Naama Japa.

My life partner continues to do so.

My freedom is my personal freedom. I am on my own. I need not beg for anything from others. I am free from everything in this world. It is my freedom. Supreme looks after everything for me. it is my freedom. Belonging to nothing is my freedom. It is the grace of the supreme, that is what is freedom.

Satsang is a community.Gaia community also nearly like that.
people who have a common way of thinking, following and living accordingly.
This is the reason I joined this Zaadz/ Gaia community.

ATMAN

The Atman (Self) is most ancient, hard to perceive and abides secretly in the innermost cave of the heart or intellect. This Atman or supreme soul fills all with his radiance. This Atman is incorporeal, pure, invulnerable. He is untouched by evil. The Atman is the supreme seer and thinker, immanent and transcendental. This
Atman is the immortal spirit, the common, unifying entity present in all. You live, because the supreme Atman is. You understand, because the Atman is intelligence. You enjoy, because the Atman is bliss.

Atman is the reality itself - it is of the nature of pure consciousness. It is undifferentiated, pure awareness and pure experience. Atman is secondless; it alone is; all else which appears to be is not. Atman is the one which appears divided; the changeless as full of change; the timeless as temporal; the infinite as extended and fragmented in space.

Atman is one. It is the root, the reality itself. Atman is pure consciousness, calm and infinite like the waveless ocean. That Atman which is impersonal, changeless, like unto space, by nature purity itself - verily, verily, that am I. The one who is the eternal, the Atman, exists. He is all in all. This Atman is so mysterious that it cannot easily be grasped. This Atman can easily be grasped when the science of the Self (brahmavidya) is taught by a guru who has attained Self realisation.

This Atman is subtler than the subtlest and so is not attained by arguments. Like butter hidden in milk, this mysterious Atman is hidden in every being. Realise this Atman by the churning of meditation. The Atman is unborn, ageless, immortal, deathless and fearless. He who knows this Atman becomes Brahman, the fearless.

Atman is Brahman - absolute, infinite, the supreme being. It is existence absolute, knowledge absolute, bliss absolute. It is self- delight and self-knowledge. It is bodiless, formless and without gunas, all-pervading, all-full, imperishable. It has neither beginning nor end. It exists in past, present and future. It is self- existent, the source for body, mind, senses, prana, the vedas and the universe itself. No one can deny it; it is the inner Self of all beings.
- By: Swami Sivananda of Divine Life society, Rishikesh, India.

Health never affects spirituality but spiriruality can control the body and heal the diseases and conditions affecting the body. Most spiritualists do not use this power for themselves but for the other living beings. Even if their body suffers due to ailments or diseases, they just ignore it. Usually they simply accept it and never care for same. This is the actual relationship between both. Body is just a nest for the spirit concerned. Spirit is never affected by the bodily ailments. Ramana maharishi, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Aravindha, Mahathma Gandhi and several others are examples for this condition.

You can refer my earlier blog on Athman (spirit ) here about this.

In India, New Life For Amar Chitra Katha As TV Cartoons

Source: www.nytimes.com

MUMBAI, INDIA, July 20, 2009: Like many Indians who came of age in the 1980s, Samir Patil grew up on the comic books published by Amar Chitra Katha. Made up of Indian-style religious parables and biographies of historical figures, they taught him about the great, and lesser-known, stories of India in a didactic format meant for young audiences. It is common for the average Hindus to know the Puranic stories of Hinduism, or the life of famous saints, through these comic books.

Now, Mr. Patil, a 38-year-old who acquired the publisher two years ago, is betting that he can do the same for a new generation of Indian children who have been raised watching TV, sending text messages and surfing the Web. He plans to broadcast animated versions of his comics on Indian television starting early next year. He expects the shows to appear first on the Cartoon Network in India, and he is negotiating deals with the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.
HPI - Jul 29, 2009

In Beautiful Bali, Everything Is a Ritual

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

BALI, July 26, 2009: Balinese food is exquisite. It is a blessing to be shared with the Gods, and never taken for granted. All over the island, even on taxicab dashboards, one sees little woven baskets called banten jotan containing tiny colorful offerings of rice, fruit and flowers to the Gods. Ritual worship interwoven with daily life is a constant in Bali. “Every six months we have some ceremony,” a driver said. “To bless a car, or a tool. Also for a building, a house, animals. Everything has a ceremony. That is our tradition.”

