Harsh Nevatia's Blog

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

An article in the Indian Express on the 27 December 2007 refers to a project by the Sri Lankan Tourism Department, in which they aim to develop sites in Sri Lanka associated with the Ramayana as tourist destinations. The Lanka of Ravana was situated in Sri Lanka and the final events of the Ramayana were enacted there.

The Sri Lankan Tourism Department has identified several important sites. Sita was held captive at Goorulupota. Goorulupota is today known as Sitakotuwa and a temple dedicated to her still exists. The epic battle between Rama and Ravana took place in Yudhaganapitiya. Rama released the Brahmastra that killed Ravana from Dunuwila. Hanuman had brought the Dronagiri Mountain from the Himalayas so that Laxman could be revived using a plant found on it. It is believed that the mountain now rests at Rumassala.

What I find amazing is that the Sri Lankan Tourism Department is seeking India’s assistance for this project. Though Rama’s journey from Ayodhya to Lanka covered a large part of modern India there is no such project in India. Religious tourism is a totally untapped source, despite the rich mythological heritage of the Epics and the Puranas. How then can India assist Sri Lanka in this venture? Today the political situation in India is such that the government is afraid to promote anything associated with Hinduism because that “angers” its minority vote bank. A few months ago the government’s Archaeological Survey of India had informed the Supreme Court that there is no historical evidence of the existence of Rama or of the events in the Ramayana. The issue arose when the government backed The Samudrasetu Ship Canal Projectto build a canal between India and Sri Lanka involved destroying a part of Rama’s Bridge.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

In Christian theology, the Second Coming refers to the promised return of Jesus to earth to finally establish the Kingdom of God on earth by punishing the evil. In Yeats’ poem, written in 1920, the time for the Second Advent is ripe on account of the increasing proliferation of bloodshed and evil in this world. Only this time Christ will not turn his other cheek nor be martyred for the sake of humanity. In the Second Coming as envisaged by Yeats, Christ will assume the form of a ferocious Sphinx who will wreak vengeance the evil on the day of the Last Judgment.

In Hindu theology god descends on earth as avatars or incarnations. He does so whenever evil becomes unbearable with the purpose of destroying the wicked and establishing the rule of the righteous, as explained in the Bhagwad Gita. There are ten major incarnations of which nine have already happened. The last incarnation, known as Kalki, will arrive on Doomsday to end this cycle of time. Everything will be destroyed and the universe will later be created afresh. The Kalki avatar has been described as riding a white horse, brandishing a sword with which he slays the evil.

Though most of the past incarnations have been benign, some of them have been fearsome. The most ferocious has been the Narasimha avatar, with the body of a man but the face and claws of a lion, the opposite of a Sphinx. The purpose of the Narasimha avatar was to slay the evil demon Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was given a boon that he would not be killed by either man or beast and therefore the hybrid form.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The Hindu community is the largest ethnic community in Detroit. The Swaminarayan temple in the suburb of Canton is run by the renowned BAPS group that operates temples all over the world. Their latest temple opened recently in Atlanta. The temple members were meeting with planning commissioner, Catherine Johnson, to discuss a $5 million expansion plan. It was during this meeting that Ms. Johnson asked whether Hindu women ritually urinate in public. She claimed that residents of the suburb had told her that many Hindu women had urinated in public during the groundbreaking ceremony of the temple in 2000. Mr. Shah representing the temple told the press that these remarks were offensive and false. Though Ms. Johnson was asked to resign she claims that her query was justified.

I cannot believe that a woman of seventy-one and one who is qualified enough to serve in the commissioner’s office should harbor such notions about a consecration ceremony. I do not know if Ms. Johnson believes in God and if so what religion she follows. I do not think, and I hope that I am correct, that any Hindu would ever believe that such rituals could be a part of any religion. Hinduism is an inclusive religion and we are brought up not only to respect other faiths but to believe in them. Despite differences we see no dichotomy. It is time for the leaders of other faiths to introduce inclusiveness in the faiths they preach.

The second issue is about stereotyping of minorities. No race, minority or majority, is a monolithic entity and stereotyping harms the heterogeneous societies that exist today. Educationists must ensure that from primary school levels stereotyping is avoided by removing it from school curricula wherever it exists.

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Hinduism Today is a magazine that promotes Hinduism in various ways. Is mission is to foster Hindu solidarity, to be a source of information for those interested in Hinduism, to inspire those desirous of following the Hindu faith and to protect the scriptures and the interests of Hinduism. It is published quarterly in electronic and print form by the Himalayan Academy, which is a traditional Saivite Hindu monastery in Hawaii.

I was referred to the October-December 2007 issue by a reader of my work on Suite101, who saw a reference to one of my blogs in the magazine. The highlights of Hinduism Today are its bright colorful images, contemporary news, expert opinions and in-depth articles. The lead article of the issue is the pilgrimage to the six renowned temples of Lord Murugan and the cover appropriately is a painting of Lord Murugan serenely astride his vahan, the peacock. Lord Murugan is the elder son of Shiva and Parvati and is also known by the names Skanda, Shanmugam and Kartikeya.

The ten-page feature on Hindu Music is a must for lovers of Indian music. The article traces the origin of music from the Sama Veda to the various forms of contemporary Indian classical music. I find special empathy with Dr. Karan Singh’s view on the interfaith movement. Dr. Karan Singh is from the vanishing breed of erudite luminaries who have contributed whole-heartedly to the development of both Hinduism and India.

Hinduism Today reflects the full diversity of Hinduism from theology to culture. Every reader will find articles that interest him or her. I am sold on the magazine. Do log onto the Hinduism Today website and check it out.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The source of the Ganga is at Gaumukh near Gangotri, where the river is formed by the melting of the Gangotri glacier. However the locals refer to the stretch of the river from Gangotri to Devaprayag as Bhagirathi. This is in recognition of King Bhagirath whose severe meditation was responsible for the descent of Ganga from heaven. On the way to Devaprayag, the Bhilganga, emerging from the Khatling glacier, joins the Bhagirathi at Tehri. This is the site of the controversial dam. At Devaprayag the Bhagirathi merges with the Alaknanda. The Bhagirathi is the fiercer river having had a steeper descent, but the Alaknanda is the broader river having accumulated the waters from several tributaries.

The Alaknanda has its source near the Balakun peak. At Vishnuprayag the Dhauliganga merges with it, at Nandaprayag the Nandakini merges with it and at Karnaprayag the Pindar merges with it. Then at Rudraprayag it meets is main tributary the Mandakini. The Mandakini emerges from the Charabari glacier near Kedarnath. It takes in the Vasukiganga at Sonprayag before merging with the Alaknanda. The stream emerging from the confluence of the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi is known as the Ganga. So in one sense the Ganga is born at Devaprayag.

Prayag as you may have guessed is the Hindi word for confluence. The Ganga descends from Devaprayag and reaches the plains at Haridwar and starts flowing eastwards across north India. The above-mentioned journey of the various rivers takes place in the Garhwal Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand. The sources of the rivers lie at altitudes between 6000 and 7000 meters.

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I have maintained that religious intolerance is on the rise and this can be very harmful to the integrated nature of our society. Hence creative people need to exhibit greater sensitivity when portraying religious subjects. Opponents of this view cite creative freedom and freedom of speech. In truth the dividing line is not only very thin but also subjective.

In India Archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes has written to the Censor Board and excerpts from his letter as available in the press are reproduced here. He has written, "The movie unnecessarily targets the Catholic Church and its leaders and this is not acceptable to a community that respects other religions and other leaders. … To present Catholicism in a distorted manner is an insult to its followers, not only in India but elsewhere also."

Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a period film set in times of a clash between Catholics and Protestants. I have not seen the film and neither do I have any great knowledge of British history so I am not in a position to judge whether history has been distorted. In any event there has never been one version of history. All I would like to say is that I hope the Catholic community in India, which has raised its voice first against Da Vinci Code and now against Elizabeth: The Golden Age, speaks up for Hindus when the Hindus complain of their religion being denigrated.

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A year back I wrote a blog “Who is a Hindu?” Yesterday I came across an article “Practising Hindu? London school to decide” by Prasun Sonwalkar that gave a definition of a ‘practicing Hindu’. This definition was given by a Hindu school in Britain named Krishna-Avanti Primary School. The criteria of being a practicing Hindu are as follows.

• Praying daily
• Worshiping a deity either at home or at a temple
• Accepting and following Vedic scriptures, in particular the Bhagavad Gita
• Doing voluntary work at temples at least once a week
• Attending temple programs at least fortnightly
• Abstaining from all meat, alcohol, smoking and drugs

Krishna-Avanti Primary School is Britain’s first state-funded Hindu school. I am against state funding of religious schools, but Britain funds Christian and Islamic schools and therefore why not Hindu schools. This is an acceptance of the contribution made to British society by its Hindu citizens and recognition of their needs.

My first reaction to this definition was negative. I have nothing against the conditions per se. They are laudable. But to me Hinduism is a tolerant religion that does not impose practices but tries to inculcate them from within. Therefore I was uncomfortable with the imposition of conditions.

But as I read on my apprehensions vanished. Schools are required to have in place stated and credible admission conditions. For a religious school the criteria have to be relevant to the faith. What impressed me was the statement from the authorities that the “policy is not meant to exclude people”. If seats are available then students from families that do not practice the above requirements will be admitted. Ultimately the school is looking to induct students from other faiths as well. I sincerely hope they mean it.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Hindutva, which translates as Hindu nationalism, was a term coined by Savarkar during India’s freedom struggle against the British. Before the British established rule over India, much of the country was ruled by a succession of other Muslim invaders. Hence Hindutva meant getting rid of the stigma of the rule by Muslims as well. According to the proponents of Hindutva, the Hindu prestige could be redeemed only by creating a Hindu motherland that included all territories to the south of the Himalayan Mountains. Hence Akhand Bharat or undivided India was their call. It was for this that they opposed the partition of India and assassinated Mahatma Gandhi for agreeing to the partition.

