wishes to subtly remind the king
that he is supposed to be giving away his most
prized possessions, asks with all his authenticity,
To whom will you give me? In this one statement,
we can see the beauty of the inner space of the
child. He is ready to be given away as a servant for
the rest of his life because he wants to prevent his
father from falling from his identity. Even though
his father is the source of his life, he fearlessly re-

48

minds his father of the truth. Sri Paramahamsa


Nithyananda declares that Nachiketa stands with
ferocious innocence. And he does. His innocence
is such that it cannot be shaken by anything including the insecurity of his own future.
Vajashravas is shaken, and out of arrogance and
anger he responds, I give you unto death! Nachiketa, still unwavering, goes to the gates of the
Lord of death,
Yama, and waits
there for three
days and three
nights, for Yama
was away. When
Yama returns to
his abode, he is
surprised to find
a brahmin waiting for him and
he offers the boy
three boons to
make up for the
three nights of
inhospitality.
Nachiketa, instead of asking for worldly pleasures,
asks the Lord of Death to tell him the secret of life
and death. Yama responds by saying:
Ask for sons and grandsons who will live
A hundred years. Ask for herds of cattle,
Elephants and horses, gold and vast land,
And ask to live as long as you desire.
[] Ask for beautiful
Women of loveliness rarely seen on earth,
Riding in chariots, skilled in music,
To attend on you. But Nachiketa,
Dont ask me about the secret of death.
The Lord of Death offers Nachiketa an escape
from death. He wants to know whether this boy
is worthy of receiving the truth. To this Nachiketa
responds:
These pleasures last but until tomorrow,
And they wear out the vital powers of life.
How fleeting is all life on earth!
As a seven-year-old child, he understands that
wealth is lost once death arrives and therefore
there is no greater boon than knowing the truth.

Vedic Balasanth
Even heaven cannot tempt Nachiketa because he
realizes that it is nothing more than a multiplication of the pleasures of earth. He finds it insignificant to rejoice in the pleasures of life after staring
death in the face and he only wishes to know the
secret of death. He wishes to gain the ultimate.
This maturity seen in Nachiketa far surpasses the
maturity of Vajashravas, and in this moment he
becomes the ideal child hero. Yama then imparts
upon Nachiketa the secrets of life and death.
By studying the story of Nachiketa and the Katha
Upanishad, one gains tremendous understanding
of the power of innocence. Nachiketas innocence
and lack of arrogance enabled him to boldly face
death and question the very purpose of existence.
In surrendering to death, he does not become
powerless, but instead gains immortality himself.
Swami Vivekananda says about Nachiketa, Have
faith, as Nachiketa.
At the time of his fathers sacrifice, faith came unto
Nachiketa; I wish that faith would come to each of
you; and everyone of you would stand up a giant, a
world-mover with a gigantic intellect an infinite
God in every respect. That is what I want you to become. This is the strength that you get from the Upanishads, this is the faith that you get from there.
He declares that faith makes each of us into God.
He declares that we should all aim to be as authentic as Nachiketa. So Nachiketa stands as the ideal
and as a true example for what everyone should
seek to achieve.

49

Ganesha & Murugan Go


Round Their World

Evan Kamat (11 yrs.)

Many years ago, two brothers named Ganesha and


Murugan fought over a mango that a wise old man
by the name of Narada had brought to their home.
His plan was to make the two brothers fight to decide who was smarter.
Their mother Parvati said, lets have a race around
the world and whoever wins gets the mango.
Murugan took off quickly on his peacock. Ganesha
thought about how he wouldnt be able to beat his
brother because his brother was faster and Ganesha had shorter legs and a mouse to ride on. How
was he going to be able to win this race?
Instead, he stayed put and circled his parents three
times. When his brother Murugan came back after
circling the world three times, he was surprised to
find his brother already home standing next to his
parents, Shiva and Parvati, with the mango in his
hands.
Shocked he said, How could you have won and
gotten back before me?
Ganesha replied smiling, I circled our mother and
father. They are my entire world.
Murugan smiled too. He knew how intelligent his
brother was and respected him for it. Ganesha offered Murugan the mango and the brothers were
friends again.

Great Spiritual Thinkers

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836 - 1886)


Ma Kavyaroopini

His realization and proclamation of the fundamental unity of all religions is a message relevant
to our contemporary world, torn by religious conflicts and dissensions, and separated by high walls
of sectarian dogmas.
One of the important contributions of Sri Ramakrishna is the reestablishment of the ideal of
God realization in the modern world. In a world
in which peoples faith in traditional religions has
been considerably reduced by the relentless attack
of the forces of atheism, materialism and scientific
thinking, Sri Ramakrishna established the possibility of having direct experience of transcendent
Reality.
His life has enabled thousands of people to regain
faith in God.

The story of Sri Ramakrishna is the story of religion in practice. His life is the epitome of Bhakti
and literally enables us to see God face to face.
Sri Ramakrishna is today regarded as an incarnation of God of the Modern Age. His whole life
was an uninterrupted contemplation of God. He
reached a depth of God-consciousness that transcends all time and place and has a universal appeal.
Seekers of God of all religions feel irresistibly
drawn to his life and teachings. Sri Ramakrishna,
as a silent force, influences the spiritual thought
currents of our time.
Through his God-intoxicated life Sri Ramakrishna
proved that the revelation of God takes place at all
times and that God-realization is not the monopoly
of any particular age, country, or people.
He was unique in the way he practised the spiritual disciplines of all the sects of Hinduism, and of
Christianity and Islam, and attained God-realization in each one. At the end of it all, he proclaimed
to the world: As many faiths, so many paths.

50

Drawn by the magnetism of Sri Ramakrishnas divine personality, people flocked to him from far
and near men and women, young and old, philosophers and theologians, philanthropists and humanists, atheists and agnostics, Hindus and Brahmos, Christians and Muslims, seekers of truth of
all races, creeds and castes. His small room in the
Dakshineswar temple garden on the outskirts of
the city of Kolkata became a veritable parliament
of religions. Everyone who came to him felt uplifted by his profound God-consciousness, boundless
love, and universal outlook.
Here is an incarnation whose life has harmonized
all the apparently contradictory religious ideals,
and the various national and social ideals of different races and countries thus uniting humanity
by the ties of love and toleration.
Reference:
1.

Teachings of Ramakrishna taken from Ramakrishna.org

2.

Article-excerpts from www.advaitaashram.org

(Contd. on page 51)

Great Spiritual Thinkers

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)

Ma Kavyaroopini

SOME QUOTES OF VIVEKANANDA


Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways,
yet each one can be true.
Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him
in our own hearts and in every living being.
The more we come out and do good to others, the
more our hearts will be purified, and God will be
in them.
Above
quotations
show a man with
clear unbiased thinking who is eloquent
enough to convey
deepest truths with
simple words .
Swami Vivekananda
is a spiritual genius
of commanding intellect, whose inspiring
personality is now
being recognised all
over the world. Swami Viveknandas life
itself was a spiritual
journey with all the
intellectual struggle,
all the doubts with the burning faith and the unfolding process of spiritual illumination. He was
the unknown monk of India who suddenly leapt
into fame at the Parliament of Religions held in
Chicago in 1893, at which he represented Hinduism.
Swami Vivekananda had vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture. He created a great impression with his deep spiritual insight, and eloquence, and touched many hearts with his broad
human sympathy, his personality, and handsome
figure. He left a unmistakable mark on people
whom he met and interacted with even once.
Swami Vivekananda was the true ambassador
of Hinduism and was instrumental in creating a
space for India in the world. In America, Swami
Vivekanandas mission was the representing of
Indias spiritual culture, and the Vedic knowledge
and lifestyle. He also enriched the consciousness
of the Americans through the rational and human-

51

istic teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. In America he became Indias spiritual ambassador and
created better understanding between India and
the World in order to create a healthy synthesis of
East and West, of religion and science.
Back home, Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot
saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness, To the Hindus he is
the reviver of Hinduism giving strength to it. Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special
form of worship he
advocated for the Indians.
Swami Vivekananda
was a lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on
the foundation of the
Vedantic Oneness of
existence, the space
of Advaita. A mystic
of the highest order,
Vivekananda had a
direct and intuitive
experience of Reality.
(Contd. from page 50)

SOME QUOTES OF RAMAKRISHNA


PARAMAHAMSA
PERSEVERE IN YOUR SEARCH FOR GOD
There are pearls in the deep sea, but one must hazard all to find them. If diving once does not bring
you pearls, you need not therefore conclude that
the sea is without them. Dive again and again. You
are sure to be rewarded in the end. So is it with the
finding of the Lord in this world. If your first attempt proves fruitless, do not lose heart. Persevere
in your efforts. You are sure to realize Him at last.
SEE GOD IN ALL
I have now come to a stage of realization in which
I see that God is walking in every human form and
manifesting Himself alike through the sage and
the sinner, the virtuous and the vicious. Therefore
when I meet different people I say to myself, God
in the form of the saint, God in the form of the sinner, God in the form of the righteous, God in the
form of the unrighteous.