For a religious experience at an actual temple, Pura Luhur Uluwatu is one of Bali’s holiest sites. It is a guardian temple, dedicated to the spirits of the sea and keeping the island safe from demons. Visiting in the late afternoon, you can watch a Kecak dance telling the story of Prince Rama and Princess Sita.

Perhaps the most peaceful place on the island is the temple of Pura Taman Ayun, Garden Temple in the Water, built in the 17th Century on an river island. Pagoda-like towers called “meru” rise into the blue sky. The tallest represent the mountains, above which the Gods are said to live.
HPI - Jul 29, 2009

Texas Newspaper Encourages Diversity with Blogs

Source: www.mywtxchatter.com

MIDLAND, TEXAS, USA, July 26, 2009: “If your parents ever advised you to avoid conversations about religion and politics, well, I hope you didn’t listen to them” is what a witty advertisement for the My West Texas, a newspaper, says. Intent on engaging the diverse local community, it created a religion page on its website to ” give our readers and community members the space and resources to engage in healthy and educational discussions about religion, spirituality and cultural traditions. This provides an excellent opportunity to learn from each other.”

The religion bloggers are, so far, the Hindu Association of West Texas (link at source above); Mark Dean, a Christian Minister and Rev. Kathryn Boren of the Methodist Church.

As the staff of My West Texas puts it, “People — maybe even dinner guests — can, in fact, engage in religious and political discussions and walk away unharmed.”
HPI - Jul 29, 2009    

An Open Book In a world which seems to be dominated by the Internet, readers have bemoaned what they see as the slow but certain demise of printed newspapers and books. Yet, over three billion books were sold in the US in 2007 and the number of children's books sold increased by over 10 percent, probably owing partially to Harry Potter. According to BookStatistics.com, about 27 percent of US adults did not read a single book for pleasure in 2007; in spite of that, book sales continue to grow and some 10,000 publishing companies are established every year. In 1789, William Hill Brown published what was considered to be the first American novel, The Power of Sympathy.

Hindu Bhutanese Refugees Find Haven in Houston

Source: www.chron.com

HOUSTON, TEXAS, USA, July 22, 2009: In the early 1990s, Hindus in Bhutan were banned from speaking their language and practicing their religion. This ethnic and religious persecution forced 100,000 to flee to Nepal, where they have lived in refugee camps for 19 years. A resettlement program started last year by the U.S. State Department is expected to bring as many as 60,000 of these refugees to the United States over the next five years. Roughly 500 have already settled in Houston, where several resettlement agencies are helping the refugees with rental assistance, food and other basic needs, using federal stipends.

The money also covers the cost of agency programs to help them learn English and find work. Local churches and community groups are doing what they can to help; Sewa International USA, for instance, is providing training in education and job training, including computer skills. Refugees are expected to be self-sufficient and working within 90 to 180 days of resettlement.

Although the recession has made it tougher to place refugees in jobs, the Bhutanese seem to be faring better than other refugees in the job market because of their willingness to work and ability to speak English.

In March 2008, Bhutan’s monarchy changed to a democracy, and the persecution has decreased somewhat. Those who still live there can now wear their cultural dress in and around their house–but they still must follow the dominant Buddhist culture.
HPI - Jul 31, 2009

Dance/ Poetry/ Painting/ Music/ Writing/ Theater/
I was highly involved with all these a decade ago. Then the situations changed. I was on Radio too. There was no TV at that time. still I have not lost interest in them. Full involvement not possible now. Entire family visit all the dane recitations.(Bharatha Natya). still I am writing poetry. Once in a while. Read and enjoy other's poetries. i like to visit art galleries and personal art shows. (pantings) I learned Carnatic music from the age of 8( 1951 to 1957) still enjoy all types of music. I wrote articles, short stories to news papers and magazines and they were published. My dramas broadcased on Radio Ceylon. I was involved in a drama troupe too. Now it is no more. All these were done in my mother tongue. still I am enjoying all these in different medias. I like all these art forms. Poetry moves the most.

Abolish money or bring up one currency for the entire world.