Religion and nationalism is a dangerous mix, more now than ever before. Hence the revival of Hindutva is ominous. Opposing Hindutva does not mean opposing Hinduism or opposing the legitimate rights and grievances of the majority religion in India. Opposing Hindutva means opposing the concept that non-Hindus have no space in India. Speaking to a world audience over a hundred years ago, and implicitly addressing the Christian community, Vivekananda had said the world peace cannot be achieved by one religion trying to subjugate all others. There is no alternative to coexistence. What applies to the world applies to India as well, and the proponents of Hindutva would do well to heed the words of one of the most famous leaders of Hinduism, and to eschew the model of the Islamic state.

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The exiled Rama, his brother Lakshman and wife Sita need to cross the river Ganga but the ferryman Kevat keeps them waiting.

Ramayana is an epic of destiny and every character has a mission carried over from his or her previous life. Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu and Sita that of his consort Lakshmi. Lakshman is an incarnation of Seshnag, the many headed serpent on whose coils Vishnu rests while Lakshmi massages his feet. A turtle wanting to touch the feet of Vishnu approached Seshnag. Lakshmi saw him and signaled to Seshnag, who flipped the turtle away with his tail. The turtle swam back only to be flipped away again. It kept trying but died without being able to achieve his mission. This turtle was reborn as Kevat.

At first Kevat refused to ferry the trio on the pretext that the dust of Rama’s feet could give life to inanimate objects. This was a reference to Ahalya. Then he put a condition that he should be allowed to wash Rama’s feet to free them of any dust. When Lakshman agreed, Kevat went to fetch water from home, refusing to use water from the river. After a long time he returned with the water and said that his wife too wanted to wash Rama’s feet and was getting dressed for the occasion. Sita would glare at Lakshman who would order Kevat to go home and bring his wife. Kevat would return alone saying that his wife was still getting dressed. Finally Sita asked Rama to intervene. Then Rama narrated the story of the turtle and told Sita and Lakshman that they were being paid back for their inconsiderate behavior. Sita and Lakshman apologized and then Kevat completed the rituals and ferried the three across Ganga.

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Diwali (also known as Deepavali) is one of the most important festivals on the Hindu calendar. It commemorates the return of Rama, Sita and Lakshman to Ayodhya after a fourteen year exile. The entire city of Ayodhya was lit up with oil lamps to celebrate Rama’s return and this concept is replicated in every Hindu home during Diwali.

The Hindu diaspora the world over also celebrates Diwali with fervor. Where the concentration of Hindus is high, the festival is celebrated by the community together. Local authorities have started to recognize the significance of this festival to their Hindu residents by promoting the collective celebration of Diwali.

One location where the celebration of Diwali has become an annual event is Trafalgar Square in London. The local authorities involved are the Mayor of London, Transport for London and Metropolitan Police Service. There are a large number of Hindu organizations that contribute to the festivities and cultural sponsors as well. Trafalgar Square is transformed by traditional Hindu floating lanterns and colorful Diwali decorations. The festivities are accompanied by traditional Indian dances and contemporary dances as well. Trafalgar Square takes an ethnic Indian look for the occasion with sari wearing demonstrations, henna application on hands and feet and many Indian vegetarian food stalls. Keeping in mind the religious nature of the occasion meat is excluded from the menu. This year a special event was the re-enactment of Rama’s return to Ayodhya. The religious aspect is not ignored. Messages and prayers for peace hold special importance in these times of religious strife.

Diwali celebrations at Trafalgar Square see the participation of a large number of non-Hindus as well. Hence these festivities, and others like these in other parts of the world, serve the larger religious goals of promoting brotherhood and peaceful co-existence.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

From Dussera to Diwali is the period of the Ramayana and therefore appropriate for the story of the birth of Hanuman. Hanuman is a popular deity not only in India but with the Hindu diaspora the world over. Recent animated movies featuring Hanuman have endeared the “Monkey-God” to even many non-Hindu people.

When Rama learnt that Sita was captive in Lanka he needed someone to cross the ocean and confirm the news. Jambavan the wise bear asked Hanuman to do the needful. When Hanuman said that he did not have the capability to leap over the ocean, Jambavan narrated to him the tale of his birth. Punjikasthala was an apsara who was condemned to live one life as a monkey. She was born to the monkey king Kunjara as Anjani and married the monkey Kesari. Anjani had the capacity to revert to her apsara form at will. Once she was roaming on a mountain top in her apsara form, when Vayu the wind demi-God brushed against her and lifted her garment. She protested that Vayu was violating the virtue of a married female. Vayu said that he meant no offence. By brushing against her he had impregnated her in a non-physical manner. He told Anjani that she will give birth to a valiant son who will have powers equal to him. After narrating the tale, Jambavan said that Hanuman possessed the powers and asked hanuman to make the leap.

Despite the erotic touch to the encounter between Vayu and Anjani, the fact of the matter is that destiny was playing out itself. Hanuman was destined to leap over the ocean and therefore he needed the power to do so. Only Vayu could have given him that power and hence the destined encounter between Vayu and Anjani.

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In the days preceding Dussera takes place the Ramlila, which is the most ancient and most popular form of entertainment, not only for Hindus but also for all of India. The story of Rama is enacted in every city and village, usually in the open.

Traditionally the Ramlila has three formats. The “jhanki” or tableaux format has elaborate sets of certain key events, which are enacted on the sets. The dialogue format is based on fiery or emotional dialogues and monologues. The operatic format is set to music and verse and the lines are sung rather than said.

One of the most famous Ramlilas has been enacted in Ramnagar for almost two centuries without a break. Ramnagar is just fifteen kilometres from Varanasi (also known as Benaras or Kashi) and was started by the then Maharaja of Kashi. It lasts for 31 days (as compared to the more common 10 day format) and is seen by over 100,000 people each year. The entire village is the setting and different parts of the village have permanent structures representing different locations in the narrative. For example one part would be Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama, and another would be Ashok Vatika, where Sita was held captive by Ravana. The entire audience move with the cast and crew from one locale to the next. Generation after generation of the same family perform the same function in the Ramlila. One family has been in charge of the dialogues whereas another of the costumes and so on. The spectators often join in as when the citizens of Ayodhya are bent upon following their prince to exile.

Seeing the Ramlila in open rural surroundings is an experience of a lifetime that cannot be replicated in a theatre even with the best of technology.

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“Sisters and Brothers of America”

These words of Swami Vivekananda, with which he began his welcome address to The World Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893, drew a round of thunderous applause that lasted for minutes. They highlighted a core concept of Hinduism, that the world is one family. That this concept touched the hearts of the august audience demonstrates the universality of its nature.

In his speeches Vivekananda highlighted those aspects of Hinduism that I find are attracting many to the various blog sites on the subject. People raised in exclusive faiths express surprise in the Hindu tolerance of other religions and accepting them as true. Yet this has always been true of Hinduism. Whichever faith has come to India, whether to seek shelter or as the faith of invaders, has flourished. Vivekananda gives two examples of the former. Israelites took refuge in Southern India when their holy temple was shattered by the Romans. Zoroastrianism too came to India when it was forced to flee from Persia and has flourished ever since. Islam came to India with the invading Muslim armies and Christianity came a second time around with the European traders. Both today are an integral part of the culture of India.

Vivekananda highlighted that the different religions are like different rivers that flow their different courses but ultimately become one in the sea, which is symbolic of God. He stressed the importance of the different religions to maintain their own identities. He did not want a Christian to convert to Hinduism nor a Hindu to Christianity, but he wanted both to live in harmony. In his concluding address he pointed out that if any religion aimed for its own survival with the destruction of others then it was an objective doomed to fail.

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There are more than 640 Swaminarayan temples in 45 countries. The Swaminarayan temple in London is the largest Hindu temple outside India. The Swaminarayan Hindu temples have been erected and are maintained by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha or BAPS in short. The BAPS is an organization engaged in the promotion of spirituality and in social welfare. The founder of this sect of Hinduism in the 18th century was Bhagavan Swaminarayan. The first nine Swaminarayan temples were constructed in Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Muli, Vadtal, Junagadh, Dholera, Dholka, Gadhpur and Jetalpur under the guidance of Bhagavan Swaminarayan himself. BAPS was founded in 1907 under the leadership of Swami Yagnapurushdas. The present head is Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is the fifth successor to Bhagavan Swaminarayan. Today BAPS is spread over 9000 centers all over the world and has over one million followers.

The grander of the temples are known as “Shikarbaddha Mandirs”. They are built with marble or sandstone and have several pinnacles and domes. Apart from the daily rituals, all Hindu festivals are celebrated in these temples. The temples also include cultural complexes that take care of the social service activities of the organization. By far the most common type of temples is the “Hari Mandir”. This is an existing building converted into a temple. The idols of the deities are smaller as is the scale of operations. BAPS also offers small ready-made ‘temples’ that can be installed in homes as personal shrines. These are made of wood and are about 8 feet in height and of varying width. The temples houses the idols of Bhagavan Swaminarayan and other spiritual leaders.

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The controversial Samudrasetu project has ignited two fierce debates in various forums in the country. One debate is whether Rama was a historical or mythological character. I leave this issue for another time. The other debate is whether issues of faith should be allowed to come in the way of national development. It is this matter that I want to address.

I will begin by assuming that the Samudrasetu project is economically, sound, commercially viable and ecologically benign. Because if it is not all these three, then all other debates are put to rest. Given that a project is obviously in the national interest I do not think it should be scrapped on account of religious beliefs. First this would set a dangerous precedent. But foremost I cannot conceive of God willing to let his flock suffer in order to preserve a monument dedicated to him or to preserve some location associated with him. Because above all God exists in humanity and if we are unable to promote the welfare of our brethren then we have no right to call ourselves devout.

