Source INDIA, January 15, 2020 (Outlook India): The Jagannath temple in Puri is one of the chardhams–the four most revered pilgrim spots–of Hindus. Every day, at all hours, the majestic 12th century temple by the Bay of Bengal in Odisha is a bustling sea of humanity–devotees offering prayers, fulfilling vows, sitting in silent communion or waiting patiently in queues snaking…
Source INDIA, January 15, 2020 (Money Control, by J. Biswas): Makar Sankranti, essentially a harvest festival, is celebrated across India under different names. The ancient Hindu festival is both religious and seasonal in nature, as it marks the beginning of the northward journey of the Sun. Makar Sankranti directly translates to the beginning of the Sun’s journey towards the North,…
Source KOLKATA, INDIA, January 16, 2020 (Indian Express): More than 4 million pilgrims from all across the country and abroad took the holy dip in Gangasagar on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Wednesday. Makar Sankranti marks the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. A district official of South 24 Parganas said,…
Source Many people are afraid of silence. They have to be doing something all the time. Many people also are afraid of being alone. But actually no one ever is alone. He’s always with his great divine Self. Every person has a great, divine Self within him, an absolutely perfect, shining, sublime being of light. The voice of this being…
Source INDIA, December 28, 2017 (IntelliBriefs, by Maria Wirth): Though I have lived in India for a long time, there are still issues here that I find hard to understand. For example, why do so many educated Indians become agitated when India is referred to as a Hindu country? The majority of Indians are Hindus. India is special because of…
Source KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, January 15, 2015 (Daily Express): The Tamil community is looking forward to ushering in a new dawn as it celebrates the Pongal harvest festival today (Wednesday). Pongal falls in the 10th month of the Tamil calendar called Thai and is a major celebration, especially for the farming community. Thai piranthal vazhi pirakkum is a popular Tamil…
Source SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, January 10, 2020 (Hindu Council Australia): Sydney has a large Hindu population and there are about 30 Hindu temples, spiritual centers and senior citizen service centers to cater for their religious, spiritual and social needs. Sri Om community in Sydney had purchased land and installed their Deities with regular worship by the community. Recent bush fires in…
DELHI, INDIA, December 31, 2019: Summary by Rajiv Malhotra for his recent video: “Most discussions on decolonization focus on the West. This talk explains how the colonial mindset and resulting loss of character has permeated many organs and layers of our nation, Bharat. So the decolonization responsibility is ours. The job at hand is very demanding, and each individual must…
Source For seven lives in seven bodies the grateful will remember friends who relieved their anguish and affliction.— Saint Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural, verse 107
Source Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns. He marches direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, his ultimate destination.— Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society