Canary Islands Hindus Donates Food To the Poor — At a Church’s Doorsteps

Source: www.laprovincia.es

CANARY ISLANDS, June 30, 2009: At the end of June, fifty members of the Hindu community of Spain’s Canary Islands ceremoniously handed over 7,000 kilos of food to the Catholic diocese of the Virgin del Pino, patroness of the Canary Islands, to be distributed to the needy. The country is mostly Catholic, and Hindus are willing to help the community by cooperating with a network of assistance to the needy already in place, linked to the Church.

The gesture was very appreciated by Canarians of all faiths. Manish Purswaney, coordinator of the event, said that the gift was a show of thanks for “the great welcome the Islanders have given us for so many years.” This is the sixth year in a row that food has been donated to the poor by the Hindus of Gran Canaria.
HPI - Jul 31, 2009

Chocolate 
There's white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Americans consuming nearly 15 lbs (7 kg) annually, it was only a matter of time until someone proved that, besides being delicious, chocolate is actually good for you. Research has shown that the antioxidants in the confection can lower blood pressure and the risk of cardiac arrest. American chocolatier Milton Hershey was born in Pennsylvania on September 13, 1857.
And Roald Dahl, who wrote the popular Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was born on September 13, 1916.
 

In 1506, a contingency of Swiss Guards entered Rome, where they had come to guard the Vatican and Pope Julius II. Since then, there has almost always been a guard of at least 134 men on duty at the Vatican. Swiss guards must be single, Catholic men, between the ages of 19 and 30 and at least 174 cm/5'8.5" tall. They must be Swiss citizens who completed basic training with the Swiss military with a certificate of good conduct. When the pope is at home, the guards spend much of their day standing at attention, dressed in a Renaissance style uniform that weighs some eight pounds — one of the heaviest uniforms worn by any army.

Turmeric, A Rising Star For Medical Applications

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

INDIA, July 24, 2009: Modern science has substantiated the extraordinary healing power of turmeric. A team of scientists led by Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy , an IIT Kanpur alumnus and a professor of chemistry and biophysics at the University of Michigan, has deciphered the exact functioning of curcumin, a major ingredient of turmeric powder, in curing wounds, infections and other health problems.

“In our recent research, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, we found that curcumin molecules insert themselves into the cell membrane and sit quite comfortably in its greasy layer. This makes curcumin behave like cholesterol and stabilize the membrane such that invaders like bacteria, virus and other micro-organisms find it very difficult to destabilize the cell membrane structure, thereby increasing the cells’ resistance to infection by disease-causing microbes,” says Ramamoorthy.
HPI - Jul 31, 2009

 
C-D-E, E-D-C, C-D-E-D-C. These are often the first notes that a beginning pianist learns to play. A common rite of childhood includes piano lessons in the living room, learning to play an easy version of Für Elise, Bach exercises, Mozart sonatas. Benmont Tench, Michael Feinstein and Arthur Ferrante — all celebrating their birthday on September 7th — have made their living from "tickling the ivories." Rock pianist Tench, 55, is the keyboardist and one of the original members of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Feinstein, 52, made his name as the archivist and one of the premier interpreters of the music of Ira and George Gershwin. Ferrante, 87, partnered with Louis Teicher to become one of the 20th century's most popular piano duos. And Sonny Rollins, who turns 78 today, is known now for his amazing tenor sax; but he started out his musical career like so many others... on the piano.
 

Hindus Prepare for Anna Abhishekam Festival

Source: HPI (By Dr. S.P. Sabharathnam)
KAPAA, USA, October 31, 2009: Anna Abhishekam is a very important monthly festival in a Siva Temple. It is to be performed for the prosperity of the land and the abundant growth of crops and fruit trees.

The harvesting of paddy in South India usually reaps its yield by October/ November. In order to thank God, people show their gratitude by performing rice abhishekams to Lord Siva (with cooked rice), usually in the form of a Siva Lingam.

When the full moon aligns with the Asvayuj star (asvini nakshatra) in the month of Tula (November-December), pure rice is cooked and brought to the main shrine after circumambulating the temple with the accompaniment of the sounding of musical instruments and drums and vedic chants. The cooked rice which should be moderately hot, well consecrated and offered to Lord Siva. The linga portion of Sivalinga is to be completely covered with this consecrated cooked rice. Lord Siva is to be meditated as manifested in the form of the Anna Linga.