Rama’s bridge is undoubtedly a heritage site. But destruction of a part of that site will not remove Rama’s existence from our collective psyches. If the bridge is no more there then it will not imply that Rama’s monkey army did not build it or that Rama did not use it to crossover to Lanka. That the bridge was built and used is a part of our collective belief, faith and memory and can never be erased. By ceding the bridge to national cause we can revive our ancient heritage by maybe renaming the project as Rama Setu Project and by popularizing that part of the bridge that would remain intact even after the project is complete.

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I had written about the controversial Samudrasetu Ship Canal Project in my blog Controversy over Rama’s Bridge. A suit was filed in the Supreme Court claiming that Rama’s Bridge was a heritage site and hence needed to be protected under Article 49 of the Constitution as well as the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958. The Court asked the Government to file its response. Accordingly the Archeological Survey of India, the concerned government organization, filed an affidavit that read: “That the petitioners, while seeking relief, have primarily relied upon the contents of Valmiki Ramayana, the Rama Charit Manas by Tulsidas and other mythological texts, which admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but which cannot be said to be historical record to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters, or the occurrences of the events, depicted therein.”

This led to a furor with the right wing parties claiming that the Government was denying the existence of Rama. So intense was the expected political backlash that all political parties, including the ruling party that had issued the affidavit and the communist parties, came out with statements that the existence of Rama way beyond doubt. The Government also withdrew the affidavit and asked for time to review the entire project.

This has raised several questions in the electronic and print media. Is it appropriate to ask for historical proof in the case of issues of deep religious faith? Should issues of religious faith be allowed to come in the way of development? Should the Government be swayed by public emotion in dealing with national interest? There are several questions but few answers and no consensus.

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Ganesh Chaturthi, the birthday of Ganesh, falls in the Hindu month of Bhadra on the fourth day of the Shukla Paksha or the fortnight of the waxing moon. This year it falls on the 15th of September.

Ganesh, also known as Ganpati, is a portly deity due to his over fondness of sweets called laddoos. Every deity in the Hindu pantheon has a vahan or conveyance, which is an animal or bird on which the deity travels. The conveyance of the portly Ganesh is the small mouse. Other deities have often made fun of Ganesh and his mouse, much to their ultimate discomfort.

Once Kartikeya and Ganesh had a dispute. Kartikeya was Ganesh’s elder brother and the two went to their parents Shiva and Parvati. It was proposed that the person who first circumnavigated the world on his vahan would win and to Kartikeya’s surprise Ganesh agreed. Scoffing at Ganesh for being such a fool, Kartikeya sped of on his peacock. Ganesh then mounted his mouse and circled his parents. He told them that they were his world. Needless to add that Ganesh was declared winner and Kartikeya was left fuming.

On another occasion Ganesh had gone to a feast and had over indulged in his favorite laddoos. While returning he found it difficult to balance on his small mouse and fell down. Soma, the moon demi-God, laughed at Ganesh and called him obese. An angry Ganesh put a curse the moon. “You have called me fat so you will become the opposite. Every day you will become thinner and ultimately disappear.” The other deities intervened and the curse was modified. The moon would become thinner till it disappeared, but would then start growing again till it reached its full size. The cycle would then repeat.

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The Pramukh Swami Maharaj dedicated a Hindu temple on August 26, 2007, in the Lilburn suburb of Atlanta. The temple, known as Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, is built on a 29 acres plot and its interior are is 27,000 square feet. The architecture is traditional with 13 domes and 5 spires. The construction took a year and a half and cost $19 million.

The temple is symbolic of the growing cosmopolitan nature of Lilburn and of the cooperation that exists between the different communities. The mayor of Lilburn, Jack Bolton, acknowledges and welcomes the diversity as a positive sign for the future of Lilburn.

The temple is made only from stone. No steel or metals were used. The outside is made using Turkish limestone, the interiors from Italian marble and the foundation from Indian pink sandstone. In all 106,000 cubic feet of stone were used in the construction. The stone sections were hand carved in India and then assembled on site as per the design. The message that the organization is giving out that people from all over the world can come here to imbibe the ancient heritage and culture of India.

There are eleven Swaminarayan temples in Southeast United States. However they are much smaller. The Lilburn temple will be the fifth largest Swaminarayan temple outside India. The other four are in Chicago, London, Houston and Nairobi.

The temple has been constructed by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which is a socio-spiritual organization. This sect of Hinduism was founded over 200 years ago by the spiritual leader Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Today over a million followers all over the world subscribe to this sect.

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BBC has reported on the 31st of August that the Silver Street Baptist Church in Taunton refused to allow the church premises to be used for children’s yoga classes. That of course is beyond doubt their prerogative. The reason given as cited by Mrs. Woodcock was “because yoga was related to a spirituality, unrelated to Christian spirituality”. Now this reason can be argued against and defended and is bound to give rise to debate and discussion in the coming days.

Seen from the point of view of a practitioner of yoga, yoga is a practice that seeks to condition the mind, body and soul to be one with the divine. It originated at a time when the spirituality prevalent in the Indian subcontinent was considerably removed from the current Hindu theology and referred to the divine in non-anthropomorphic terms that all religions use today. It was a truly non-secular spirituality that could be embraced by all. Even today yoga does not involve any religious rituals or incantations and is only tied to Hinduism because it was born in the Vedic age.

That however is reason enough for its detractors. Since yoga originated much before the birth of Christ and in a place not associated with Christ it is pagan and unchristian. Christianity is an exclusive religion and does not accept or support any movement that is not specifically linked to it. Yoga has not been the only sufferer. And why blame a Christian church situated so far away from the origin of yoga. In India yoga has been tossed about like a basketball in the game of political and religious one-upmanship.

Mrs. Woodcock will hopefully find another place to teach yoga and hopefully the children will not lose out.

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Janmashtami or the birthday of Krishna is celebrated throughout India. My own favorite is the celebrations that take place in Mumbai. This celebration is associated with one of the most endearing events in Krishna’s life. It is called “Govinda aala re aala”, which translates as Govinda has come. Govinda is another name of Krishna.

Krishna would enter the homes of the maidens of Vrindavan and steal butter from the pots. The maidens got wise to his antics and began to hang the pots from the ceiling. But a minor precaution like that did not deter Krishna and his companions. They would form a human pyramid and Krishna would climb to the very top and bring down the pot.

Replicating the human pyramid to break the pot is the essence of the festival. Groups of young lads roam around the city breaking pots that are hung high, usually between two buildings. These groups have their regular clientele. In the week before the festival they meet their clients and fix up the time, the payment and the location of the suspended pot. Then at the appointed time they arrive with much singing and dancing. A human pyramid is formed just below the pot. The final athlete climbs on top and breaks the earthen pot. Every child in Mumbai sings their song, which translates as Krishna has arrived on the scene so you maidens of Vrindavan better guard your earthen pots.

Modernism is catching up with this festival. Many of the groups are accompanied by a live band and almost all of them are sponsored by some corporate body or political party. Women are not to be left behind and there are known to be a few all girl groups as well.

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The birthday of Krishna is a momentous day in the Hindu. It falls on the 8th day of the second fortnight in the month of Shravana, which this year falls on the 4th of September according to the western calendar.

The story of the birth of Krishna is very interesting. Kansa was a cruel ruler. After the wedding of his cousin sister Devaki to Vasudev there was a prophecy that Devaki’s eighth child would slay Kansa. Kansa wanted to kill Devaki immediately. However he was persuaded to spare Devaki’s life on the condition that he would kill each child as soon as it was born. Thus Kansa killed the first six sons of Devaki.

Vasudev’s first wife Rohini was staying in Gokul with Nand, the chief of a cowherd clan. Devaki conceived for the seventh time but apparently had a miscarriage. In reality the child was miraculously transferred to Rohini’s womb.

Then Devaki conceived for the eighth time. At the same time Nand’s wife, Yashoda also conceived. The Supreme God had entered Devaki’s womb to be born as Krishna. Yoga Maya, the Goddess of Illusion, had entered Yashoda’s womb. Both Devaki and Yashoda delivered prematurely. The newborn Krishna revealed his secret to Vasudev. By divine magic Kansa’s guards fell asleep and the prison doors opened. Vasudev took Krishna to Nand’s home and exchanged him with Yashoda’s baby girl.

Kansa was surprised to see a girl as the eighth child. As he was about to kill her, the girl slipped out of Kansa’s hand and flew upwards where she revealed her true form. She informed Kansa that his killer had already been born and was elsewhere and then vanished.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The naming ceremony of a child in the Hindu religion is called “namkaran sanskar”. On the auspicious day, the officiating priest whispers the Gayatri mantra into the child’s ear and announces the name. A later development is that the priest only indicates the first letter of the child’s name according to the horoscope and the parents decide a name beginning with that letter. Today even that restriction is being dispensed with and the parents choose the name they think is best. My view is that parents should have the final call. If they want to follow the orthodox path they are free to do so but if they want complete freedom in selecting a name then so be it.

Ever since the influx of Islam and Christianity to the Indian subcontinent, there has been the practice of Hindus converting to Islam or Christianity. Accompanying the process of conversion is the change in the given name. The idea is to ensure as complete a break with the past as possible. The message that goes out is that the life to date of the person undergoing conversion has been worthless and irreligious and a host of other adjectives I do not wish to state. This goes beyond condemning his past religion because the name is identified with more than a person’s religious make up. This however fits the character of Islam and Christianity, which are both exclusive religions and do not accept any belief other than their own.

Today there are cases of people wanting to convert to Hinduism. At other forums where I interact the issue of change of name has been raised. “Should I change my name?”, “Do I have to change my name?” and “can you suggest a Hindu name?” are frequent questions. My answer has always been “Please do not change your name!” I believe that God is interested in our deeds and not in our names. A person is changing his religion. He is not erasing his past life. His name is identified with his family and friends and larger community. Whereas he can get his passport changed, he cannot go back to his university and asked them to change the certificates he has been awarded for meritorious performance. Hinduism is an inclusive religion. It espouses that different faiths are different paths to the same God. There is absolutely no need to change one’s name.