Vedic Medicine

Concept of Wellness as per Ayurveda


Dr. Shubhamangala Acharya

Mahabharatas Adi parva contains a quote:


Yadi haasti tadanyatra yannehaasti na tat kwachit

The meaning of this quote is, Whatever is contained in Mahabharata may be found in other
places but there is nothing elsewhere in the world,
which is not in Mahabharata. This quote applies
to the Vedas too.
Vedas are ancient doctrines of great knowledge.
They reflect the living habits of ancient people (our
ancestors), their thoughts, customs etc. Vedas also
contain the methods and measures adopted for
health care and treatment. Each Veda has contributed greatly to the well being of the Vedic society.
Ayurveda is based on the Atharvana Veda, which
is the most recent among the four Vedas. This text
completely deals with the well being of a person. It
is the oldest science to describe health and disease
factors.
In Vedic times there were great scholars who dealt
with the health aspect of humans, animals and
plants. They were well versed in the anatomy and
physiology of humans and animals like horse, goat,
and elephants (Hasti ayurveda, Vrukshayurveda,
and so on). They included astrology while treating
the diseased person.

Schools of Vaidyas
There were two main schools of vaidyas (doctors); one was the school of Patanjali where general medicine was followed. Acharya Charaka was
considered as the best among them. The second
school concentrated on surgery and was called
Dhanvantari school, in which Acharya Sushruta

was the most famous. Even today, he is considered


the father of surgery. He conducted very complex
plastic surgeries during those ancient times, thousands of years ago, which surgeons today are only
just discovering!

Modes of Healing
In the Vedic period, mainly herbs were used for
treatment, along with some purified metals like
mercury, gold, silver and mica and also select animal products. During the period of early Vedas like
Rig Veda, health aspects were mixed up with generic topics of living. But, in due course, Ayurveda
acharyas started maintaining separate documentation on health science. This literature came to be
called Samhitas.

Branches of Ayurveda
Ayurveda has eight branches or Ashtanga Ayurveda. They were general medicine, pediatrics,
psychiatry, ENT, surgery, toxicology, geriatrics, eugenics and aphrodisiacs. The main doctrines written in Ayurveda were Charaka Samhita, Sushruta
Samhita and Ashtanga Hrudaya.
The name Ayurveda itself means that it is a the
science of life. Ayu means longevity or lifespan
and Veda means science. Definition of Ayurveda
according to Acharya Charaka is:
Hitaahitam sukham dukham aayustasya hitaahitam
Maanamch tattcha yatroktam aayurvedaha sa uchyate

(Charaka Sutra sthaana 1/40)

52

Vedic Medicine
The science which changes Ahitaayu (unhealthy
life) to Hitaayu (healthy life) from Dukhaayu (miserable life) to Sukhayu (pleasant life) is Ayurveda.

main aim of Ayurveda is:


Dharmaartha kaama mokshaanaam aarogyam mulamuttamam

(Charaka Sutra sthaana 1/15)

Principles of Ayurveda
Definition of health according to Ayurveda:
Sama dosha samaagnishcha sama dhaatumalakriya
Prasanna aatmendriya manaha swastaityabhidiyate

(Sushruta Sutra sthaana 15/41)


Meaning, The person is called healthy when there
is balance in bio energies, digestive fire, body tissues and excretion from the body; pleasant soul,
sensory organs, and mind.
If a person is considered as healthy, then he should
pass all the below mentioned calibers. They are:
Balanced doshas (vaata, pitta, kapha - bio energies from which human body is formed)
Dhatus (seven tissues in the body like blood,
lymph, muscles, bones, bone marrow etc.)
Malas (excretions like stools, urine and sweat)
Spiritual (pleasant soul, active sense organs
and mind)
The main principle of Ayurveda is the prevention
of illness and subsequently, treating the disease.
In all the Samhitas, the initial chapters contained
methods, which if followed, a person would live
healthily. They were Dinacharya or daily routines, Ritucharya or food and lifestyle according to
the seasons and Sadvrutta or making behavioral
changes for mental and spiritual health. After explaining these methods, Samhitas clearly says that
people who do not follow these procedures will
become diseased, explaining the causes and treatments for the diseases.

During the Vedic times, each individual born on


earth had some duties to fulfill
Dharma - Doing good deeds like taking care of
elders, serving needy persons etc.
Artha Gaining wealth
Kama - Fulfilling desires
Attaining Moksha Becoming one with the almighty after death
To the fulfillment of dharma (duty), artha (wealth),
kama (sex) and moksha (liberation) the person
should have physical mental and spiritual health.
Following Ayurveda leads to compete health.
The main principles of Ayurveda are illustrated in
this hymn:
Prayojanam cha asya swasthasya swaasthya rakshanam
Aaturasya vikaara prashamanam cha

(Charaka Sutra sthaana 30/26)


Meaning, Utility of this science is protection of
health of a healthy person, then treating the diseased.
For the health of mind, sense organs and soul,
Bhagavad Gita is considered the best medicine,
apart from Yoga. As per Acharya Patanjali: yogena chittasya which means yoga is for the mind
(Yoga Vaarthika). The great scholars of the Vedic
times studied every aspect of human life holistically while framing the rules for a healthy society.
Hence the same are still applicable and relevant
even after thousands of years.

This science not only deals with our physical


health but also mental and spiritual aspects. The

53

Health & Wellness

Yoga - Preserving the Authenticity


of the Vedic Tradition
The Original Master
Yoga was conceived and developed by Adi Guru
(Original Master) Mahadeva himself. However, it
was shared with the world not by one individual,
but by a group of saints, rishis and sages who acknowledged that yoga should be available to everyone.
Of these great, enlightened beings, it is Patanjali,
who is often referred to as Vyasa (which means
editor or organizer), is considered as the founder
of the yoga system. Yoga is associated with the
culture and heritage of India, but belongs to the
whole world and therefore should not be diluted
or copyrighted.

Authentic Yoga Is ...


It is a system developed for humanity to reach its
peak possibility in body, mind, emotions, and at
the being level.
In the modern
day, yoga has
been misrepresented, manipulated and altered by those
who have not
experienced
the depths of
yoga. A true
yoga teacher
can customize
an asana for
a specific purpose or personal need, but
the origin of that particular yoga asana cannot be
diluted or lost. The whole possibility of yoga from
body to consciousness should be understood and
should not be deliberately altered from its original
form.
Yoga starts with the body but is not just all about
the body. Yoga can awaken ones Kundalini Shakti
and can bestow miraculous, extraordinary abilities, especially when it is practiced directly in the
presence of the enlightened yogis and in an energy
field such as the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, Bengaluru Aadheenam in South India. It can awaken
yogic powers that help us to fulfill the reality we
wish to experience. Therefore, it is important not

54

to learn yoga in an altered, misrepresented, manipulated form.

Yogic Scriptures
There is authentic yogic literature thousands of
years old such as Hatha Yoga Pradeepika, Pranayama Paddhati, Laya Yoga Pradipika, Yoga Sutra,
Yoga Shaastra Tattwa Kaumudi, Hatha Yoga Kaumudi and Gheranda Samhita.
These original texts and the authentic translations
are available to the world. Only teachers who can
quote the original reference in the Sanskrit language should teach yoga.

Completion through Nithya Yoga


Nithya Yoga is yoga in its original, pristine, pure,
authentic form - It is yoga from its source. It was
created for the purpose of COMPLETION completion with body, completion with mind, completion with the
being-level
and completion with consciousness.
This is what
is missing in
many
other
forms of yoga
in the world
today. Nithya
Yoga teachers
are given the
adhikara (the
right), only for
permutation
and combination as per their experience and expertise.
They have the freedom to plan which pranayama (breathing technique) can follow which pranayama, which asana (position) can follow which
asana. But they cannot create new positions, new
methodology for visualizations or new pranayama
techniques. When a Nithya Yogi gives an asana or
kriya, he can also give the original quote from the
original yogic scripture with the verse number,
translation, and its meaning. Whether a yoga
teacher is an Indian or Westerner does not matter.
What matters is that he knows the origin of yoga
and whether he is a great contributor to the rise of
yogic consciousness.

