Articles

ALLAHABAD: VHP today said it would offer extensive support to quake-ravaged Nepal by helping to rebuild residential houses, temples and shrines which have been flattened by the devastating temblor. The VHP will also bring orphaned children from the country to India and provide for their education and upbringing at its numerous educational institutions spread across [...]

More than 20 thousand Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh personnel with much needed medical supplies and other help were the first to reach earthquake damaged zones in Nepal . Swami Ramdev who had a narrow escape as the stage he was giving a lecture from collapsed has also chosen to remain in Nepal to direct relief efforts [...]

Bhagirath Koirala, a Hindu priest, was falsely accused of inciting panic on April 10 by making a bomb threat, and complicity PAINESVILLE, OHIO – Today, the Painesville Municipal Prosecutor moved and Judge Michael A. Cicconetti of the Painesville Municipal Court agreed to dismiss all criminal charges against Bhagirath Koirala (age 67) of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Mr. [...]

MADURAI/CHENNAI: Six brass idols and a spear were stolen from the 1,000-year-old Adhi Ratneswarar temple at Tiruvadanai in Ramanathapuram district on Monday night.  The idols stolen — of Vinayaka, Murugan, Bhavani, Sita, Chandrasekar (Shiva) and Soolapidari (Kali) — were one foot and two feet tall and belonged to the Pandya period. The theft was noticed [...]

Akhara culture, a traditional form of entertainment, is fast disappearing from the city due to the onslaught of TV, video culture and modern gymnasiums. “Ab pehalwan kahan hain? Logoon mai pehalwani ka shauk ab kahan raha. Akharey isliye tutatey ja rahein hain. (Where are the wrestlers now? Wrestling is not people’s hobby. Therefore, akharas are [...]

The Number of People Enslaved The number of people enslaved by Muslims has been a hotly debated topic, especially when the millions of Africans forced from their homelands are considered. Some historians estimate that between A.D. 650 and 1900, 10 to 20 million people were enslaved by Arab slave traders. Others believe over 20 million enslaved Africans [...]

ISN’T HINDUISM SIMPLY A WAY OF LIFE?” This is a question I am frequently asked at satsang gatherings. It invariably makes for spirited discussion, as there is avid interest and a lively diversity of opinion. Years ago, Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, gave a dramatic lecture on the subject . Here are key excerpts: [...]

Around 80 Valmiki families on Thursday called off their agitation after a written assurance from the Uttar Pradesh government that it has no plan to demolish their “unauthorised” houses in Rampur. The Valmikis, who had donned skull caps on Ambedkar Jayanti to show their intent for converting to Islam in protest, said they were still [...]

Of all Indian scriptures, the Bhagavat Gita has likely been the one most commented on. India’s sages, yogis, philosophers, thinkers have, as a rule, regarded it a sacred duty to add theirs to the long list of commentaries on these eighteen brief chapters from the Mahabharata—a mere 700 slokas which have left the deepest of [...]

“…aggressive religions – they tend to overrun the Earth. Hinduism on the other hand is passive, and therein lies its danger.” (Sri Aurobindo, 1926) Throughout life it has often appeared to me that Hindus were passive. I don’t mean passive in terms of being non-violent (though that may also be the case), but passive in [...]