I will go one step further. I will say that there is no need to convert to Hinduism. If you like certain aspects of Hinduism then adopt them, without forsaking those aspects of your existing religion that appeal to you. Join the chanting of bhajans in your neighborhood temple on Saturdays and attend the service in your parish church on Sundays. You will be doubly blessed. Conversion is not the need of the day. Coexistence is.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Raksha Bandhan, literally meaning the bond of protection, is a Hindu festival that is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima) of the month of Shravana. This year it falls on the 28th of August. Raksha Bandhan is one of the two main festivals that focuses on the relationship between brother and sister, the other being Bhai Dooj.

The simple celebration involves the sister tying a “rakhi” on the brother’s hand and the brother vows to protect his sister from all calamities. The rakhi is a simple sacred thread decorated to add color to the proceedings. The occasion is accompanied with the brother giving a token gift to the sister, who in turn offers him some sweets that she has prepared.

One important aspect of Raksha Bandhan is that it need not be restricted to siblings related by blood. The concept of “rakhi sister” or “rakhi brother” is very common. A girl can tie a rakhi to any boy for whom she has brotherly feelings. This probably has its origins in a historical event. On the death of the King of Chittor, Bahadur Shah the Sultan of Gujarat invaded the Rajput kingdom. Queen Karnawati, the widow of the king, realized that there was no way that she could defend her kingdom. So she sent a rakhi to the Mughal Emperor Humayun, who immediately came to her rescue. A lighter offshoot of this concept is that a girl halts unwelcome advances from a boy by tying a rakhi on his wrist.

Like many Hindu festivals, Raksha Bandhan has also become a victim of pomp and show. The simple rakhis, formerly lovingly made by the sister herself have become designer items purchased at exorbitant prices. Jeweled rakhis are also not uncommon. The token gifts from brothers also have become more than tokens. In fact the entire sacred occasion has become an event for one-upmanship. All this would have been acceptable if the emotions of love and protection still predominated in the hearts of brothers and sisters. Unfortunately one gets the feelings that love and protection are unwanted guests in the display of wealth and pomp.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Shambo the temple bull, as he was known in the worldwide virtual community, was put to sleep last week. Shambo belonged to the Hindu temple in the Skand Vale community in Wales. Some months ago he was tested positive for TB and as per existing Welsh laws he was required to be put to sleep. The Hindu community of Wales and world over was outraged. In July the High Court gave Shambo a reprieve. Two reasons cited are important. Shambo could have been isolated and the TB treated. Taking this into account the killing of Shambo would violate the religious sentiments of the Hindus and their basic human rights. However the Welsh Government went in appeal, which they won. Despite protests the act of putting Shambo to sleep using a lethal injection was carried out.

I do not support the decision of the Welsh Government buy I do understand it. They have followed a practice that has been in place for 50 years. The bovine epidemic that struck the United Kingdom some years back is still fresh in everyone’s minds. They could have perhaps taken a more lenient interpretation of the law, especially after the High Court verdict, but they chose not to. I guess they feared reprisals from other sections of society and did not want to set up a precedent without complete consideration of the consequences. In a society when interests clash one party is bound to feel aggrieved and in this case the Hindu community has come to grief. Perhaps this was Shambo’s karma.

But the crusade has just begun. The society at large and the authorities in particular need to be educated about the gravity of this issue. Cows are sacred to Hindus. We worship them and treat them like family. When a human contracts a contagious disease he or she is isolated and treated. He or she is not put to sleep. In fact mercy killing is illegal in most parts of the world. The same should apply to sacred animals. The authorities need to be convinced that isolation will be perfectly maintained and required procedures will be followed. And the temples have to ensure that proper testing and when required proper isolation is maintained. Laws will need to be changed once the mindset of society is changed.

Protesting after the occurrence of the event is soon forgotten and is of little use if the event recurs. Hence let us start on this task so that we are better prepared the next time round.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

I recently read an article on Hinduism in The New York Times. The article written by Neela Banerjee was published on July 21, 2007. The articles describes how Hindu parents settled in the United States are turning to religious instruction for their children in order to preserve their identity. This work was earlier done through Hindi movies, popularly known as Bollywood movies, and Indian dance forms. But apparently the parents feel that more is required.

The Chinmaya Mission is one of the institutions at the forefront of providing religious instruction in Hinduism to Hindu children born in the United States. It runs annual summer camps as well as weekend classes. The mornings are spent in learning and reciting Sanskrit prayers and lessons from the Bhagavad Gita. The afternoons take up religious tales through traditional songs and dances and Bollywood movies.

Though this concept has great value in the context of the American environment there are certain drawbacks as well, which have been mentioned in Banerjee’s article. But before discussing those I would like to dwell a bit on the religious instruction in India. In the ancient days religious instruction was provided by the priests in a school environment, but not so much now. Today the bulk of the religious instruction in Hinduism is provided at home by the family. This has a major disadvantage in that the instruction is limited by the knowledge the family possesses and by the value it places on religion. But I firmly believe that whatever is taught by the family remains within as a seed and flowers at an appropriate time. In fact one of the tenets of Hinduism is that faith must grow from within and not be forced from the outside. Whenever the person is ready for the faith, God in the form of a spiritual guru will seek him or her.

I am uncomfortable with teaching Sanskrit prayers to children without explaining the meaning to them. And so are the children as can be discerned from Banerjee’s articles. This I believe does more harm than good. I also do not advocate teaching the Bhagavad Gita to children. It is complex theology that baffles even adults. Telling them about the Gita is fine and outlining its broad message is also acceptable but according to me teaching it verse by verse is not on.

Another drawback that has been elucidated by Shana Sippy of Columbia University is the homogenization and dilution of Hinduism. Hinduism is more diverse than perhaps all other religions put together. This is not a boast but an attempt to indicate the extent of diversity in the religion. When religion is taught to a heterogeneous group of Hindus, especially children, the religion has to be stripped of its diversity. And this is not good because Hinduism has grown and evolved because of its diversity.

Teaching Hinduism, or any religion, to ones children should be an end in itself and not a means of preserving ones identity.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

An unfortunate incident of three Christian bigots disrupting the Hindu prayers by Rajan Zed in the US Senate took place. While these three may be representing the views of a section of society they do not represent the views of the entire America society nor the entire Christian society.

Those of us who are more liberal minded and who abhor such bigotry should think before indulging in knee-jerk criticism of all Americans and all Christians. In the first instance American senators are to be lauded for selecting Hindu prayers for the opening of the Senate, which is recognition of the contribution of Hinduism to American society. Secondly, bigots exist everywhere – there are Hindu bigots and Indian bigots. So before we point fingers let us realise that there are three fingers pointing at us. People who feel that Hindu prayers should not have been permitted are entitled to their views. It is true that they should have expressed these views in more legitimate ways. They have instead chosen to break US laws and hopefully will be punished as deemed fit.

A bigoted criticism of this event and raising a ruckus over it will do more harm than good because it will create divisions in a society that has taken some concrete steps to heal existing divisions. I am not advocating that this disruption should not be criticized. What I am trying to say that the criticism should not appear to be against all Americans and all Christians as is already the case on several blog sites. In fact while criticizing the event two things should be made clear. The first is the appreciation for inviting Rajan Zed to recite Hindu prayers. The second is the understanding that those who disrupted the proceedings do not represent the entire non-Hindu American society.

American senators have taken one step forward by the recitation of Hindu prayers in the Senate. Let us not take two steps back by going overboard on the disruption.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Primitive life was violent and therefore primitive mythologies tend to be morbid and macabre. Creation of the human race in primitive mythologies was a bloody affair almost across the board. Humans were created by dismemberment of some existing entity. In Babylonian creation myth, written about 2000 BCE, the primordial mother was Tiamat. Kingu was her consort. In the myth a young God, Marduk, kills Tiamat and Kingu. From Kingu’s blood Marduk creates the first humans.

Hinduism has many creation myths. One of the earliest is found in Book 10, Hymn XC of the Riga Veda describes the creation of the human race by dismemberment of the primordial “Man” called Purusha. The sages in a sacrifice dismembered Purusha and from various parts of his body produced the various living beings. Verse 12 is particularly relevant and is reproduced below.

The Brahmin was his mouth, of both his arms was the Kshatriya made.

His thighs became the Vaishya, from his feet the Sudra was produced.

This verse created the division of labor necessary for propagating order in a society by linking the nature of work with the body part. The Brahmins were preachers and recited prayers and hence were associated with the mouth. The Kshatriyas were soldiers and protected society and hence associated with arms. However this verse has gained notoriety for sanctioning a hereditary caste system when all it does is define a division of labor that even exists in all societies today.

As society evolved into a more cultured format, the creation myths changed from dismemberment of an existing entity to creation from divine energy. In some myths the Creator creates a female counterpart for himself and produces progeny whose offspring is the human race. In others the Creator produces the first male and first female humans who procreate and multiply. The second model is adopted in the Book of Genesis. Hindu mythologies have both these versions. In the Creation described in the article Manu and Shatrupa Brahma creates Manu and Shatrupa as the first couple. This is taken from the Bhagavata Purana. In the Matsya Purana the first model is described. Brahma creates Shatrupa as his consort and Manu is their offspring. Then a female offspring Ananti is produced as Manu’s wife and they further the human race. Whichever model is chosen there are undertones of incest. If the matter is viewed objectively then incest is unavoidable if we consider the human race to be descended from one couple.

However the point that is important is mythologies evolve as per the changing values in society. This was demonstrated earlier in the context of the makeover of Pururava and will be demonstrated again and again because contrary to common belief, mythologies are a living, growing, changing facet of life.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Rajan Zed is a Hindu chaplain from Nevada. He is also the director of public affairs of Hindu Temple of Northern Nevada and spokesman for India Association of Northern Nevada. On March 19, 2007 Zed read a Hindu prayer in the Nevada Sate Assembly and on May 9, 2007 he prayed with the Nevada State Senate.

