Harsh Nevatia's Blog
Posted by Harsh Nevatia
Ravana, the epitome of evil, was one of the most infamous characters in Hindu mythology. His mother Kaikasi was from the race of Demons. His father was Vishrava, a powerful sage and the grandson of Brahma the Creator. Ravana, being born from the union of two races had the power and opportunity to unite the warring factions of the Demons and demi-Gods. But this was not to be, perhaps because his father married his mother for the wrong reason.
At that time the Demons ruled over Lanka. The demi-Gods defeated the Demons and installed Kuber as the ruler of Lanka and the custodian of the wealth of the demi-Gods. Kuber was the son of Vishrava and Ilavida. The deposed Demons were helpless. They knew that in order to win back their kingdom they needed a leader who had the meditative power of the sages and the wiles of the Demons. Hence the sultry siren Kaikasi was sent to Vishrava. Kaikasi told the sage that she did not want her children to be of the notorious Demon clan. She wished a better future for them. Hence she requested Vishrava to marry her. Vishrava was already married to Ilavida. He asked for her consent, stating that his marriage to Kaikasi would bring about a grand alliance between the demi-Gods and the Demons. Ilavida told her husband that there was no question of withholding her consent. But she wanted to know the truth. Was Vishrava sexually attracted towards Kaikasi? Was that the real reason for his second marriage? Vishrava sheepishly confessed that it was.
In an earlier blog I had quoted Eliot’s lines from Murder in the Cathedral.
To do the right deed for the wrong reason.”
Vishrava succumbed to the wrong reason and went down in history as the father of perhaps the most evil man ever. Mythology supplements scriptural wisdom with dramatic effect and one of the reasons for the flourishing of Hinduism is its vibrant mythology.
Posted by Harsh Nevatia
Another question frequently asked is “Who is a Hindu?” I have not put it with the FAQs because it does not have a clear answer. Key in “who is a hindu” on Google and you will be amazed at the variety of responses. I would like to interpret this question as what is the minimum requirement for a person to be a Hindu.
In the Levant religions there is a rite of initiation into the religion, like baptism or circumcision. I am not aware whether this rite is sufficient for the person to be deemed a member of the religion. However no such initiation rite exists in Hinduism so the question does not arise.
Hinduism accepts all faiths as legitimate paths to God and therefore some people have advocated that anyone who believes in God is a Hindu. This definition is not tenable because those who subscribe to other religions would not call themselves Hindus. This is true of other Indic religions like Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism as well. The subscribers to such religions may identify more with Hinduism than with Occidental religions but they would not call themselves Hindus. And unfortunately today because of the prevalent religious acrimonies even many Hindus would not readily accept this definition.
One of the most common definitions of a Hindu is one who accepts the authority of the Vedas. As far as blind acceptance of the authority of the Vedas is concerned this definition would be workable but at a practical level there are problems.
The Vedas are not unequivocal authoritative texts (expect as relating to liturgical functions). They present various points of view, often conflicting. Hence one can accept one part of the Vedas but not another. Another problem with this definition is that the Vedas are complex scriptures and many Hindus would have little idea of what is written in them and very few would have actually read them. Hence to hold the acceptance of Vedic authority at a meaningful level is untenable because it would exclude a large section of Hindus.
A simple condition would be to believe in the divinity of the deities mentioned in the Puranas. Most Hindus would go beyond mere belief and actually practice the more basic rituals. However there are many who do not practice for want of time or lack of perceived need. They are content in belief.
Please check my course on Hindu Mythology
Please check my articles on Mythology from India
Posted by Harsh Nevatia
On July 21, 2001, a new city was incorporated in Iowa, USA. This was the Maharishi Vedic City. In an earlier article it was discussed how Hinduism has a holistic approach to life. All that is in evidence in this city.
The architectural design follows Vedic principles. Of importance is that the houses face the east. It is considered healthy for our bodies to receive the early morning sunlight. At that time the sunlight is moderate so we get the benefits of the sunlight without getting its harmful effects. In ancient times people lived in one room homes. The homes faced east and this enabled the people to do their morning chores and receive the sunlight as well.