In this harvest festival, special kinds of various rices such as tamarind rice, curd rice, sesame rice, rice boiled with milk and sugar (sarkara pongal), payasa and other sweets and eatables and fruits are to be offered as naivedyam. Not only human beings, but other living forms will be fed with the naivedyam.
HPI - Nov 01, 2009
Pure cooked rice and other difeerently flavoured rices.

Spinach as a Natural Ayurvedic Medicine: Swami Ramdev

Spinach is an extremely beneficial and tasty leafy vegetable. Spinach is found in all the parts of India and it is cooked in many different ways. In some places, people cook it along with potato and eat it in the form of dry vegetable, and in some places it is boiled, grinded and cooked with onions, garlic, tomato etc. Whatever may be the style of cooking, spinach is a healthy food. It is also cooked with the leaves of the rapeseed plant (sarson). This combination is very delicious and makes the spinach even more beneficial and healthy. In this article Swami Ramdev explains the medicinal benefits of eating spinach in various forms

( There is another variety with red in colour which is considered having more iron in it.)

For the complete article, visit:
http://www.yogsandesh.org/articles/140/1/Spinach-as-a-Natural-Ayurvedic-Medicine/Page1.html

God is God.
Swami Vivekananda used to ask  all the people he met , " Have you seen God, If so can you show me God?" Only His Guru 'Ramakrishna Paramahansa'  replied, "Yes! I will show".

Unable to remember any proud moments but we had no footwear just attended school with bare feet and it was normal. I can give my mother's version here. During the LKG period I used to go to school alone. School was so close. On the way back  my relations will take me to their home and feed me. I used to play there with them during the afternoon then slept there. My mother will come in the evening and collect me. This had been the routine according to her.

Great Scholar of Saiva Agamas, N.R. Bhatt, Passes On at Age 88

Source: http://www.ifpindia.org/mm/pattrika/pattrika_31/

PONDICHERRY, INDIA, September 1, 2009. [HPI note: the following obituary was provided by Dr. Dominic Goodal, Head of the Pondicherry Centre of the Ecole Francaise d'Extreme-Orient, and Dr. V. Marimoutou, Director of the French Institute of Pondicherry]

We are sad to inform you that Pandit N. R. BHATT, aged 88, passed away on 19th July 2009 at his residence in Mandavalli, Mylapore, Chennai, at around 9 am.

Dr. N. R. BHATT was born on 24th July 1920, in the State of Karnataka. He studied Vyakarana Siromani at the Venkateshvara Sanskrit College in Tirupati.

Member of the EFEO and for many years in charge of Indological projects conducted at the French Institute of Pondicherry, Dr. N. R. BHATT was the principal collector of the manuscripts of the IFP. He travelled throughout South India visiting monasteries, temples and private collections, always searching in particular for Saiva manuscripts, but often bringing back entire collections that included also a great variety of other texts, which explains why the library now contains so much besides Saiva material. In addition to collecting old palm-leaf manuscripts, he had manuscripts of many Saiva works transcribed into Devanagari, in clearly legible characters on uniform-sized pages. He thus assembled in Pondicherry the largest collection of Saivasiddhanta manuscripts in the world, which was recognized by the UNESCO as a “Memory of the World” collection in 2005.

His numerous editions of Saiva texts, published in the series that is now known as the Collection Indologie, made him famous in indological circles throughout the world. Of particular note is his monumental two-volume edition of a major work of 10th century Kashmirian scholarship, the commentary of Ramakantha on the Matangaparamesvaragama. A felicitation volume honouring him for his life’s achievements appeared in 1994, but he continued to publish thereafter, and collaborated (with Jean Filliozat and Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat) in the production of one more important book, a five-volume edition and English translation of the Ajitamahatantra (IGNCA, 2005).

Before joining the EFEO in Pondicherry, an institution where he served from 1956 to 1991, he worked from 1939 at the Adyar Library and Research Centre, Chennai, where he became assistant librarian and assistant editor of the Adyar Library Bulletin. His first research work there was on medical literature and he published three works in Kannada and Sanskrit in this field.