The encouraging thing about this event was that it was attended and lauded by priests from other religious denominations. This kind of support to “other” religions is the need of the day in a world threatening to split along religious lines. Perhaps this was made possible by the reputation that Zed commands in the community. He takes the trouble to learn about other faiths and when he lectures on Hinduism, he seeks to inform rather than to convert. Hinduism is anyway a religion that does not proselytize.

Now Zed is set to break new ground. He will recite Hindu prayers in the U.S. Senate in Washington when it opens on July 12, 2007. This is perhaps a result of the growing Hindu population in the United States and the growing interest in the tenets of Hinduism, which treats the world as one family and accepts other religions as different paths to the same God. This is also the result of a desire to move away from harsh rhetoric against other religions and build religious bridges instead. Zed is likely to recite prayers in Sanskrit from the Riga Veda, the earliest religious scripture, and the Upanishads. He will begin and end the session with the incantation of “Aum”, the sound from which the Hindu scriptures were divined by the sages.

When this event was reported in the Indian media, it evoked surprise and even shock. Religious prayers are not allowed in Indian Parliament and government events, because of the secular nature of the government. Whenever right wing political parties have tried to introduce Hindu prayers, it has met stiff opposition as mentioned in the blog on yoga. The view taken by the other political parties is that the Hindu majority will victimize the minority religions if such practices are permitted.

Another reason why this event has surprised many Indians, especially those of the younger generation, is that Indian society is slowly moving away from its original culture and adopting the culture of the west symbolized by MTV and McDonalds. Hence the interest that Hinduism, with its ancient heritage, is creating in the west is something of a conundrum to many.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

When Rama wanted to invade Lanka with his Vanara Sena (Monkey Army) to defeat Ravana and rescue Sita, he was obstructed by the body of water now known as Palk Strait. In the Vanara Sena were two monkeys Nala and Neel, who were the sons of Viswakarma – the architect of the demi-Gods. They instructed the monkeys to collect rocks and on them wrote the word “Rama”. This enabled the rocks to float. The floating rocks were then arranged in a bridge formation from what is today known as Rameshwaram to the northern end of Srilanka. Rama and his Vanara Sena crossed over that bridge into Lanka.

Today there is a rock formation that is visible just below where Rama’s bridge was constructed. Such is the intensity of this rock formation that it is visible in satellite images. Hindus believe that this rock formation is the remnant of Rama’s bridge. The British have given the name Adam’s bridge to this formation.

Ships traveling from the east coast of India to its west coast and vice versa today go around the island of Srilanka. Shipping has grown enormously in recent times and this long route is now being perceived as a burden. Going through Palk Strait is expected to save over500 kilometers and 36 hours. But the Rama’s bridge and shoal formation in the Palk Strait prevent the passage of ships. The Government of India has come up with the Samudrasetu Ship Canal Project that proposes to dredge out a 260-kilometer long and 30-kilometer wide section of the Palk Strait so as to create a canal wide enough for ships to pass through. The problem is that they will have to cut through Rama’s bridge as well. Samudrasetu in fact means Sea Bridge.

Many Hindus consider this an act of desecration against something they hold sacred. The proponents of the project claim that the rock formation has nothing to do with Rama’ bridge and is millions of years old. Opponents argue that the rock in Rama’s bridge is geologically different from the surrounding underwater terrain. Other’s do not care about such arguments and feel that such sentiments have no place in modern society. Such decisions can be based only on techno-economic arguments. Environmentalists too have chipped in citing damage to the environment if the project is carried out.

There are stories that Hanuman, the monkey-God and one of the stalwarts in the Vanara Sena and Rama’s right hand, is protecting his master’s bridge. One dredging vessel has sunk. Another broke its spud. While the spud was being retrieved the crane snapped. These accidents are believed by many to be God’s way of protecting his work.

Incidentally this project was first mooted a hundred and fifty years ago by one Commander Taylor during the British occupation of India.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Neither of the tragic endings of the Satapatha Brahmana or the Arthashastra would be acceptable to Kalidas. The hero of the play, that is Pururava, had to reflect the qualities claimed by and appropriate to the king Chandragupta in whose court Kalidas served. The makeover of Pururava began long before the ending. In fact it began in the title of the play. The title of the play is Vikramorvasiyam, which is Vikram and Urvashi, and not Pururava and Urvashi. Vikramaditya, meaning as valiant as the sun, was the title assumed by Chandragupta. This is a clear allusion to Pururava reflecting the qualities of Chandragupta.

Pururava’s manliness and wealth were enough reason for the Urvashi of the Bhagavata Purana to fall in love with the king, but Kalidas needed a more dramatic cause. The demon Kesi abducts Urvashi and Pururava rescues the damsel in distress. In this brief encounter their bodies touch and passion is ignited. Though both fall in love with each other, it is Urvashi who sets down her feelings in a letter and sends it to Pururava. The implication is that the king’s prestige would have suffered had he made the first move. The king’s ego is further enhanced when his wife Aushiniri giver her consent to the marriage of Urvashi and Pururava, because without this consent the marriage would not get public acceptance.

Kalidas would have had a problem with the condition imposed by Urvashi. In the first instance conditions cannot be imposed upon a king. It is the king who imposes conditions. And the condition that Urvashi has imposed, of ensuring that she does not see him naked, would be most unsuitable when the play would be performed in court. Therefore Kalidas changed the condition. In Indra’s court Urvashi made a mistake during a dance performance and her teacher banished her from the court forever. Indra however modified the curse. He told Urvashi to go live with Pururava but return when Pururava sees their child.

In a fit of jealousy, Urvashi steps into a forbidden forest and is turned into a creeper. Here Kalidas pays a tribute of sorts to the Riga Veda. He goes around searching for Urvashi seeking help of humans and animals alike. However though he is definitely lovelorn he is not wimpy. Pururava finds a gem with which he rescues Urvashi. Later Pururava leaves Urvashi to attend a sacrifice at Naimisharanya. Perhaps this is an allusion to the episode in the Arthashastra, in which he was killed. During this time, Urvashi delivers Pururava’s child, a boy, and leaves him in the ashram of saga Chyavana. She wants to spend more time with Pururava and therefore keeps his son away from him. Many years later the inevitable happens and father and son meet. Urvashi prepares to reluctantly leave for heaven according to the terms of her curse. But Indra comes to her rescue again. He needs Pururava’s help in the battle against the Asuras and in return allows Urvashi to stay with Pururava for the rest of his life.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The earliest reference to Urvashi and Pururava is in Hymn XCV of Book 10 of the Riga Veda. It is in the form of a dialogue between Pururava and Urvashi.

Ever since Urvashi left him, Pururava has been desperately searching for her. He sees her bathing in a lake and that is when the dialogue in the Riga Veda takes place. Pururava beseeches Urvashi to return to him using a number of arguments. He reminds her of the good times they had. He points out her obligations as a wife, including bearing a son to continue his lineage. When all else fails he threatens to commit suicide by being eaten alive by raging wolves. Urvashi does not relent. She advises him not to waste his life away and also informs him that a woman’s heart is fickle and cannot be satisfied with one man for long. The Riga Veda does not indicate how Pururava and Urvashi got together and why she left him. It indicates a tragic end to the story with Pururava being separated from his love forever.

The entire story including the dialogue of the Riga Veda is given in the Satapatha Brahmana. Urvashi, the celestial maiden, agrees to live with Pururava, the king of the Lunar Dynasty, on one condition. He will never allow her to see him naked except when they were in bed. The Gandharvas want Urvashi back with them so they play a trick on Pururava. The Gandharvas are a race of divine singers and musicians, all males, who live with the apsaras. They steal Urvashi’s lambs and she exhorts the king to retrieve them. Undressed Pururava runs after the lambs. The Gandharvas then create a flash of lightning and Urvashi sees him naked and leaves. Pururava then moves from place to place, desperately searching for Urvashi. The dialogue in the Riga Veda occurs at this stage. Urvashi ultimately tells Pururava that she is carrying his child and she will deliver the child to him. Then she will spend one night with him for old time’s sake. After that the Gandharvas tell Pururava the secret of becoming one of their kind. Pururava performs this ritual and becomes a Gandharva.

Some other texts, like the Arthashastra, have a different ending to the story. Pururava becomes a dictatorial king, imposing heavy taxes and looting treasures. Once he is hunting in the forest of Naimisharanya, when he comes upon sages performing a sacrifice at a golden altar made by Viswakarma. He tries to take the altar by force. The sages then strike him with the sacrificial grass and kill him. In both these endings Pururava gives up his human body somehow connected with a sacrifice.

The story of Urvashi and Pururava is described in Canto 9 Chapter 14 of the Bhagavata Purana. It follows the narration of the Satapatha Brahmana. Certain details are added. The descent of Pururava from the sage Atri is described. The curse on Urvashi by Mitra and Varun is referred to by which she had to live among humans. She had heard about Pururava’s manliness, wealth and power from Narada so she decided to spend some of her time on earth with Pururava. Pururava is immediately enamored by Urvashi’s beauty and it is lust at first sight for both. According to the Bhagavata Purana the Gandharvas acted on instructions from Indra and not on their own accord. The ritual of turning into a Gandharva is described in some detail. There is one very interesting point raised in the Bhagavata Purana. The cycle of time between Creation and Destruction is divided into four eras. The first is Satya Yuga and the second Treta Yuga. Pururava conducted the sacrifice to become a Gandharva during the transition from Satya Yuga to Treta Yuga.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

On the cover of the recent issue of MOJO, the music magazine, is a morphed image of the Hindu God Krishna in his Great Manifestation. The innumerable heads of the deity have been replaced by the faces of musicians who feature in the issue. The Hindu community has taken affront and has started a petition against this issue on petitiononline.com. This action and reaction brings out varied issues that need statement. At the outset I firmly believe that there was no malefic intent involved.

