Source INDIA, August 11, 2019 (Outlook India): Shola, the white soft core obtained from the stem of the Shola plant (also known as Indian Cork; scientific name, Aeschynomene aspera), has been in use in Bengal since time immemorial. Traditionally, owing to its divine origin and white color, the substance is considered auspicious, pure, and hence used during religious and social…
Source SRI LANKA, August 1, 2019 (Facebook): Arumugaswamy, the six-faced Lord Murugan, paraded in a glorious, newly built chariot at the Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Kovil in northern Sri Lanka on July 30, 2019. Thousands of devotees gathered on the Chariot Festival day, or Ther Thiruvizha as it is known in Tamil, after twenty-nine years. The festival saw pilgrims flock to Maviddapuram…
Source Stop dreaming that you are just an ordinary mortal, constantly going through mental ups and downs. No matter what happens, remember always that you are made in the true image of Spirit. — Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), disciple of Sri Yukteswar
Source SOUTH AFRICA, August 5, 2019 (Rising Sun): The Lord Ganesha Float Procession held its launch at the Shri Mariammen Temple Cultural Centre in Mount Edgecombe on Friday. The event was well-attended by devotees from various participating temples and the students from RAFAL, an adult learning academy run by Roslyn Narain-Mohan. Leader of MF, Mrs Shameen Thakur-Rajbansi, who is also…
Source Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that cannot be defined but is only to be experienced. Evil and error are not ultimate. There is no Hell, for that would mean there is a place where God is not and there are sins which exceed His love. — Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), first…
Source KAUAI, HAWAII, August 2, 2019 (“Hindu Monks in America,” a YouTube by Karolina Goswami): From the video: In Hawaii, under the guidance of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, two dozen monks practice a spiritual and a sustainable lifestyle. The Hindu monastery is located in the tropical Garden Island of Kauai, which is the oldest of the main Hawaiian islands. These monks…
Source KOLKATA, INDIA, August 5, 2019 (Xinhua Net): Hindu devotees carry holy water collected from the Ganges River to offer prayers to Lord Shiva during Shravan festivities. Devotees worship Lord Shiva on every Monday of Shravan (a holy month of Bengali calendar), taking the long strenuous journey on bare feet. Colorful slide show at “source” above.
Source Bury yourself in God. Do that and the spoiling magnetism and wrong hypnotism that you have got from these worldly objects will leave you; your mind will be running in order again. You will be again inspired. — Swami Rama Tirtha (1873-1906), yogi and writer
Source MOSCOW, RUSSIA, July 26, 2019 (BAPS): A high-level official spiritual dialogue with senior swamis of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) was organized by the Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Parliament of Russia, Mr Iliyas Umakhanov on 26 July, 2019. With the blessings of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha was represented by senior swamis from India and…
Source WONOTIRTO, INDONESIA, July 29, 2019 (RNS) Across this majority-Muslim country, the end of Ramadan is an occasion for celebration. But in this small village in Central Java, it is also an auspicious time to honor one’s ancestors in a festival called Haul. As is often the case in Javanese culture, the celebration is a mixture of Islam, Hinduism and…