Health & Wellness


Necessity of the Guru in Yoga
Whether the Guru speaks or not, if you are sitting
in the space of listening, you are in Upanishad. A
real Master goes on speaking whether the disciple listens or not. A real disciple goes on listening
whether the Master speaks or not. Paramahamsa Nithyananda

Yoga Asana

Guru is required to keep the authenticity of yoga


alive. Guru in Sanskrit means, remover of darkness and ignorance. Guru removes the mental
blocks and obstacles that stand in the way of your
awareness and realization of your true Self. The
shastra pramana (sacred scriptures) repeatedly
mention the need for a guru.
Gurus use different ways to remove the mental
blocks from disciples. These include: personal
guidance, instructions, teaching and scolding. Regardless of the method used, the goal is to raise
the disciple to a state of higher awareness. Guru
resides in the highest state of awareness and consciousness, so he is able to see where the disciple
is stuck. It is essential that the guru be a true guru,
one who is fully enlightened and with the highest
vision. It is said, that the guru appears in your life
when the time is right.
There is a great need for an authentic, Living Master who can impart and most importantly, transmit
the knowledge and experience of superconsciousness. All of the ancient scriptures such as the Brahma Sutras, Shiva Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali
Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika as well as the
recent masters like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,
Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi and Paramahansa Yogananda, all stress on the importance of the
gurus guidance as a vital component of any spiritual path.

55

(From the archives of Nithya Yoga,


Nithyananda Peetham, Bengaluru Adheenam)

Health & Wellness

Nithya Kriyas
What is a kriya?
Nithya kriyas are a series of yogic healing processes revealed by Paramahamsa Nithyananda.
They are unique in that, while the knowledge and
techniques are drawn from the most authentic and
sacred yogic scriptures of india, the specific combinations are expressed from the personal experiences, research and development of Paramahamsa
Nithyananda, with the objective of curing various
ailments.
Care for diabetes
Steps to be followed:
1. Anila Asana
2. Uddeeyaana Bandha
3. Bhastrikaa Kumbhaka
4. Moorcchaa Kumbhaka
5. Bhraamaree Kumbhaka
1. Anila Asana
Joga Pradeepikaa,
verses 346-347
Technique
1. Come to a full
squat posture
2. Place the hands
below the feet,
palms facing down
3. Keep the arms
straight, elbows
joined together at the navel (option: if you cannot
hold the squat position, you can sit on the ground)
4. Fix the gaze at the nose.
5. Remain in this pose 30 seconds
In Anila Asana,
Next2. Uddeeyaana Bandha
Gerhanda Samhita, Upadesha 3, verse 10
Technique
1. Sit in same asana and keep the spine straight.
Head should be up and eyes open
2. Take a deep breath in and exhale completely,
but do not be forceful
3. After exhaling, perform Jaalandhara Bandha by
moving the chin down to the chest and raising the
shoulders
4. Pull the abdominal muscles inward so that the
organs of the abdomen touch the back muscles
5. Hold for as long as you can
6. When you cant hold anymore, before inhaling,
relax the stomach and abdomen, release Jaalandhara Bandha by raising the head

7. Then inhale through the nostrils slowly


8. Before repeating another round, breathe normally for a minute or two
9. Initially start with practising the sequence 3
times and gradually increase upto 10 times
In Anila Asana,
Next3. Bhastrikaa Kumbhaka
Gerhanda Samhita, Upadesha 5, verse 75-77
Technique
1. Inhale slowly expanding the stomach
2. Exhale slowly
3. Do this 21 times
4. After 21 times, now inhale slowly
5. Hold the breath as long as you can
6. When you feel you cant hold quickly expel the
air with the sound of bellows. At this moment the
stomach should contract to touch the back (this is
one Bhastrikaa)
7. Do this complete sequence 3 times
In Anila Asana,
Next4. Moorcchaa Kumbhaka
Hatha Pradeepikaa, chapter 4, verse 60
Technique
1. Sit in same asana
2. Place the palms of the hands on the knees and
close the eyes
3. Inhale slowly and deeply through both nostrils
4. After inhaling, immediately, do Jaalandhara
Bandha by putting your chin on the chest and
locking the throat
5. Hold the breath as long as you can, when you
feel you cant hold, immediately exhale through
both nostrils in a very controlled manner in Jaalandhara Bandha itself
6. Do this 21 times
In Anila Asana,
Next5. Bhraamaree Kumbhaka
Gheranda Samhita, Upadesha 5, verses 78-82
Technique
1. Close your ears with hands and close your eyes
and hum intensely.
2. Do this for 7 minutes
Eat something immediately within 10-15 minutes
Reference:
1.

56

http://nithyananda.org/nithya-kriyas

Health & Wellness

The Elixir of Life - Haritaki


Haritaki or Terminalia chebula is a wonder drug,


finding its place in a wide range of therapeutic
usage in the Ayurveda system of medicine. It is a
very large tree growing throughout the deciduous forests of India and Sri Lanka, up to heights
of 2000 meters. Described as the remover of diseases, haritaki has the name Hara which is also
the name of Lord Shiva, reflecting the sacred nature and exalted position of the plant. It literally
means green. It is also abhaya or fearless of any
disease. It is said to have originated when a drop
of immortal nectar (amrita) fell from heaven to
earth. It is considered to be the best herb for the
digestive system and lungs.

HEALTH BENEFITS - THE FRUIT OF


HARITAKI

The fruit is one of the main ingredients in many


AyurVedic formulations like the popular Triphala. Haritaki fruits are highly nutritious for human
health as they contain various vitamins, minerals
and proteins. They are an excellent source of vitamin C. These fruits are also rich in several minerals including selenium, potassium, manganese,
iron and copper.

The fruits have proved to have strong antibacterial and cardiotonic properties. They prevent the
growth of many harmful intestinal bacteria.
These fruits are beneficial for the five senses as
they improve their receiving powers.
A half tsp. of fruit pulp powder when ingested
every night followed by a little warm water
is used for healing ulcers (of both mouth and
stomach) and wounds.
It is used as an eyewash, for relief from various
eye-infections.
Gargling with a decoction made from the fruits
is very good for fighting oral ulcers, stomatitis
and sore throat.
Haritaki fruit, mixed with dry ginger powder
and hot water, is used for treating asthma and
hiccups.

This fruit is used for fighting many diseases including leprosy, chronic as well as intermittent
fever, narcosis, diarrhea and anorexia
It is a good nervine. It is used in nervous weakness, nervous irritability. Its fruit pulp increases the oxygen levels of the blood, thereby promoting longevity of tissues.
These fruits are used for fighting many digestive disorders such as flatulence, distention
and parasitic infections.
A decoction of this fruit is used to fight against
hepatitis and obesity.

HEALTH BENEFITS - AS POWDER


A paste of Haritaki and water is found to be


anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Its decoction
as a lotion is a surgical dressing for healing
wounds.
It reduces lipid deposits in the blood and liver.
When consumed with honey, it helps reduce
cholesterol.
Its powder is a good astringent for loose gums,
bleeding and ulceration in gums.
Powdered Haritaki is used along with ghee and
honey for curing anemia.
It is good for chronic cough, sore throat and
asthma.
It is useful in skin disorders with discharges,
like allergies.
It is used to treat chronic fever.
On long term use, it is helpful in gaining weight
in the emaciated persons and in losing weight
in obese persons.
When taken with meals it sharpens the intellect, increases strength, stimulates the senses,
expels the urine, stool and other waste materials from the body. It saves the person from the
vitiating effects of bodily humors.
Haritaki reduces the ill effects of fat rich,
creamy and oily food. Haritaki is the definite
aid for persons who habitually overeat.

Haritaki is reputed for its alterative, adaptogenic


and tonic effect when used throughout the year
with different substances in different six seasons
of the year. If we review all the herbal formulations in Ayurveda classical texts, we will find
haritaki to be one of the most frequently used ayurVedic herbs. In Ayurveda, haritaki is the best for
purifying the channels of the body.

Reference:
1.