The western world in general, and America in particular, is not as sensitive to its own culture as many Eastern countries are to theirs. A case in point is the use of The Stars and Stripes on any item imaginable including bikini tops and bottoms – something that does not fail to shock Indians, who revere their national flag and follow strict codes concerning its depiction and usage. How then can one expect these people to be sensitive to other cultures?

I do not believe that such portrayals insult the divine because I believe that the divine in any culture is by definition above insult. But beyond doubt such portrayals hurt the sensibilities of those who worship the divine. The fact that “their” God has been portrayed in such a crass manner has no doubt hurt the sentiments of Hindus, but I suspect it goes beyond that. Whenever such sacrilege is caused against what Muslims and Christians hold sacred there is a massive hue and cry and this is usually followed by conciliatory statements from the party causing offence. Such examples are numerous and do not need listing. Therefore the question that arises in the minds of Hindus is why should we bear this quietly? Why should we not raise our collective voice? Why should we not do what the followers of other religions do? I find it difficult to pass judgment on such people because they do have a point.

I have said time and again that religion is splitting our world apart and we need to be extra careful when dealing with religious issues. Though the editors of MOJO were not guilty of malefic intent, they were guilty of being insensitive. They exhibited a total lack of creativity and imagination. Surely they could have designed a cover that would meet their needs without causing anguish to Hindus.

Muslims and Christians are fairly organized worldwide. What such incidents are doing is pushing the Hindus into getting organized as well. Recently I read a news item about the Hindus in New Zealand getting organized under the first New Zealand Hindu conference in which the Prime Minister of New Zealand lauded the contribution of Hindus. I have been reading similar reports from various parts of the world over the last few years. Tomorrow the Hindus will ask for observer status in the United Nations. And who can say that they are unjustified when the Christians and Muslims have such a status. I just feel that we are headed in the wrong direction and EVERYONE needs to take a U-turn.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The forest of Naimisharanya (Aranya means forest in Sanskrit) is considered to be the Aranya Swaroop or forest manifestation of Vishnu and therefore considered sacred. It is said that during the course of history 60000 sages have lived there.

Naimisharanya finds mention in several Puranas. The Vayu Purana states that in the Satya Yuga the sages wanted to perform a huge yagna and requested Brahma to guide them to an appropriate location. Brahma created a huge wheel, which he called Manomaya Chakra. After dedicating the wheel to Shiva he released it and told the sages to follow it. He instructed them to hold their sacrifice at the place the wheel broke. The wheel landed in a forest and as predicted it broke. This forest came to be known as Naimisharanya. Naimi means circumference of a wheel and Aranya means forest; together meaning the forest where the circumference of the wheel broke. When the wheel broke there was a huge fountain of water in the shape of a Shiva Linga and the forest was in danger of being flooded. The sages were in a panic, but the mother goddess Shakti appeared and stopped the flow of water. The Varaha Purana provides an alternative legend. It states that Vishnu once destroyed the entire army of Asuras in a second at this place with his Chakra. Nimish means an instant and Aranya means forest; together meaning the forest where the demons were destroyed in a second.

Naimisharanya was the place where Veda Vyasa taught the Vedas and Puranas to his disciples. Lomaharshana, the disciple of Veda Vyasa narrated the Puranas to the sages here. Naimisharanya was the venue of the 1000-year yagna under the aegis of Shaunaka where Suta Goswami narrated the Bhagavata Purana. Closer to our age Shankaracharya spent time in Naimisharanya and the famous blind bhakti poet Surdas lived here.

Today Naimisharanya is more popularly known as Nimsar and is a village on the bank of the river Gomti. It falls in the state of Uttar Pradesh and is less than 100 kilometers from the capital Lucknow. But to the devotees it is filled with a sense of the sacred. There is a huge hexagonal pond called the Chakra Kunda or Wheel Pond, which is said to be the place where the Manomaya Chakra landed rupturing the ground. Because of the emergence of Shakti at Naimisharanya, it is a famous Shakti Peeth with a temple dedicated to a manifestation of Shakti known as Linga Dharini Shakti. There is also a Vyasa Peeth associated with Veda Vyasa and Dadheechi Kunda associated with the renowned Sage Dadheechi.

One of the most heart rendering incidents from Hindu history took place in Naimisharanya. Sita requested her mother, the earth, to open up and accept her, after she united Luv and Kush with their father Rama, as she no longer desired to live. A sacred pond known as Sita Kunda now stands where Mother Earth has parted to receive her daughter.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Kalidas was a great Sanskrit playwright in the 4th century AD in the court of King Chandragupta Vikramaditya. He used as the subject for many of his plays stories from Hindu mythology. He often rewrote the plot to suit his contemporary audience or rather his royal masters as seen in his plays about Urvashi and Shakuntala.

The ancient myths have been retold generation after generation and something has been added or subtracted each time. Take for instance the movie Troy starring Brad Pitt. There are serious deviations from Homer’s narrative. Mr. K.M.Munshi, the famous Indian educationist and administrator, when rewriting the life of Krishna said, “ … I had often to depart from the legend and myth, for such reconstruction by a modern author must necessarily involve the exercise of whatever little imagination he has.”

The purpose of the deviation has differed from writer to writer. Mr. Munshi has presented Krishna as more human than divine. He wanted to pass the message that humans have the capacity to combat evil. The recent movie Troy deviated because it wanted to show Achilles as the hero of the Trojan War rather than as one of the heroes and thereby create a role befitting the stature of Brad Pitt.

Kalidas had his own reasons for deviating from the storyline as found in the Epics and Puranas. Kalidas lived on the patronage of the King. Through the character of his male protagonists he showed the populace the character their king claimed to have – valiant, skilled, kind, romantic and everything good. Kalidas’ hero could not be flawed because that would be a slur against the king. Unfortunately many of the characters in the Epics and Puranas were human and had flaws. So Kalidas had to rewrite the plot eliminating the flaws.

Abhigyan Shakuntalam is Kalidas’ most famous work, which depicts the love story of King Dushyant and Shakuntala, a hermit’s daughter. This story is told in both the Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata. In these versions King Dushyant meets Shakuntala in the forest and indices her to marry him without the usual ceremony. After consummating the marriage he leaves for his capital promising to call her there later. But he neglects to do so. Shakuntala bears his child and later goes to Dushyant on her own. Though Dushyant remembers her he publicly denies having met her and insults her. Later the demi-Gods compel him to accept Shakuntala. Now this is hardly a suitable trait in a righteous king so Kalidas had to find a reason for Dushyant neglecting to call Shakuntala and publicly rejecting her claim. So he rewrote the plot. Before leaving for his capital Dushyant gave Shakuntala his ring as a proof of their union. Soon after Dushyant left Shakuntala failed to greet the hotheaded sage Durvasa because she was lost in Dushyant’s thoughts. The sage put a curse on her that her lover would forget her unless and until she showed him the gift he had given her. So it was not Dushyant’s fault that he failed to call Shakuntala. Later when Shakuntala goes to the capital, she accidentally drops the ring in a river. Unable to show the gift, the sage’s curse remains active and Dushyant does not remember. Later the ring is found in a fish caught by a fisherman and brought to the king. Dushyant now remembers everything and goes to Shakuntala to make amends. Thus the broader storyline remains intact and the king’s character is not sullied.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

I have been searching for some time for an appropriate image to go with this topic on Hinduism. After evaluating a few options I have selected the symbol for Aum, also known as Om.

Om is the primeval sound from which the sages divined the Vedas and therefore it is only appropriate that Aum represents the Hindu spirit. The symbol for Aum is instantly recognized as a Hindu symbol, just as a cross is recognized as a symbol of Christianity.

There are many interpretations of Aum in the Hindu scriptures and the commentaries by learned men. But whenever I read of Aum I go back to a novel I read in my youth, long before I became academically involved with Hinduism. This novel is “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse. Siddhartha is the story of a Brahmin lad who is an expert in his profession but not satisfied with it. He undertakes a long journey in search of his Self, which he finds in the company of a ferryman, taking people across a river.

As a Brahmin student, Siddhartha had learnt everything about Om, the word of words. Om was the bow and the Atma was the arrow. Om was used to aim the arrow at the Brahm so as to unite the Atma with the Brahm. Siddhartha had also learnt how to pronounce Om. It was to be recited silently and inwardly with the intake of breath and with the force of the soul while breathing out.

However the ferryman has a different point of view. Om is not something to be recited but to be heard and the river was a perfect speaker because it did not speak silently like the other aspects of nature. However it spoke in many tongues and told many stories at the same time. The trick was not to get stuck on any one of the voices but to hear them all together. Then one would hear the Om and it would convey the truth and the path to peace and the discovery of the Self.

If one looks at the evolution of Hinduism it is not difficult to appreciate that the ferryman’s view of Om was the earlier one. Over time it developed into a more ritualistic one practiced by the Brahmins. As I have said earlier Hinduism puts forth points of view and lets the individual make his considered choice. I am in tune with the ferryman’s Om. We have lost the art of listening and desperately need to get it back.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Yesterday India was witness to the celebrity wedding of leading movie stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Abhishek is the son of legendary Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya is a former Miss World. Today the two went to the temple of Tirupati with family and friends to seek the blessings of Lord Venkateswara, the deity of the temple and incarnation of Vishnu.

Today many Hindu couples visit Tirupati immediately after the wedding and there seems to be reason for it. Legend has it that this temple was established for a very special wedding.

In his avatar as Krishna, Yashoda was his foster mother. Unfortunately Yashoda was not witness to the marriage of Krishna and this was a major disappointment in her life. Krishna promised her that in a subsequent life Yashoda would be present at his wedding in another avatar.

