The Hindu belief is totally non-exclusive and accepts all other faiths and religious paths. An ancient Vedic text says that God or truth is one and wise persons refer to it by many names. Hindus believe that no one religion is exclusively true, that all major faiths are aspects of the one universal all encompassing truth, and that there are many paths to seek and experience religious understanding and enlightenment. Continue reading
And the curbing of Greed
Kama is desire and it is a part of the fourth Purushartha and greed is an obstacle in the way of Bhakti.
Let us understand what Purushartha means. It means the objectives of mankind. These goals are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Dharma is the “order and custom” that makes life and universe possible. They are also described as the four pillars of Hinduism. Purushartha also means that an individual should have a meaningful life (Artha) by earning earning an honest livelihood through lawful means (Dharma), fulfil his desires (Kama) and attain liberation (Moksha). Continue reading
Padma Purana states, “Sarvedevmayh Pita”—
father is the embodiment of all devatas, gods.
Hindu Scriptures state:
Pita dharmah, pita, swargah, pita hi parman tapah,
Pitr preetmpanne preeyant sarva devta. Continue reading
Our veneration of the planet will lead to Dharma. The practice of Dharma (righteousness) will enable us to save Prithvi (mother earth) and ourselves.
There are four important acts that we must make a part of our daily life. Ahimsa, compassion, maintaining the ecological environment and being aware of the presence of the Divinity. Continue reading
It does not read well. Why should one have friends who are enemies? If one is on the spiritual path, one’s enemies should drop by the wayside. I am using the word frenemy as it describes the role of Kama in one’s life. Kama can pretend to be a friend and can also be an enemy. Continue reading
Sri Rama’s first instructions were to Shabari. Who was Shabari? Shabari was a devout and pious woman, who lived in the forest. She was waiting for Rama’s arrival as she wished to learn what the true meaning of Dharma was. She was told by her Guru Matanga that she would be blessed by Rama. While praying for Rama’s visitation, she grew old. Continue reading
Loneliness and solitude are two different things. When you are lonely, it is easy to delude yourself into believing that you are on the right path. Solitude is better for us as it means being alone without feeling lonely. But eventually it is best to find a person, the person who will be your mirror. Remember only in another person’s heart can you truly see yourself and the presence of God within you.
Extracted from the book, The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. Continue reading
It is a long and very sad story which has a happy ending. As you all know Ram is an incarnation of Vishnu and he came to the earth as a mortal to destroy an evil King by the name of Ravana. Ravana had been granted a boon that no God could kill him. Continue reading
Why does one have to explain?
Now there are varieties of gifts, the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord: and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common God.
1 Corinthians 12. 4-7 Continue reading
Ayyappa is the son of Vishnu and Shiva? How did this come about? He was born out of the mystical union between Shiva and Mohini, who is the temporary avatar of Vishnu. Vishnu took the form of Mohini to undertake tasks that he could not accomplish in his original male form. Continue reading
Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion. It is also known as Sanatana Dharma. It is a natural religion and its practices and philosophies are considered accessible to all.
All beings from the smallest organism to man, are considered manifestations of the divine. Hinduism views the universe as a family, or in Sanskrit, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Continue reading
It is our dharma, our faith to serve humanity. We must give love to those who need love. We must help those who are poor and neglected. Our resources must be utilized for the welfare of others. Our strength, intelligence, mind, heart, soul, money, knowledge, power, and friends should be used for the benefit of others. Enjoyment and happiness comes from giving and sharing with the needy and the unhappy. These are the teachings of Jesus Christ, Saint Francis, Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Mahatama Gandhi and every enlightened human being. Continue reading
Kalki is the tenth avatara of Vishnu, who will come riding upon a white horse, which is also an avatara in itself. Kalki carries a sword to strike down all evil, and he battles for the cause of righteousness. Kalki will come at the end of Kali yuga to destroy the creation that has sunk into total darkness, after which it will be created anew. Continue reading
Verse 10: Elimination of nonessential desires: Worldly or emotional security, wanting to be 
recognized. Single goal is freedom. Active sense of renunciation is important. The only security is your self. Five stages of devotion: 1. Sakama Bhakti 2. Nishkama Bhakti. Praying to Isvara to resist your desires. “Zorba the Buddha” versus “Sin intelligently”. 3. Istha Devata Abyasa, Personal deity 4. Visvat svarupa. Worship of everything 5. Non-Duality.
Verse 11: Suitable values. Crazy wisdom gurus. Follow dharma to protect society.
Verse 12: Firmly commit yourself to maintaining an ethical code even after your devotion to Isvara/God is firm.
Verse 13: As long the notion of doership is present there is the danger of a fall. Enlightenment Sickness. Dharma trumps enlightenment.
Verse 14: For as long as the body lasts, one should minimally engage in worldly activities and only perform those actions necessary to sustain the body. Non-dual devotion is expectation-free.
Verses 15-22. Various definitions of the characteristics of devotion. Love in presence, love in absence. Unconditional love.
Verse 23: If you forget that every person is your self, only selfish passion remains.
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Revision and conclusion. What is the meaning of ignorance? The oneness of the individual and the supreme reality. The method of Vedānta. How to get a sattvic mind. Jñāni. You are the happiness you are looking for. You have to go beyond the gunas but in the end there are not even gunas. Direct experience of the self. Tat tvam asi. Neti neti.
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