The city has a spa that is based on a natural prevention oriented approach to health. The city has banned the sale of non-organic foods and is growing organic food not only for its citizens but also for sale in the Midwest. The city will ultimately be ecologically sustainable. It will derive its electricity needs from solar and wind energy and run recycling and composting programs to reuse its waste.
The city has been the inspiration of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. One of his favorite projects is the attainment of world peace through Transcendental Meditation. Meditation eliminates negative vibrations that are responsible for conflict. Meditation centers in the city will send positive vibes to counter the negative vibes in the world.
More information about the city can be had from its web site. There are several programs for visitors to acquaint themselves with the philosophy and practices of this Vedic city, which if not perfect is definitely unique.
Please check my course on Hindu Mythology
Please check my articles on Mythology from India
Posted by Harsh Nevatia
A poll on the purpose of religion was conducted last week. There were 16 votes cast and my thanks to all of them. The question-wise response is given below.
- To explain the mysteries of the universe.2 votes or 12.50%
- To make one aware of the magnificence of God.1 vote or 6.25%
- To provide moral instruction.1 vote or 6.25%
- Preparation for the afterlife.2 votes or 12.50%
- To enable one to achieve spiritual well-being.10 votes or 62.50%
The poll also gave rise to some discussion and I than the participants.
One common issue was the problem of not leaving an opening for “other” reasons. I would like to record here other reasons that were given.
- “To provide a mechanism of social control over the masses” (pink101)
- “To pursue a deep, personal and growing relationship with my God and to deepen my knowledge and understanding of him.” (brendapreg)
I would also like to summarize a long response by kriyakid. At the outset he said that we must look at the various functions of religion in an integrated manner because they act cohesively. He also highlighted the essential Oneness of life. Hence religion has to extend beyond providing individual succor. In his words the purpose of religion is “to create a social order based on ahimsa that allows every individual regardless of where they are spiritually, physically and socially, to develop or evolve toward that Oneness; and [to create] the means, tradition and paradigm for each individual to be able to follow the path of Truth, of Dharma.”
Posted by Harsh Nevatia
The Hindu calendar is extremely complex in that the dates do not always change at the same hour, sometimes days are skipped and months are added. But despite this it is scientifically precise in that one can predict days, dates months forward and backwards from now till eternity, just like one can do in the Gregorian calendar. The Hindu calendar is essentially lunar, but has some attributes of the solar cycle as well. Hence it is often called “luni-solar”.
A year consists of twelve months each month corresponding to a complete lunar cycle. As measured against our 24 hour day, the length of a lunar day varies, averaging a little less than 24 hours. This is the reason the dates do not change at the same hour. The lunar month is about 29.5 days. Hence the year has 354 days, 11 days short of the Gregorian year. As compared to the Gregorian year dates keep getting pushed back by 11 days every year. This is a major problem, because the seasons play an important role in Hindu life, as they do elsewhere. And seasons depend on the solar cycle. Hence about every three years an additional month is added to the calendar to reconcile it with the solar cycle. The year is divided into two halves – one when the sun is directly overhead in the northern hemisphere (known as uttarayana) and the other when the sun is directly overhead in the southern hemisphere (daksinayana). It is also divided into six seasons.
A month consists of two parts depending on whether the moon is waning or waxing. Each part consists of fifteen days. Since the months is 29.5 days and not 30 days, at the required times a day is skipped. The numbering of the days does not go from 1 to 30 but from 1 to 15. It starts with the first day of the waning moon (dark fortnight or krishna paksha) and on the fifteenth day of the waning moon is the new moon day. The date then becomes the first day of the waxing moon (bright fortnight or shukla paksha) and on the fifteenth day is the full moon day.
Not everyone can read the calendar because of the peculiarities explained and this is its major disadvantage. However it is used largely for religious functions and for preparing horoscopes so one need not get involved with the intricacies.
All ancient societies had lunar calendars. Undoubtedly the common folk would have found it easier to measure the progress of the days by looking at the phases of the moon rather than the position of the sun. Remember there were no time pieces or printed calendars then.