57

http://nithyanandatimes.org/haritaki-the-wonder-fruit/

Yatras

Srirangam-Tiruchirapalli
Usha K Kent
The greatest pilgrimage center for Sri Vaishnavites
(followers of Lord Vishnu) is the island temple
town of Srirangam (Thiruvarangam in Tamil) in
the city of Tiruchirappalli in South India. Vishnu
is one of the triumvirates or Trimurti in Hinduism,
namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Srirangam is
bound by river Cauvery on one side, and the Cauvery tributary Kollidam or Coleroon on the other.
Srirangams most famous landmark is the Sri
Ranganathaswamy Temple where Vishnu is wellknown in the reclining form. It is the largest
functioning ancient Hindu temple in the world,
covering an area of about 631,000 square metres
(6,790,000 sq ft) with a perimeter of 4 km (10,710
ft). It is among a few self-manifested shrines
(Swayam Vyakta Kshetras) of Lord Vishnu.

Gloriously Ancient
The temple is mentioned in the famous Tamil
works of literature of the Sangam Era (3rd century BC to 4th century CE) including in the well
known epic Silappadikaram (book 11, lines 3540).
It is glorified in the early medieval Tamil canon
Thiviya Pirabancham of the Alvar saints dated to
the 6th to the 9th centuries CE. The Sri Ranganathaswamy temple is counted among the 108 Divya
Desams or premium places of worship dedicated
to Vishnu. The temple follows the Thenkalai tradition of worship. Thenkalai are a sub-sect of the Sri
Vaishnava Iyengar community who are followers
of Ramanuja, Manavala Mamuni and Lokacharya.

aradhanam or pooja to this reclining idol of Vishnu. As a symbol of love he gifted the idol to Vibhishana the brother of Ravana, to take back with him
to Lanka. Rama put forth a condition that the idol
should not be set on the ground, failing which the
deity would seat Himself permanently there. Vibhishana took this idol and while traveling towards
Sri Lanka, came upon the banks of the Cauvery
where an utsavam or festival was in progress. Vibhishana placed the idol on the ground to watch the
utsavam. When the utsavam was over, Lord Vishnu refused to move as he came to love the place
(Srirangam) so much. When Vibhishana requested
Vishnu to come with him, He refused but promised to bless Vibhishana by always facing south, in
the direction of Sri Lanka. Hence the magnificent
reclining Ranganathaswamy is seen facing south
within this temple. The Chola kings Dharmavarlochan and Kilivalavan developed the shrine into
the big temple it is now.

Loot and Plunder


The richness and magnificence of the Ranganathaswamy temple did not escape notice of the marauding invader Ala-ud-din Khilji whose general
Malik Kafur plundered and looted this temple,
during his invasion of the Deccan in 14th century
CE. Other famous temples plundered during Malik
Kafurs three campaigns in the Deccan included
the famous Madurai Meenakshi temple and the
Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebeedu in Karnataka
state.

Temple Complex

Thriving Temple Tourism Economy

The temple complex is 156 acres (0.63 square kilometer) in extent. It has seven concentric walled
sections or prakaras which run round the sanctum. There are 21 magnificent towers or gopurams
in all, the tallest of which, Rajagopuram, over the
sanctum is 236 feet (72 m) tall, and is the tallest in
Asia. In ancient historic times the people of the city
lived within the walls of this temple, which was
quite typical of temples of the times.

Due to the famous temple, Srirangam has a thriving economy based on tourism. The number of
devotees to the town increases greatly during the
festival of Vaikuntha Ekadashi which falls in the
Tamil month of Margazhi (Margashirsha).

The Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple or Antya Ranga, is one of the three temples of the God
Ranganatha that are situated in the natural islands
formed in the Cauvery river. The others are the
Adi Ranga or the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangapatnam and Madhya Ranga or the Ranganathaswamy temple at Shivanasamudra.
In the epic of Ramayana, Lord Rama performed a

58

There are many other famous temples near Srirangam. They include the Rockfort temple, Samayapura Mariamman temple, Thiruvanaikoil, Vayalur
Murugan temple, Uraiyur Kekkali Amman temple,
etc. There are more temples around Srirangam
and Tiruchirapalli, along the banks of the Cauvery,
most showing Lord Vishnu in the reclining form.
These include the Sri Vadivazhagiya Nambi Perumal temple whose deity is known as Appala Ranganathar at Koviladi. Another is Azhagiya Nambi
Temple at Woraiyur in Tiruchirappalli which is
part of the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam.

Yatras

References:
1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Srirangam

2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Ranganathaswamy_Temple,_Srirangam

3.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Sangam_period

4.

https://www.google.co.in/
webhp?sourceid=chromestant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF8#q=thenkalai

5.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Malik_Kafur

59

Vedic Architecture

Chettinad Architecture
A standout feature of the Nithyananda Peetham,
Bengaluru Aadheenam is the warmth, openness,
airiness and vastness of the space of the various
buildings and temples housed here. Adheenavasis, volunteers, support staff and visitors move in
and out of this space seamlessly, and go about their
work with no sense of demarcation, hierarchy or
austerity whatsoever. All buildings here have
been consciously built adopting the now world-renowned Chettinad architectural style of construction.

Usha K Kent
where the occupation of the people determined
the spaces created and their uses. The Chettinad
settlements were built in harmony with Tamil
Vedic traditions.
A feature of Chettinad architecture were long pillared verandahs called thinnais and courtyards
which served formal functionaries of business as
well as of home, religious and family rituals. Each
space in the mansion was planned both for receiving daily functionaries as well as hosting life cycle
rituals.

Chettinad the Region


Chettinad is the region comprising of a network of
73 villages and two towns forming clusters spread
over a territory of 1,550 square kilometers in the
districts of Sivagangai and Pudukottai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India.
The region is famous as the home of nine clans of
Nattukottai Chettiars - a lineage of wealthy traders
and financiers who made their fortunes by extending their business to all of Southeast Asia, particularly during the second half of 19th and early 20th
century, when they were at the peak of their economic power. Their vast influence and richness allowed the community to build a dense network of
96 villages of which 73 now remain. Interestingly,
a cluster of three Chettiar settlements in this region is on the shortlist of UNESCO, to be considered
for preservation as World Heritage sites.
Architecture based on Shastras
The housing and community spaces of the Chettiar settlements originated in the 6th century CE
historic trading center of Kaveripoompattinam, on
the fertile Cauvery river basin. The architecture
and town planning was fully based on the precise
instructions of the Vastu Shastra, the Vedic text of
architecture, while the temples were built as per
Vastu Shastra as well as Agama texts.
The remnants of Chettiar settlements possess outstanding physical characteristics of urban and
land-use planning with their South-North/EastWest grid pattern, including water system and palatial architecture, that depict a unique blend of
vibrant Vedic Tamil traditions with cultural influences from all over the world.
Features of Chettinad Architecture
Chettinad settlements were constructed following
precise and sophisticated rules of urban planning,

60

Given the hot and semi arid region of their settlement, the Chettiars took the climate into consideration to plan their settlement, design the mansions and in choosing the materials to build the
structures. An important feature of the architecture was sloping roofs for the buildings to enable
rainwater harvesting, which was essential for the
semi-arid Chettinad region. Water management
too was done as per traditional Vedic techniques.
Material from World Over
To construct and decorate their mansions, the
Chettiars imported materials and expertise from
all over the world, which added to the cultural glory of Chettinad. For example teak wood from Myanmar, satin wood from Sri Lanka, marble from
Italy and Belgium, cast iron and steel from UK and
India, tiles from Bombay, Japan, Germany, and
so on. Similarly, the best artisans and skills were
brought from different regions of India for tiling,
wood carving, frescoes, egg-plastering, etc.
Architectural Style Reflects Life Cycle Rituals
Chettinad architecture is closely linked to the life
cycle rituals of the Chettiar community. The mansions were conceived and planned by master masons or sthapathis, following traditional Tamil
space organization, to perform different functions,
rituals and family celebrations during the course
of life, from birth to death. The main courtyard
was the centre part of the mansion where the rituals took place. It served as a temple sanctuary
where the chief priest of the clan would perform
these rituals during various events.
References:
1.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5920/

2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chettinad

3.

http://www.srmuniv.ac.in/downloads/chetinad.pdf: Culture & Architecture of Chettinad, Mrs.S.H.R.Jawahar Benazir, SRM University

Vedic Architecture

61

Vedic Architecture

Angkor Wat: A Timeless Architectural Feat


Poornima Venigalla
Angkor Wat. There are not enough words to describe this ancient beauty. With its soaring towers
and vast colonnades, the temple spans an area of
nearly 500 acres, its magnificence easily rivaling
any one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The
massive temple complex is perfectly arranged into
a mandala a diagram of the cosmos itself. The
grandeur is enough to make your heart sing and
your eyes pour. You could simply lose yourself in
the intricacies of the bas-relief carvings of the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, layering the walls of the stone structure. This once gold
coated temple still stands as the worlds largest religious monument. However, the story behind this
engineering marvel and spiritual palace mostly remains a mystery.