Dr. N. R. BHATT was a pioneer of the academic study of the Saiva traditions and his contribution to this field has been quite simply enormous. His funeral service was held in Chennai on 19th July at 12 pm.
HPI - Nov 01, 2009

In present-day Jordan, Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt came upon the ancient city of Petra, in 1812. Petra, the capital of the Nabataeans from the 4th century BCE until the Romans captured it in 106, was taken by the Muslims in the 7th century and by the Crusaders in the 12th century. Referred to by John William Burgon as a "rose red city half as old as time," Petra was walled in by rock mountains, yet controlled the main trade routes in the area. In 1985, Petra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site; in 2007, it was named one of New Open World Corporation's New Seven Wonders of the World.

The cow is a mobile medical dispensary. It is the treasure of medicines. Cow urine therapy is capable of curing many curable and incurable diseases. The holy texts, like Atharva Veda, Charaka Samhita, Rajni Ghuntu, Vridhabhagabhatt, Amritasagar, Bhavaprakash, Sushruta Samhita, etc., contain beautiful description about the medicinal benefits of cow urine.

http://www.yogsandesh.org/articles/36/1/Cow-Urine-Can-Cure-Many-Diseases/Page1.html

Source:http://blog.beliefnet.com/omsweetom/2009/10/halloween.html

USA, October 30, 2009 (By Vineet Chander): Growing up, I always experienced Halloween as a clashing of cultures. More than any other American holiday, Halloween seemed to draw a line in the sand between the world that my Hindu immigrant parents resided in and the American suburban world around me. Since Halloween usually tends to coincide with a number of Hindu holidays (Hindus use a lunar calendar, so exact dates switch around), when Diwali happened to fall on October 31, the two holidays went head-to-head. Either I could go trick-or-treating and watch the Nightmare on Elm Street marathon (my desire), or visit temple and exchange sweets with relatives (my parents’ orders), but I couldn’t really do both.

And then there was the issue of costumes.

Recently I was asked what I thought about having kids dress up as Hindu Deities. I have to admit, his question caught me off guard. A bindi-wearing Indian Princess is one thing, but dressing up like a Goddess…?

The more I thought about it, though, the less sure I became of how I felt about the whole thing. Would it be a celebration of Hinduism’s rich imagery, or a mockery of faith? On the hand, there is precedent for dressing up as deities in Hinduism. Many parents dress their children up as Lord Krishna on Krishna Janmashtami. Ramleela — dramatic re-enactments of Lord Rama’s epic pastimes — also involve children and adults donning costumes to depict figures such as Lord Rama, the brave Hanuman, or the dastardly demon king Ravana.

(Read more at source above)

HPI - Nov 01, 2009

Source: www.berkeleyind.com
LADSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, October 25, 2009: The Hindu Temple of Charleston, in Ladson’s College Park Center, opened its doors to an eager community last week. The October 18 ceremony, its inaugural worship session, drew more than 300 people who assembled inside.

The temple has been the aspiration of the local Indian community, about 400 families strong, for four years. A committee was formed in 2006 to devise the plans and develop the project, according to Peyush Dwivedi, temple secretary.

It’s the first Hindu temple in the Lowcountry and the fourth in the state. Columbia, Spartanburg and Mauldin, which is near Greenville, each have a Hindu center.
HPI - Nov 05, 2009
       

Halloween's Fruit 
What's large, orange, a good source of vitamin A, and the state fruit of New Hampshire? Yep, it's the pumpkin, used as pie filling, jack-o'-lanterns, cattle feed and pepitas. Even its flowers are edible. Pumpkin chunking, competitive pumpkin growing (the record stands at 1,689 pounds/766 kg.), and pumpkin festivals of various sorts are wholesome autumn activities. Ninety percent of US pumpkins are raised within a 90-mile (149 km.) radius of Peoria, Illinois.

(We used to cook the soft leaves of pumpkin coming out fresh from the vines.)

Ramavataram, popularly referred to as Kamba Ramayanam is a Tamil epic written by the poet Kamban during the 12th century. Based on Valmiki's Ramayana, the original epic Ramayana in Sanskrit, the story describes the life of King Rama of Ayodhya. However, Ramavataram is different from the Sanksrit original in many aspects - both in spiritual concepts and in the specifics of the story line.

India.