Accordingly Yashoda was reborn as Vakula and was living in the region of the seven holy hills that is now known as Tirumala. Vishnu’s consort Lakshmi had got upset and left her abode at Vaikuntha. Vishnu reached Tirumala searching for her. There he was cared for like a son by Vakula who named him Srinivasa. On Narada’s suggestion, Vakula approached King Akasa Raju for his daughter Padmavati’s hand in marriage for Srinivasa. The king agreed and a grand wedding was organized for Srinivasa and Padmavati. Meanwhile Lakshmi came to know that Vishnu had married again and she entered Srinivasa’s house when he was alone with his wife. It is said that he was so embarrassed that he turned to stone. Then Shiva and Brahma appeared and explained to all concerned the sequence of events. Both Padmavati and Lakshmi decided to stay with Vishnu and also turn to stone. Vakula is delighted the desire she had as Yashoda was ultimately fulfilled.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

On 19th April 2007 according to the western calendar, falls a lesser-known event on the Hindu almanac. This is Parashurama Jayanti or the birth anniversary of Parashurama Bhargava, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Parashurama carried an axe or ‘parasha’ in Hindi and hence his name means the axe wielding Rama.

The purpose of this avatar was to rid the earth of the kshatriya race that had become arrogant and irreligious. Parashurama wiped out the race 21 times in bloody conflicts and established the supremacy of the brahmin race.

Parashurama is different from the other avatars of Vishnu in that he did not and will not ascend to heaven. He is a chiranjeevi and will live in mortal form till the destruction of the world at the end of Kaliyuga. Therefore he plays a role in the later avatars of Vishnu. In the Ramayana Parashurama creates a volatile situation when Rama breaks Shiva’s bow to marry Sita. In the Mahabharata Karna receives education from him claiming to be a brahmin. Parashurama discovers the deception and curses Karna. In Vishnu’s yet to come Kalki avatar, Parashurama will be the tutor and mentor of Kalki who will destroy the world because it has become evil beyond redemption. Under Parashurama’s guidance Kalki will perform a long and difficult penance to please Shiva and obtain the celestial weapons required for the destruction of the world. This is narrated in the Kalki Purana.

There are several lesser-known tales about Parashurama. Ganesh, the Elephant God, is also known as Ekdanta because he had only one tusk. Many stories abound how he happened to lose one tusk. One such story involves Parashurama. Once Parashurama went to pay his respects to Shiva but was stopped by Ganesh. Parashurama threw his axe at Ganesh, knowing that it was given by Shiva and hence would not harm Ganesh. The axe severed one of Ganesh’s tusks. Ganesh realized that Parashurama was a true devotee and let him pass. Parashurama is also known as the founder of the state of Kerala in south India. Before Parashurama’s birth Kerala did not exist. Parashurama threw his axe in the sea. Varun the demi-God of the Sea retreated till the point where the axe fell, thus creating Kerala.

One of the most fascinating tales about Parashurama is related to the origin of the Yellamma cult. Parashurama’s mother Renuka daily fetched water from the river early in the morning so that his father Jamadagni could start his rituals. One day Renuka saw some young men frolicking in the river and was so overwhelmed by their handsomeness that she tarried a while. When she reached home late, Jamadagni was so furious that he ordered his sons to cut off her head. Only Parashurama stepped forward to obey his father. Renuka ran and hid behind a low caste woman. Parashurama chopped of both their heads. His father was pleased and offered Parashurama a reward. Parashurama asked for both women to be restored. Jamadagni did the needful but inadvertently interchanged the heads. From that time onwards the devadasis worship the low caste woman with the head of Renuka as Yellamma. Another version adds that Jamadagni turned his four elder sons, who had refused to his bidding, into eunuchs. Hence Yellamma is also worshipped by the eunuchs.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Religion and politics is a heady mix and dangerous too. It should be avoided at all costs. But in India come election time someone or the other is ready with the mix. The state of Uttar Pradesh is going to the polls this month. Uttar Pradesh is the most populated state in India and nowhere else in India is the population more deeply divided along religion, caste and community lines. It was little wonder then that yesterday the Election Commission issued a notice to the Bharatiya Janata Party for releasing a propaganda CD that contained speeches using religion to arouse passion.

But mixing religion and politics was not always considered a destructive practice. In this post I would like to pay tribute to the man who used religion with telling effect to arouse a spirit of nationalism against British rule a little over a hundred years ago. The man I am referring to is Balgangadhar Tilak. Seeing how easily the British were dividing Indians along lines of religion and caste Tilak decided he had to do something to unite Indians. Tilak was from the state of Maharashtra and Ganesh, the deity with the elephant head, is highly revered there. The birth anniversary of Ganesh is celebrated sometime in August-September. It was a private function with rituals conducted at home. Tilak converted this into a public function. Statues of Ganesh were installed in public places such as gardens and street squares. The people collectively worshipped the God and participated in the rituals. Differences and even enmities were forgotten and people began to speak to each other. And sooner rather than later the subject shifted to rule under the British. This led to the rise of a nationalistic fervor that Nehru and Gandhi and the others were able to capitalize on.

When I see today’s politicians using religion to turn Indian against Indian, I sometimes wonder whether Tilak did the right thing.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

On a television show I recently came across a very interesting question. “Which is the only country in the world to have a Hindu temple on its flag?” The Indian flag does not have a Hindu temple. Nepal is the only Hindu nation so I checked that out the Nepal flag. It has the emblems of the sun and the moon but no temple. It took little time to find that the flag of Cambodia depicts the ancient Hindu temple of Angkor Wat.

The first civilizations in Cambodia were of Indian origin that flourished between the 1st and 15th centuries. The last of these was Khmer kingdom, whose king Jayavarman VII espoused Buddhism. However the temples of Angkor Wat were built by one of his predecessors Suryavarman II in the 12th century as the royal temple. The temple was dedicated to Vishnu. He died before the temple was completed andwork on the temple was suspended. The original name of the temple was believed to be Vrah Vishnolok. Later it was known as Preah Pisnulok after the title of Suryavarman II. Its present name, Angkor Wat, derives from the 16th century. Angkor is believed to be a corruption of the Sanskrit word ‘nagar’ meaning town and Wat is the Khmer word for temple. This is appropriate because Angkor Wat is a temple town. When the the kingdom converted to Buddhism, the temple of Anfkor Wat was occupied by Buddhist monks and continues to be so.

The French explorer, Henri Mouhot, brought the temple to the western world’s notice in the 19th century. He compared it to the temple of Solomon and said that it was the grandest surviving building of any bygone civilization. The temple was restored in the 20th century and is a source of pride to all Cambodians.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Yoga in schools is a good idea. But opposition parties always oppose it because they to not want someone else to take the credit for giving a fillip to yoga.

In India a Parliamentary Standing Committee that includes high profile members from the ruling coalition government has unanimously recommended that yoga should be made compulsory in schools across the country. The Committee has said, “The Committee is of the opinion that yoga is one stream of education, which will make a permanent and positive impact on a student’s life. Yoga has been gaining immense popularity due to the short-term as well as long-term benefits that it provides. Yoga helps one to achieve all-round development. Considering the vast potential of this ancient knowledge of India, the committee recommends that yoga be made compulsory for all school-going children in the country.”

This really should be taken as a case of better late than never. Yoga is India’s heritage and a truly secular one at that. Its objective is to condition the mind, body and soul to be one with the Divine. It does not matter which form of the divine one believes in. The practice of Yoga owes its origin to the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.

However the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hinduism based opposition party, has cried foul. The reason given is that the Congress Party, the leader in the present coalition government, vociferously opposed the BJP’s attempts to introduce yoga. This is not totally correct because the BJP’s attempts of introducing yoga in Madhya Pradesh, a state under its governance, could be considered flawed. One attempt had yoga classes in schools with the chanting of Sanskrit hymns. This eroded the secular nature of the exercise and was opposed by Muslims and Christians. The other attempt was to have a yoga session in the state assembly. The choice of place can be considered questionable, except for the fact that the politicians need to practice yoga more than the schoolchildren. On both occasions the Congress termed the attempts as an imposition of Hinduism and a violation of India’s secular constitution.

It is unfortunate to see something as pure as yoga being embroiled in such political one-upmanship.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Celebrities Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar got married according to Hindu custom in the Indian city of Jodhpur. This follows their civil wedding that took place earlier. Traditional Hindu weddings are grand affairs and none more so than in the state of Rajasthan, where Jodhpur is situated. In fact Jodhpur has become a popular wedding venue and it is common to see the bride’s and groom’s families travel all the way to celebrate a fairy tale wedding there.

A Hindu wedding is both a religious and social event. Since Hindus belong to diverse social communities, the wedding ceremonies are different in different societies. The wedding ceremonies consist of many events each having its special significance. However the core of the Hindu wedding is the Saat Pheres or the Seven Circumambulations of the sacred fire, making a prayer with each round. In the first round the couple ask for sufficient food throughout their lives, in the second for mental and physical well-being, in the third for economic prosperity, in the fourth for happiness, in the fifth for children, in the sixth for a long life and in the seventh foe everlasting friendship.

Today in India inter community marriages are common and therefore it is common to have two wedding ceremonies one as practiced by each community. The ceremonies are considered auspicious and therefore each family wants to ensure that its deities are not offended. And two ceremonies make for double the revelries.

The Liz-Arun wedding has invoked sharp responses in India. While most were happy that Liz was sensitive to the wishes of Arun’s Hindu family, there are some that called the wedding a farce and an insult to Hinduism. In fact a legal complaint has been filed citing “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings”. The claim is that since Liz has not embraced Hinduism this marriage has hurt the sentiments of Hindus. The feeling is that the Hindu ceremony was used as a pretext to party. This is absurd. Whether the intent was to accommodate the wishes of the Hindu groom or simply to have a ball one cannot say. But given the wide meaning of Hinduism and its tolerant nature such petty objections serve only to mar the growing interest in the Hindu culture.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The caste system exists, despite being illegal, and it is abhorrent. It is a socio-economic order that exploits and demeans the lower section of the order, today known as Dalits. The crucial point is that the grouping within the system is hereditary. The caste system has been historically perpetuated by stating that it has religious sanction.

Many Hindu academics deny the religious basis of the caste system, as it exists. They claim that the system as originally propagated in the scriptures is merely a system of division of labor, that is essential for societal functioning and that exists in every society. The position a person occupies in the system is based on ability and not birth.