Misconceptions of the Temples History


While it is well established that Angkor Wat was
built with Indian influence, legends of the origins
of the sacred temple found in Cambodia run far
and wide. One popular belief is that Suryavaraman II, a supposed Khmer usurper king, built the
megalithic structure as a mausoleum for himself.
Documentaries, such as How to Build Angkor Wat,
claim that not only was it built as his gateway into
heaven, Suryavaraman II did it to exert his autocratic dominance over his people and establish
his position as a God King. While these archeologists recognize that it was built as a tribute to Lord
Vishnu, they create a false sense of insecurity in
the king towards the God. These stories are just
that, stories.

Angkor Wats Indian Roots


In reality, it was not built as a mere tribute to Vishnu but as an earthly abode for the God. The temple was built with such precision and forethought
that it included 18 different astronomical configurations, which together, created a structure that
aligned with God. Within the sanctum of the highest tier of the temple, there was an Ashtabhuja
Vishnu (eight-armed Vishnu), now at the main entrance, who is almost identical to the deity within
the sanctum of the Ashtabhuja Perumal Temple of
Kanchi. How did this Hindu temple baring astonishing similarities to temples in South India end up
in Cambodia?
According to Paramahamsa Nithyanandas reading
from the Akashic Records, the cosmic archives of
everything that has happened and everything that

62

will happen, the Khmer people of Cambodia and


the Pallava people of India initially had a simple
trading relationship. Eventually, the relationship
grew and the two cultures began to merge. The
Pallava king, Suryavarnam, married the Khmer
tribes daughter and was invited to settle down
in Cambodia and build a kingdom there. As a result, the construction of Angkor Wat began. What
is most astounding is the revelation that much of
the temple complex was actually carved, assembled, numbered, and dismantled in India, Mahabalipuram to be exact, and transported by boat to
Cambodia. Not only did they send the stones, they
sent craftsmen, tools, and even highly trained elephants for the building process.
Paramahamsa Nithyananda clarifies that the proof
for this can be found on the stones which all contain barcodes to identify the location of the stone
in the structure. Furthermore, there is a tribute to
the temples origins carved into one pillar of the
complex. Once the base structure of the temple
was fully assembled, the elaborate bas-reliefs were
carved into the structure. In true Pallava fashion,
they dedicated the carvings to the local tribes and
kings, integrating their clothing, lifestyle, hairstyle, and jewelry to honor the local culture, while
also incorporating their own physical attributes
into the friezes.
Suryavarma was able to merge the two cultures
and create such beautiful harmony in his kingdom
by giving the local culture tremendous respect,
Bhagwan explains. After that, the whole Cambodian population learned the skills to build temples
and continued the art throughout. Eventually, the
kings was converted to Buddhism and their people followed, and as a result, the Buddhist imagery
that we find today was built into the architecture.

Vedic Architecture

Reference:
1.

Sacred Angkor Part 2 Hindu Wisdom

2.

A Digital Reconstruction of Angkor Wat The


Smithsonian Channel

3.

Angkor Wat: History of Ancient Temple Live


Science

4.

How to build Angkor Wat Cambodia Angkor Wat Documentary

5.

Across Space and Time The Hindu

6.

Revealing the Mysteries of Angkor Wat


Bhagwan Sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda Swami

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=HbBPa1lBPWA
7.

The Success Symbol of Living Advaita Bhagwan Sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda Swami

8.

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=BIoEKcQlOmo

63

Deity Worship, Pujas, Homas, Rituals, Traditions

Deity Worship - The Inevitable Bridge to God


Avinash Narrikkadan
All that exists is energy. This is a proven fundamental law of science today. Continuing on this
premise, all events occur in the relativistic arena
of space and time created when this totality of energy manifests as multiple incidences of matter.
This understanding brings us closer to the concept
of Oneness of existence, at least, in the physical
existence. The Vedic seers, who in Samadhi (superconscious state) were able to the transcend the
physical realm, proclaimed that the true nature of
existence is omnipresent consciousness. This Cosmic consciousness which pervades all that exists,
both manifest and unmanifest, is referred to as the
Brahman, which is beyond form and formlessness.
Isavasyam idam sarvam
meaning God pervades everything that exists. Isa Upanishad
This advaitic (non-dualistic) truth is a fundamental understanding in Hinduism. The Created is
not separate from the Creator or even the Act of
Creation. Also the Cosmic consciousness itself can
assume a form (Avatar) or it can be invoked into
an inanimate idol through a process called prana
prathishta. This understanding allows for worship
of God through devotion to a form and through
meditation on the cosmic consciousness. Realization of the cosmic consciousness in form or formlessness is the purpose of all spiritual seeking and
Life itself.
In Semitic religions, the Created, which included
humans and inanimate object, is separate from
and inferior to the Creator, hence, it is prohibited from being used to represent the Creator because it can never rise up to the same status as the
Creator. The difference in approach towards the
nature of the cosmic consciousness and the manifested reality naturally leads to a diametrically opposite reaction to the idea of deity worship.

Deity worship provides the most effective technique to bridge the connection with the Cosmic
consciousness at the early stages of seeking. The
deities, along with a concrete persona identified
by the idol, also represent higher ideals or powers. For example, one of the ideals of Lord Ganapathi is auspicious beginnings and perseverance
to the goal during hardships, and Goddess Laxmi
represents abundance in all facets of life. The Hindus have the freedom to choose their ishta devata
(favourite deity) based on the life affirmative ideals that they hold highest. As the seeker matures
in his/her spiritual seeking, the ideals may change
to more subtler forms and he/she has the freedom
to change the ishta devata. This allows a beautiful
pathway for Hindus to self-realization of the cosmic consciousness.
The subjective reality that the seeker believes in
during his/her rise in spiritual pursuits to a more
matured cognition is respected in Hinduism. This
provides a compassionate environment in which
the spiritual seeker flowers into full realization.
This accommodative spirit can be called Vedic secularism. There are numerous examples of spiritual
seekers who realized bhava and savikalpa samadhi (spiritual communion) with their ishta devata
through deity worship. The path of deity worship
is a celebration of life-infusing bliss into the devotees. One should visit any traditional Hindu temple
to experience this directly.
All journeys start from where we are now. In the
journey of spiritual realization, we begin at the
stage where we need a form and name to cognize
and relate. Deity worship is not only necessary but
the inevitable bridge that will guide us in the purpose of our life through the journey of realizing
the ultimate, which is the cosmic consciousness.
References1) The Teachings of Paramahamsa Nithyananda on Isa Upanishad

We identify ourselves with a name and form. We


relate and identify others by their name and form.
To take an extreme example, a common mother
would not be able to relate to her child normally if
it kept changing its form even if we were to prove
that the child had the same conscious identity. Unless the seeker is in the realm of identifying with
name and form, it would be difficult to relate with
a formless entity or an entity beyond form and
formlessness.

64

(www.Nithyananda.org).
2) Talks by Dr. N Gopalakrishnan on Idol worship (www.IISH.org).

Deity Worship, Pujas, Homas, Rituals, Traditions

65

Vedic Festivals

Panguni Uthiram
Kavea Panneerselvam
Panguni Uthiram is an important day for Tamil
Hindus. In the year of 2016, Panguni Uthiram falls
on the 22nd day of March. It is a special day because the Poornima (full moon) is on the asterism
of Uthira on the Tamil month of Panguni, the last
month of the year. According to the Brahmanda
Purana chapter 13, verse 11, there are six seasons
in the year and the month of Panguni is one of two
months that makes up the winter season. This day
marks the end of winter and the beginning of summer.

Celebration for Lord Shiva and Lord


Muruga
Technicalities aside, it is a day of immense celebration for Tamil Hindus. Every Shiva temple and Muruga temple in Tamil Nadu is abuzz with festivities. Generally it is celebrated as a ten-day festival
starting with a flag hoisting on the first day. On the
fifth day, a decorated cart is dragged in the streets
with Shiva sitting inside. On the seventh day, the
marriage of Shiva and Shakti takes place. On the
eighth day, Lord Shiva himself asks for bhiksha
(alms) on the streets. He shows us how to discard
our ego through this act. In small villages, one can
still see the entire village becoming a festival during these ten days.
In Murugan temples, people carry the kavadi. The
women take pots of milk and offer it to the devotees. Many people walk to the Palani Murugan
temple barefoot before the start of this festival.

as the kalyana vrata (marriage fast).

