Spirituality is neither the privilege of the poor nor the luxury of the rich. It is the choice of the wise man.

Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission

Wearing orange robes, carrying a walking stick or water pot, talking of Vedanta and arguing about it with everyone—these things do not make one a swami! Swami Nityananda (?-1961), satguru of Swami Muktananda

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First step—selfless action. Second step—tranquility. Third step—remaining in nishdai, or service to humanity, according to your will. Yogaswami (1872-1964), Sri Lankan sage

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Things are as they should be. Swami Chidananda Saraswati (1916-2008), former president of the Divine Life Society

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When his mind has become serene, by the practice of meditation, he sees the Self through the self, and rests in the Self, rejoicing. The Bhagavad Gita, 6.24

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A “Dial-a-Prayer” app has been released for atheists. You call it up, it rings and rings, but nobody answers.

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What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! William Shakespeare (1554-1616), poet, playwright and actor

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True teaching is not an accumulation of knowledge; it is an awakening of consciousness which goes through successive stages. Egyptian adage

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Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004), Swiss-American psychiatrist, pioneer in near-death studies

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ANNOUNCEMENT: The regular meeting of the Clairvoyant Society will not take place this month, due to unforeseen circumstances.

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All knowledge that the world has ever received comes from the mind. The infinite library of the universe is in our own mind. Swami Vivekananda, (1863-1902)

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One who is established in a comfortable posture while concentrating on the inner Self naturally becomes immersed in the heart’s ocean of bliss. Siva Sutras 3.16

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The creatures that inhabit this earth, be they human beings or animals, are here to contribute to the beauty and prosperity of the world. Dalai Lama

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Realizing the Self is up to you. You have the ability. Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, editor of HINDUISM TODAY

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There are only two things you can really depend on: one is the changeableness of life, and the other is the unchanging Self within you. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of HINDUISM TODAY

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YOH HANDA

“Did teacher really just tell us not to trust atoms because they make up everything?”

DID YOU KNOW?

THE HINDU PUSHUP

HINDUS HAVE AN ABUNDANCE OF bragging rights. We can say our holy ones of yore gave contributions to the rest of the world in fields such as yoga, math, science, poetry, astronomy and astrology. Now you can add one more to the list: the Hindu pushup or dand. We have our own pushup variation and it’s considered one of the best full-body exercises you can do for health and fitness. The “Hindu pushup” is a staple drill in the training routines of East Indian, Iranian, Turkish, Chinese and Japanese wrestlers. The variation is “Hindu” because like yoga, it originated in India, where, today in the akharas—wrestling schools—the exercise is still performed.

The Indian wrestler known as “the Great Gama” helped make the exercise famous in the 1900s by performing thousands of repetitions in front of witnesses. From that point on, Hindu pushups were considered the secret training tool of Asian combat sports.

In 1911, sports journalist T.M. Alexander promoted the Great Gama and Hindu pushups in Health & Strength magazine: “You will be quite surprised to hear that when last year I went to see Gama performing this exercise I began to count, and saw that he went on doing over 2,000 dands within three hours.”

RAJESHMSHARMA.BLOGSPOT.COM

Ancient athletics: Rajesh Sharma (athlete in photo), shows the Hindu pushup is comprised of two yoga positions. It starts with the downward dog asana and transitions into the naga asana while never putting one’s weight on the ground. Watch Rajesh’s video at bit.ly/hindupushup.

While yogis use yoga to prepare the body for meditation, Indian wrestlers use the Hindu pushup to prepare the body for competition. Exactly where the Hindu pushup and other ancient eastern calisthenics originated we don’t know. Some pandits and Vedic scholars say there is a Veda explaining how to attain a high fitness standard. More research on the subject is needed.

BASICS

GUIDING CHILDREN

THE FUNDAMENTAL DUTY OF PARENTS IS to provide food, shelter and clothing and to keep their children safe and healthy. The secondary duty is to bestow education, including instruction in morality and religious life. Assuring the health and well-being of their offspring is the most essential duty of parents to their children, never to be neglected. Parents should be most diligent in guiding their children toward virtue, protecting them from all bad company and influences, being strict yet never harsh or mean, allowing them prudent freedom in which to grow.

Children are constantly learning, and that learning must be guided carefully by the parents. The young’s education, recreation and companions must be supervised. They should be taught the scriptures of their lineage. They should be encouraged to study hard, and challenged to excel and fulfill their natural talents. They should be praised and rewarded for their accomplishments. Children need and seek guidance, and only the parents can truly provide it. A child’s faults, if not corrected, will be carried into adult life. Still, care should be taken to not be overly restrictive either.

Children should never be struck, beaten, abused or ruled through a sense of fear. Children, be they young or old, have a karma and a dharma of their own. Their parents have a debt to pay them; and they have a debt to return later in life.

YOH HANDA

The Vedas plead, “O friend of men, protect my children. O adorable one, protect my cattle. O sword of flame, protect my nourishment.”

From Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s Dancing with Siva, Sloka 83

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