Dogs in Nepal Get VIP Treatment on Second Day of Tihar

Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, October 19, 2017 (Kaumudi): Dogs in Nepal are being worshiped on the second day of Tihar festival on Wednesday. The second day of Tihar is known as “Kukur (Dog) Tihar”, the day of dogs. The dogs that are regarded as guardian and messenger of Yama are offered garlands, breads and are worshiped with vermilion powder and flowers.…

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UK Prime Minister’s 2017 Diwali Message

Source UNITED KINGDOM, October 18, 2017 (Press release): Prime Minister Theresa May sends her best wishes to everyone celebrating Diwali in Britain and around the world. “While Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists will all celebrate in their own way this week, the underlying message of Diwali–and its timeless values of duty and service–will resonate with people of all faiths and…

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Daily Inspiration

Source In a day when you don’t come across any problems, you can be sure that you are traveling in the wrong path.— Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), disciple of Sri Ramakrisha

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One Man’s Quest to Save the Holy Yamuna River

Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 22, 2017 (Wall Street Journal): The Yamuna is considered a sacred river from very early times. The river system is so beautiful. But we in our greed, go and spoil this system. In Delhi, it is not water anymore, it is sewage. Sureshwar Sinha, 83, swam in the pristine waters of the Yamuna in New…

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Brother-Sister Bond Observed Across Nepal

Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, October 21, 2017 (Kathmandu Post): The five-day-long Tihar festival came to an end after the observance of Bhaitika on Saturday. As an important part of the festival, sisters offered Tika to their brothers wishing them happiness, long life and prosperity on the occasion of Bhaitika. On this day of the Tihar festival, brothers who have sisters are…

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Daily Inspiration

Source From one seed arises a huge tree; from it comes numerous seeds, each one of which in its turn grows into a tree. No two fruits are alike. Yet it is one life that throbs in every particle of the tree. So, it is the same Atman everywhere. All creation is That. There is beauty in the birds and…

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Sydney Opera House’s Iconic Sails Turn Gold to Celebrate Diwali

Source SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, October 18, 2017 (SBS): It’s the fourth year in a row the Opera House has been lit up in a golden colour to mark the most widely celebrated Hindu festival, Diwali. The festival has significance to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, and is celebrated globally by Indian and South Asian communities. It commemorates the triumph of light…

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Daily Inspiration

Source There are two great forces in the universe, silence and speech. Silence prepares, speech creates. The strength of noise and activity is great. But infinite is the strength of stillness and silence, in which great forces prepare for action. To be capable of silence, stillness and illuminated passivity is to be fit for immortality.— Sri Aurobido (1879-1950)

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BAPS Leader Swami Maharaj Inaugurates Traditionally Composed Sanskrit Text

Source ROBBINSVILLE, NEW JERSEY, October 16, 2017 (India West): Amidst a large gathering of devotees, BAPS leader HH Mahant Swami Maharaj inaugurated the Svaminarayana-siddhanta-sudha, a traditionally composed Sanskrit text, at the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple Sept. 17 here. The assembly was a celebration of three events: inauguration of the Svaminarayana-siddhanta-sudha; the Sri Kasi Vidvat Parisad recognizing Sri Svaminarayana’s Vedanta as Aksara-Purusottama…

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Diwali Celebrations in South Africa

Source DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, October 16, 2017 (Daily News): A Diwali festival celebration was held in Durban, South Africa on October 14th. The popular Hindu festival of lights celebrates good over evil and, symbolically, light shining in darkness. The festival attracts over 100,000 visitors who get to participate in the parading of floats and chariots, singing devotional songs, dances, games…

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