Celebrating Kamadeva
Kaman pandigai is also observed on this day. In
the Kandapuranam, the story of Kamadeva (cupid)
is described. Love and procreation had ceased to
exist in the universe because Shakti had left Shiva
to do penance in Kanchipuram. The devas became
worried and sent Kamadeva, also known as Manmatha, to aim his love arrows at Shiva. Shiva, angry with Kamadeva for disrupting His meditation,
burned him with His third eye. After Rati Devi,
Kamadevas wife pleaded with Lord Shiva, He allowed Kamadeva to live and do his work on earth.
In his book Festivals of Tamil Nadu, M. Arunachalam details the celebrations that happen in
Tamil Nadu for Kaman Pandigai. People gather in
villages and celebrate for three days. On the third
day, Kama is burnt. The people then debate and
sing elaborate ballads about whether or not Kama
should have been burnt. It is a day of excitement,
festivities, and was a major form of entertainment
for the village people.
Panguni Uthiram is a day that is less known to the
west. Its better-known counterpart in northern
India is Holi, the celebration of spring. Panguni
Uthiram is day of importance for many people.
The entire state of Tamil Nadu can be seen abuzz
with festivities during this day and the ten days
leading up to it.

Historical importance
The day of Panguni Uthiram is said to be the day
on which many celestial weddings took place. In
Valmikis Ramayan, Rama and Sitas wedding took
place on this very auspicious day (chapter 71 verse
24). In the Shiva Purana, it is noted that Shiva and
Parvatis wedding took place on this day, as did
Sundareswarar and Meenakshis wedding. Muruga also married Deivanai on this day.

Festivals celebrated on Panguni Uthiram


According to the legends, it was on this day that
Lord Shiva descended as Sundareswarar took Devi
Meenakshi to be his bride. The Meenakshi temple
in Madurai still stands as a reminder of the time
when Meenakshi and Sundareswarar ruled their
kingdom. If an unmarried woman takes the vrata
(fast) on this day, she is said to be blessed with all
auspiciousness for a quick marriage. This is known

Reference:
1. Kandapuranam
2. Festivals of Tamil Nadu by M. Arunachalam
3. Ramayan by Valmiki translated by Prasad Shastri
4. Bahmanda Purana translated by Dr. G. V. Tagare

66

Sanskrit Language of the Gods

Maha Mrityunjay Mantra


Ma Nithya Devananda
The earliest mantras were composed by the rishis
(ancient seers and sages) from the Vedic Hindu civilization, and are thousands of years old. Mantra
is a Sanskrit word meaning a sacred utterance.
Chanting these powerful sound vibrations leads us
beyond the mind, to the experience of pure consciousness, the essence of everything in the Universe.

Mantra Chanting and Well Being


Recitation of sacred mantras actually causes the
physical and etheric bodies to change their vibrational frequency levelbecoming more attuned
with divine energy. Thus, when one chants a
mantra for an extended period of time - to invoke
a deity for example - the higher energies of that
deity will encode itself upon the chanter. This is
one purpose for mantra chanting to become one
with and unite with the energy of the deity that
one is chanting for. If the person has some sickness
or imbalance, this imbalance can frequently be released by having the energy of the deity encode itself upon the person.
This actually comes from the concept of vibrational (as opposed to allopathic) medicine, that all the
universe including our bodies, is simply made of
vibration. Everything is in a state of vibration and
when we are in a natural, resonant vibration, we
are in a state of health. But if some part of the body
begins to vibrate at a counter frequency, the energy becomes stuck and disease sets in. Therefore,
by mantric chanting, one can cause stuck energy to
become released, and we can return to our natural
state of resonance, effecting a cure.

Conquering Death
Maha Mrityunjay Mantra is the great death conquering mantra a moksha mantra which bestows
longevity and immortality. The Maha Mrityunjaya
Mantra is a prayer to Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction and rejuvenation, penance and meditation death. Also known as the Tryambakam
Mantra, a verse from the Rig Veda. It is addressed
to Tryambaka, the three eyed one - an epithet of
the Rudra Mantra, referring to Lord Shiva because
his third eye is opened. When we pray to Lord
Shiva, we are in essence asking for his blessings
and assistance in opening our third eye, the seat of
spiritual knowledge.

A Moksha Mantra
On worshipping Mrityunjay one can escape from
the miseries and troubles of this materialistic
world as well as the problems related to the inner
soul. Maha Mrityunjay japa (meditative repetition
of a mantra or a divine name) banishes the fear of
death forever from ones life. The Maha Mrityunjay Mantra is hailed by the rishis as the heart of
the Veda.
The natural consequence of this awakening is that
we will be led towards moksha or spirit ual liberation and attain freedom from the cycles of death
and rebirth. The goal of chanting this mantra is
to spiritually ripen so that Lord Shiva can free us
from our bondage to all the material things that
bind us. In Sanskrit Maha means great, Mrityun
means death, and Jaya means victory, which in
turns means conquest or victory over death.

The Mantra

Meaning:
OM. We worship the Three-eyed Lord Who is fragrant and Who nourishes and nurtures all beings.
As the ripened cucumber (with the intervention
of the gardener) is freed from its bondage (to the
creeper), may He liberate us from death for the
sake of immortality.
The Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra is attributed to Rishi Markandeya, a great devotee of Lord Shiva. It
was a secret mantra, and Rishi Markandeya was
the only one who knew this mantra.
References
1.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra

2.

http://daily.bhaskar.com/news/JM-SUC-lord-shivas-mahamrityunjaya-mantra-significance-benefits-and-more-4929302-PHO.html

3.

http://www.eaglespace.com/spirit/index-mantras.php

4.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahamrityunjaya_Mantra

67

Contributions of Vedic Civilization

The World of Astronomy


Moloy Gorai
Einstein tried to catch a glimpse of Cosmic Infinity
through science while the seekers of the Vedic age
sought that very same eternity via the path of devotion and spiritual inquiry. This knowledge and
wisdom was revealed to the great seers and sages
of the Vedic era by the cosmos itself during their
tapasya1 and saadhana2. By delving deep into the
secrets of the universe through meditation and using the power of their mind, they could calculate
and invent unimaginable things for that time and
age. From the invention of the decimal system in

while a reference to a summer solstice in Libra


pointed to about 6000 BC. He also concluded that
the authors of the Vedas were familiar with the
precession of the equinoxes. These revolutionary
ideas were set out in his book called Gods, Sages
and Kings (1991).

mathematics to the noble philosophy of ahimsa or


nonviolence, Hindus have contributed their share
to this world in all fields of knowledge and learning. Indian astronomy acted as a catalyst for the
growth of mathematics in the subcontinent, one
of the greatest legacies passed on by Hindus to the
western world.

the distance between Earth and Moon as 108 diameters of Moon and Earth and Sun as 108 diameters
of Sun. This was followed by Surya Prajnapati, a
treatise by Jain astronomers in 200 BC. It contributed significantly to astronomical concepts such
as celestial latitude, measurement of celestial distances, length and arc division, motions of declination, obliquity of ellipse, systems of unit of time,
use of shadow lengths to determine time of day
etc. Thousands of years ago the ancient rishis also
identified two tiny spots in the sky as a twin star
system which rotates in synchrony. They named it
Arundhati (Mizar)-Vasistha (Alcor). In some Hindu
communities, priests conducting a wedding ceremony allude to or point out the constellation as a
symbol of the closeness marriage brings to a couple.

Source Books of Astronomy


The earliest references to astronomy are found in
the Rig Veda, dated by historians to about 50006000 BC. But, as per enlightened masters and
popular Hindu belief this is be more than 60,000
years. In the 1980s, a Vedic scholar, David Frawley,
studying the astronomical references in the Vedic
hymns, concluded that one reference to a summer
solstice in Virgo indicated a date of about 4000 BC,

68

Ancient Hindus were first to suggest a heliocentric3 solar system. Speed of light4 was calculated as
1,85,016 miles per second. Sage Yajnavalkya in his
book Shatapatha Brahmana had even calculated

Contributions of Vedic Civilization


1687, 1200 years later did Isaac Newton discover
the Law of Gravity!

Influence on Islamic Astronomy


The influence of the Indian astronomers did not
stop here. Their work would continue to be used
by the Islamic scholars and would form one of
the cornerstones of Islamic astronomy. The first
astronomical tables in Arabic were prepared by
translation from Sanskrit by Muhammad ibn-Musa Al-Khwarizmi (780-850)6. Al-Khwarizmis tables
constituted a landmark in the world history of astronomy and mathematics. They represented the
westward migration of the Indian numerical system, including zero. Interestingly, while these numerals were called Hind-se (from India) in Arabic,
they were termed Arabic in Europe, acknowledging the supplier rather than the originator.

Aryabhata - The Worlds First Astronomer


The genius astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata5 presented to the world a system that proved
that planet Earth spins on its own axis. He also deducted how lunar and solar eclipses occur and was
the first to discover that planetary orbits around
the Sun are ellipses. Copernicus and Galileo came
to the same conclusion thousands of years later!
Aryabhata even determined the circumference
of the Earth to be 5,000 yojanas, approximately
36,000 km very close to the actual figure calculated by modern science. Another astonishing discovery was that ancient Hindus calculated the age
of Earth as 4.3 billion years. The modern estimate
is 4.5 billion years. Just remember that the biblical age of the Earth, as per Christians, is just 6,000
years!

Amidst this cultural invasion and socio-economic


condition we are losing the perspective of who we
are. Let us get together and strengthen our knowledge and belief systems for who we are, create and
propagate a Grand Indian narrative, and repugn
the constant attacks on our culture and religion
from the outsiders.
References
1. Tapasya: Tapasya means voluntary acceptance of bodily pains to
achieve some higher end of life, primarily spiritual realization. More
specifically it means to accept austerities (control) of the body, mind
and tongue.
2. Sadhana: One of a number of spiritual practices or disciplines which
lead to perfection, these being contemplation, asceticism, worship of a
god, and correct living.
3. Rig Veda 10.149.1 & Rigveda 8.12.28
4. The fourth verse of the RigVedic hymn 1:50

Contributions in the recent past

- The Speed of Light and Puranic Cosmology Subhash Kak , Depart-

The famous Hindu mathematician and astronomer, Bhaskaracharya, in his treatise Surya Siddhanta dated 400-500 AD, not only calculated the
time taken for the earth to orbit the sun to nine
decimal places (365.258756484 days) but for Jupiter 12 years and Saturn 30 years precisely. Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the
earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before
the astronomer Smart. His calculations was Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century)
365.258756484 days. Todays accepted measurement is 365.2564 days. Therefore, assuming that
todays figures are correct, it means that Bhaskaracharya was off by only 0.0002%. In Surya Siddhanta he also wrote Objects fall on the earth due
to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the
earth, planets, constellations, moon and sun are
held in orbit due to this attraction. It was not until

ment of Electrical & Computer Engineering Louisiana State Univer-

69

sity
- http://www.hinduhistory.info/speed-of-light-discovery-by-Vedicscholar-sayana/
5. ryabhaya and the Arya-siddhanta (499 CE)
6. http://global.britannica.com/biography/al-Khwarizmi
7. The science of Vedic astrology -Paramahamsa Nithyananda.
- (http://articles.nithyananda.org/2012/08/the-science-of-Vedicastrology/)
- https://youtu.be/7UYBkX4N2UE

Offshoots of Hinduism

Buddhism

Understanding the Bodhisattva


Chauryan Srikumaran
The bodhisattva, a term rooted in the Buddhist
tradition but one that shows many parallels to the
values in Sanatana Hindu Dharma. Let us inquire
into the concept. At first glance the word bodhisattva is a combination of two root words - Bodhi and
Sattva.

The Roots
The word odhi is used to refer to the idea of spiritual
awakening, realizing the
true nature of reality. sattva, a Sanskrit term, is used
to mean purity as in the
three gunas or qualities: rajas, tamas and sattva or to
denote essence or reality. Putting these two words
together, a bodhisattva can
mean someone who has
awakened to the true reality.

Bodhisattva State
Buddhism and Hinduism
have the belief that the
physical reality (maya or illusion) we experience is not
the true reality, as it is established in change. However, a
bodhisattva is one who is truly committed to true
realization of his Buddha nature, one who is all
knowing, he who has reached enlightenment. A
bodhisattva is generally on their last birth before
realizing this state.

Bodhisattva Path
The bodhisattva path is unlike the stereotypical
Buddhist path. bodhisattva live to help all others
reach enlightenment, dedicating their life to the
truth and spreading it so that everyone can be liberated from suffering. They are like the Hindu sannyasis in a sense, although they have not reached
enlightenment and released themselves from the
bondage of the material world - their intense compassion has made it clear to them that the path of
service and selflessness is theirs.

Their Vows
A bodhisattva takes 10 vows, which are essential
to aligning him/her to their truth. These vows are
the following:

70

1. Not to harm any being - similar to ahimsa of the


Vedic tradition.
2. Not to take that which is not given - similar to
asteya, the vow to not steal in any form (ideas,
thoughts, possessions, etc).
3. Not to engage in any form of sexual misconduct
- similar to the vow of brahmacharya, the vow to
live like a God (which usually pretenses celibacy,
using the creative energy for a
higher purpose).
4. Not to misuse speech - which
is implied if you are living in
sampoorti (integrity).
5. Not to take intoxicants again implied in shraddha
(authenticity) and upaayanam (responsibility).
6. Not to gossip about the
faults and misdeeds of others
- implied by ahimsa and the
four tattvas, especially aapyayanam (enriching).
7. Not to praise oneself or put
others down - there is no need
for this from the context of Advaita (non-duality, oneness).
8. Not to be stingy or abusive
towards those in need, encaptured by upaayanam and
aapyayanam.
9. Not to harbour anger, resentment, or encourage
anger in others - this wont arise when one is living
in the state of and practicing completion.
10. Not to criticize or slander the Three Jewels. The
Three Jewels are the Buddha (the one who radiates enlightenment), the Dharma (the teachings/
truths), and the Sangha (the spiritual community).
Many Hindu sampradayas (orders) adopt the same
three principles.
The similarities between the bodhisattva and a
monk following Sanatana Hindu Dharma can be
attributed to them both having their roots in Vedic
teachings and tradition. The bodhisattva, as well
as the sannyasi, are essential for their dedication
and strength to serve humanity - a true blessing to
this world.
Website References:
1.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Three_Jewels

2.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bodhisattva

3.

http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/bodhisattvas

Offshoots of Hinduism

Jainism

Realigning Through Fasting


Sathish Selvakumar
A Masters life inspires his followers for generations to come. This is the case with Mahavira and
the Jain community. Mahavira is said to have fasted for six months at a stretch. Jains, especially Jain
monks and nuns, undertake fasting as means to
purify their body, mind and do the practice as a
penance.

what type of food or liquid is allowed to be consumed, at what times during the day, quantity that
is allowed and the duration of the fast.
Fasting also acts as community building exercise.
During festivals whole families and extended families take up fasting. This encourages children even
as young as nine or ten to participate in extended
fasts.
Intending to follow the footsteps of Mahavira,
some Jain monks fast for months at a time. Hira
Ratan Manek is said to have fasted for over six
months. Sri Sahaj Muni Maharaj completed his the
then record-breaking 365-day fast on May 1, 1998.
In recent times, another Jain monk completed a
fasting penance of an astounding 423 days.

Fasting as a means for conscious death

Fasting in Jainism is seen as a spiritual practice


and can be taken up at any time of the year. Most
Jains fast during festivals, on auspicious days and
during the monsoon period in India. Between Jain
men and women, Jain women are known to observe a fast more often.
Fasting works on the body and detoxifies the system. A Jain fasting process also requires the person to avoid wanting to eat. This purifies the mind
from craving for food and other related tendencies. Another purpose of fasting is as a penance
towards achieving spiritual goals. The period of
fasting reinforces the tenets of renunciation and
asceticism which are part of the core teachings of
Mahavira. Jain monks believe that fasting is important for the salvation of the soul.
Fasting is of several types:
Complete fasting: giving up food and water
completely for a period
Partial fasting: eating less than you need to
avoid hunger
Vruti Sankshepa: limiting the number of items
of food eaten
Rasa Parityaga: giving up favourite foods
There are more than 25 variants of fasting observed in the Jain tradition. This is dependent on

71

Some older Jain monks or Jain elders choose


to give up the body by gradually dropping the
number of food items that they consume and
eventually stop eating completely. This process is
known as Santara or Sallenkhana. This is different
from suicide which is a decision that comes from
a powerless inner space. This decision is taken
with the cognition that the body is an instrument
to progress spiritually. When the instrument can
no longer support the purpose, it is wise to drop
the instrument. This practice allows the individual
to solely focus on spiritual salvation as they approach death.
Reference:
1.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/customs/fasting_1.shtml

2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting_in_Jainism

3.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/customs/fasting_1.shtml

4.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/jainism/customs/fasting_1.shtml

5.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting_in_Jainism

6.

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-jains-observe-wateronly-fast-for-44-days-1429765

7.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTSX4QFS-S8

Mahadevas Kitchen

The Hindu Bhaga Shastra


storage

The shape and size of
the hearth

The method of cleaning, pounding, grinding,
frying, cooking

The physical and mental health of the cooks

Variety of 400 original
recipes from across the
sub-continent

Hindu Food, Taste and


Tridosha

About early 2015, the Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam Bengaluru Adheenam, in South India, made
a surprising discovery the existence of a Vedic
age cookbook, revealed by Mahadeva himself the
Bhaga Shastra, or textbook for cooking.
Mahadeva revealed the secrets of the Bhaga Shastra to his consort Parvati, who in turn revealed it to
Nala, the king of Vidarbha. Nala, an expert charioteer and well-known culinary expert, is the main
protagonist in the ancient romantic tale of NalaDamayanti.
The Bhaga Shastra may have been written 2000
years ago but its wisdom and culinary secrets date
back nearly 60,000 years! The only available copy
of this book was printed in the year 1851 in Madras
(current day Chennai) in South India. This book,
in the Tamil language, is now with Nithyananda
Gnanalaya (library), Bengaluru Adheenam.

An Astounding Discovery
What makes the Bhaga Shastra so remarkable is
that every sphere of cooking is explained in minute
and meticulous detail. One daresay, no cookbook
exists today that can match the depth and breadth
of wisdom on the science of cooking in this text,
directly from God.
No facet of cooking is overlooked. Here are some
samples:
Detailed properties of grains, vegetables, fruits,
herbs, spices, their qualities and impact on
health
The shape and size of utensils for cooking and

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Six types of tastes are described in the Bhaga Shastra salt, sweet, sour, hot,
bitter and pungent. It states
that every meal should include all these tastes, so
that the appetite is satisfied and the tongue is neutralized by all the tastes being together. As per the
instructions in Bhaga Shastra, in order for all parts
of the body, mind and brain to function properly, a
balanced diet of all these tastes is a must.
Further, the purpose of having all six tastes is to
balance the tridoshas in the body, namely vaata
(acidic), pitta (alkaline) and kapha (phlegm). Every
ingredient used in Hindu cooking is classified as
per their dosha properties. For e.g. too much of
vata foods such as flat beans, corn, jackfruit, Bengal grams, will lead to belching, itchiness or prickliness on the skin. Excess of pitta foods results in
giddiness, acidity and imbalance in the brain and
mood disorders. Excess kapha food leads to chills
and cold.

Mahadevas Kitchen
Benefits of Satvik Food
Bhaga Shastra further classifies foods into rajasik, tamasik and satvik types. Rajasik food makes
one feel agitated, aggressive, lustful and egoistic.
Tamasik food makes a person lazy, sleepy and depressed. Satvik food gives clarity to the person and
brings him peace of mind leading to bhakti (devotion), tripti (fulfillment)
and ananda (bliss).
Bhaga Shastra insists
on hand pounding and
hand grinding to retain
the subtleness, aroma
and qualities of the ingredients used in the
recipes. Many of the
recipes and method of
cooking have survived
in rural kitchens of Hindu homes and temples.
A well-known example
of traditional cooking
is the Udupi Sri Krishna
Temple, Dakshina Kannada District, in South
India, which has also
been documented by
the National Geographic
Channel. Closer home,
the Bhaga Shastra is followed to its minutest
detail in the kitchens of
the Nithyananda Sangha. Along with the cooking methods, traditional
utensils of cooking, cleaning, grinding and storage
are also being revived here.

The Perfect Cook


The Bhaaga Shastra also gives clear instruction
about the mental and physical state of the person who cooks in the kitchen. The person must be
disease-free, in sound physical and mental health,
bathed and clean to enter the kitchen. For e.g. the
lady of the house must first clean the kitchen thoroughly, set aside all ingredients for the days menu
in a tray. After this she must bathe and do the agni
puja (fire worship) of the hearth and only then
start the cooking process!

A Veritable Feast of Recipes


The most delightful part of the Bhaga Shasta is
the 400 varieties of recipes, from all regions of the
sub-continent. It is indeed interesting to know that

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many of the chutneys, spiced rice, flat rice, idlis,


dosas, laddoos, payasam/kheer, raitas, papads in
Hindu homes come from recipes that are 60,000
year old! So is the mention of ingredients such as
rice, wheat, pigeon peas, black gram, and spices
such as pepper, fenugreek, asafetida, mustard, etc.
It will hearten many to know that cocoa and coffee
too find mention in this text.
In forthcoming issues we will not only reveal the
secrets and wisdom of the Bhaga Shastra but also
bring you recipes from its treasure house.

[Based on interview with Ma Sheela Rani, translator of the Bhaga Shastra from Tamil to English language, Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, Bengaluru,
South India]
Reference:
Bhaga Shastra

The Young Corner

Life is Bliss

Jayananda & Vijayananda


As Paramahamsa Nithyananda says, Life before
Nithyananda is logical, life after Nithyananda is magical.

Blissful Sisters

His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda, has caused


a remarkable shift in our lives starting from our
names from N S Vaishnavi and N S Vardhini to Ma
Nithya Vijayananda and Ma Nithya Jayananda (our
spiritual names), respectively.

Coming to relationships, we have to begin with the


relationship between us sisters. No incompletion
stays in us for long. We see no sibling jealousy, no
misunderstanding and we enjoy the sisterhood. In
addition, to have parents and family to support your
space of completion, and constantly uplift you with
Paramahamsa Nithyanandas teachings, is like the
cherry on the cake.

When we sat down to write this article, the main difficulty we faced was to actually remember how we
were before meeting Paramahamsa Nithyananda how did we think, how did we act, how did we respond, how we took decisions - in fact our WHOLE
lifestyle. Because it feels like a rebirth, we seem to
have forgotten how we were before meeting Him.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda has showered the world


with a very simple and practical technique of Completion. Completion is the space of being fulfilled and
untouched irrespective of the situation inside and
outside you. So this completion technique is the secret key for sweet, successful relationships in our
lives.

Changed Approach to Academics

Passions in Our Life

To start with, academics, which is a nightmare in


every students life, is not so in ours. I am doing my
degree in Bachelor of Dentistry and Jaya is currently
in the 11th grade. We can vouch for the fact that studies have never been a struggle after Paramahamsa
Nithyananda. You may ask how.

Music and dance are passions that we sisters share


in common and needless to say, Paramahamsa Nithyananda has caused major shifts in these aspects of
our lives too. He made music a celebration through
the Nithya kirtans. From dancers for whom dance
was mechanical moves coupled with gestures and
expressions to convey a message to the audience, it is
now a medium to melt in devotion and lose ourselves
into the ultimate space of Nithyanandoham, and invoke the same in the onlookers.

The reasons we can state here are numerous. The


context that Paramahamsa Nithyananda has set for
education by itself removed our fear of examination
and about feeling overwhelmed by the volume that
we had to study things that normally puts a student
down even before he/she begins to study.

A Personal Relationship
Now, in every action, we are operating purely from
the space of soham asmi I AM HIM and Nithyanandoham, I am Nithyananda. With this powerful space.
Anything that we want, is like an order placed to Mahadeva, and he always delivers it immediately. Life
has become a personal conversation with Mahadeva.
The other day Jaya told Mahadeva, Mahadeva you
should cancel my school on Saturday though I have
my math test as I have to attend LSP with Paramahamsa Nithyananda. Thats all, that evening we got
a mail that her school declared a holiday and postponed the test.
Life has become very EASY, JOYFUL, BLISSFUL with
Paramahamsa Nithyananda. There are no misunderstandings, complications over small issues. Because
we know very clearly, Mahadeva is there for us.

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Paramahamsa Nithyananda beautifully describes,


movement of a dancer to be like that of a fish swimming in the ocean of bliss, filled with spontaneity
and intense action. We feel extremely blessed to be
guided by the Lord of all arts himself, our Nataraja,
Paramahamsa Nithyananda in every tiny aspect of
our lives.

During the Nithyanandeshwara Brahmotsavam,


we were both blessed to perform as part of the
cultural celebration each day, for the ten days.
Both of us were just overwhelmed because we
would have our practice everyday in the early
morning at 4 a.m, go to school/college, then get
ready for the show in the evening. But one thing
we can tell you that before we realized, ten days
were over!
It was through this that Paramahamsa Nithyananda beautifully converted our understanding
into an experience that made us exclaim, When
HE ordains, HE sustains too.

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