We have seen that Hindu scriptures embody a wide range of often-conflicting beliefs. Hence it is easy for both the proponents of the religious basis of the caste system and its opponents to quote from the scriptures. Many times quotations are taken out of context. However the fact is that this debate is purely academic and diverts from the issue at hand.

Today the need is to get rid of this system, whether it at one time had a religious basis or not. Most Hindus believe that religion evolves and even if Hinduism at one time supported a hereditary caste system, it cannot do so now. But getting rid of the caste system is easier said than done. Some of the impediments are listed below.

• Dalits want quick fix solutions. They are not amenable to a slow process of change. This system has existed for at least 2000 years. It is difficult to change the mindset of those who are benefiting under this system overnight, because these people will have to concede situations of socio-economic power. Quick fix solutions will not work.
• Dalits want to penalize the non-Dalits. The present non-Dalits did not impose the system. Many of them are not in favor of it. Many of them are in dire economic situation despite having a higher social rank. Hence there is a resentment to this rob Peter to pay Paul attitude, which leads to a clash and hampers the corrective process.
• The political leadership of the Dalits does not really want a change, despite the noises they make. The Dalits today constitute about half the Indian population, which makes a massive vote bank. The Dalit leaders are cultivating this vote bank by keeping passions high but not allowing concrete reforms.

Therefore for every one step taken forward the Indian society is taking two steps back and therein lies the problem.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

First of all I wish all the readers a Happy Holi. Holi is the festival of colors that is played all over India and by people of Indian origin all over the world by applying colors on each other. There are some lesser-known aspects of Holi that are the subject of this blog.

Holi derives its name from the she-demon Holika. Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashipu, the king of the demons. His son Prahlad was a religious person devoted to Vishnu. After attempts to convert Prahlad to the ways of the demons failed, Hiranyakashipu decided to have him killed. It was decided that Holika would take her nephew and enter a burning pyre. She would use her magical skills to protect her, but Prahlad would be burnt alive. But who can harm the one who the Gods protect. The reverse happened. Holika was burnt to death and Prahlad emerged from the flames unscathed. On Holi eve a pyre made of cow dung, representing Holika, is prepared and set fire at the auspicious time amid much rejoicing. This ritual is as much a part of Holi as playing with colors.

The second event is a special type of Holi known as lathmar Holi, played in the region of Braj. Krishna was from a village known as Nandgaon and his beloved Radha was from Barsana. Legend has it that every Holi Krishna and his mates would go to Barsana and drench the gopis, or maidens, with color. Once the gopis were prepared for the boys in a different way. They were ready with bamboo sticks to beat and chase away the boys before the boys could drench them. Of course this was in good-natured fun and everyone played normal Holi after that. ‘Lath’ is the Hindi word for stick and ‘mar’ means to beat. This event has been replayed every year since then. The boys from Nandgaon go to Barsana with leather shield. The gopis of Barsana beat the boys with sticks, who defend themselves with the shields. They do not retaliate. After the ritual over everyone has a good time.

Posted by Harsh Nevatia

This post covers the next three Navgrahas, also written as Navagrahas. These are Mangal, Buddh and Brihaspati.

The legend of Mangal is not prominently depicted in the mythological texts. He is said to be the offspring of Sarva, a celestial archer, and Vikeshi, a manifestation of the Earth Goddess. Once Vikeshi was in trouble and Sarva came to her rescue. Vikeshi fell in love with Sarva and Mangal was born out of their union. In Roman mythology Mars is the God of war. In Indian mythology Mangal is identified as the planet of Kartikeya, the demi-God of war.

Buddh was the son of Soma and Tara. He married Ila, who had a fascinating past. She was born to Vaivasvata Manu, the sun of Surya. Since her father desired a son, he had her changed to a boy who was named Sudyumna. One day Sudyumna entered a forest forbidden to males, because it was the retreat where the Goddess Parvati entertained her husband Shiva. On entering the forest Sudyumna became a female again.

Brihaspati was famed as the preceptor of the demi-Gods. His father, Angiras, was one of the sages created by Brahma. Angiras married Shraddha, the daughter of sage Kardam, who was another creation of Brahma. Shraddha was unfaithful to her husband during her pregnancy and as a result gave birth to a stillborn child. However she repented and was able to regain the favor of Angiras. Angiras then gave life to the child, who was named Brihaspati. Brihaspati has three wives. With Shubha, the eldest he has seven daughters, with Tara, the second, he has seven sons and a daughter and with Mamata, the youngest, he has two sons. These two sons, Bharadwaj and Kacha, play a major role in Hindu mythology. Brihaspati acquired the planetary position after great penance through which he pleased Lord Shiva. Brihaspati helped the demi-Gods time and again in their wars against the demons. But he was a hard taskmaster as well. There are many legends about Brihaspati, including the abduction of his wife Tara by Buddh.

The mythology of the Navgrahas will be continued.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

In Hinduism a collection of deities known as the “Navgrahas” (Navagrahas) play an important role. Navgrahas mean nine planets, though all the nine are not planets. The Navgrahas are Surya - The Sun, Soma - The Moon, Mangal – Mars, Buddh – Mercury, Brihaspati – Jupiter, Shukra – Venus, Shani – Saturn, Rahu - The North (ascending) lunar node and Ketu - The South (descending) lunar node. The first seven of the Navgrahas give their names to the seven days of the week. As in the western calendar Sunday and Monday are named after the sun and the moon respectively. Sunday and Monday are "Ravivar" and "Somavar", after Ravi and Soma, which are one of the names of the sun and the moon. "Var" means day in Hindi. Tuesday to Saturday follow the planets in the above order from "Mangalvar" to "Shanivar".

The Navgrahas play a crucial role in Vedic Astrology. Their positions relative to the Rashis (signs of the Zodiac) at the time and place of birth of an individual determine the destiny of the individual. In all major religious ceremonies the Navgrahas are worshipped prior to the main ritual to obtain their blessings. Each of the Navgrahas has a colorful mythology and it is this aspect that will be presently discussed.

Surya, the Sun demi-God, was the son of sage Kashyap and Aditi. He had three wives - Samjna, Rajni and Prabha. Samjna was unable to bear Surya’s radiance and she created a woman, Chhaya or Shadow, who was identical to her. Samjna left after being replaced by Chhaya. However Surya discovered the switch when Chhaya began to give step-motherly treatment to Samjna’s children. He then went to his father-in-law, Viswakarma who was the architect of the Gods. Viswakarma then shaved off some of Surya’s energy so that people could look at him. With the excess energy he made some weapons for the Gods. The only parts of Surya’s body that were not modified were his feet. Hence generally Surya’s feet are not depicted. Surya then located Samjna and they lived happily ever after. The detailed story can be read at The Origin of the Solar Dynasty.

Soma was the son of sage Atri and Bhadra. Atri put Soma in-charge of the night sky. Soma had a roving eye. Sage Brihaspati, who was the preceptor of the demi-Gods, admonished Soma. In retaliation Soma abducted Brihaspati's wife, Tara. Over this a war broke out between the demi-Gods and Soma, with the demons assisting Soma and Shiva assisted the demi-Gods. Brahma intervened and ordered Soma to return Tara to Brihaspati. Soma did so, but in the meanwhile Tara had already given birth to Soma's son Buddh. The detailed story can be read at The Lunar Dynasty.

The mythology of the Navgrahas will be continued.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

I interact on many blog sites on Religion and Spirituality. I have been saddened to see over the recent past an increase in the offensive and vituperative post bashing each other’s religion. This unacceptable behavior is being indulged in by self-professed subscribers to all religions.

In today’s troubled times when our political and religious leaders (again of all nations and religions) have failed us, it is up to us to reach out to each other and restore sanity in our lives. Technology has provided us with a tool that enables us to instantly connect with people all over the globe. Let us use this technology to connect and not to disconnect.

I strongly believe that there is only One God and therefore all religions are essentially the same, though outwardly different. Let us seek out that which is similar and downplay that which differentiates us. Yesterday I was checking out Joseph Campbell’s Myths of Light for a reference when I saw two quotes on the inside cover and I reproduce them below.

The father said; “That subtle essence, my dear, which you do not perceive there – from that very essence this great banyan arises. Now, that which is the subtle essence – in it all that exists has its self. That is the True. That is the Self. Thou art that.”

Chandogya Upanishad, Chapter 12

Jesus said, “I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all come forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.”

The Gospel According to Saint Thomas, Logion 77

Given the fact that they originated independently at different places in different times they tell us how close our different religions can be. History has ensured that the world will never have one religion but we can ensure that our religions become as similar as possible.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The Hindu calendar has 12 months. Each month is associated with a rashi or a sign of the zodiac. The months and the corresponding rashi are given below.

1. Chaitra (Mesha)
2. Vaishakha (Vrishabha)
3. Jaishtha (Mithuna)
4. Asadha (Karka)
5. Sravana (Simha)
6. Bhadra (Kanya)
7. Ashvin (Tula)
8. Kartik (Vrushchik)
9. Agrahyana (Dhanush)
10. Paush (Makar)
11. Magh (Kumbha)
12. Falguna (Meena)

Being proper nouns alternative spellings for the names are common. Sometimes different names are also prevalent. Agrahyana is also known as Margashirsha

It was earlier said that the month comprises of one complete cycle of the moon’s waxing and waning. Normally this cycle coincides with the sun’s transition from one rashi to the next according to the sidereal system of the zodiac. Hence the month begins when the sun enters the corresponding rashi. Chaitra begins when the sun enters Mesha and so on. Very precise instructions are available as to what needs to be done when the sun’s transit does not coincide with the lunar cycle.

In the Hindu calendar it was explained that the cycle of twelve Hindu months takes 354 days and hence every three years an additional month is added to reconcile it with the solar year. This is no academic juggling but like every other aspect of the calendar, it is based on natural events. About every three years the sun stays in a particular rashi for about 60 days. This additional 30 days is the extra month known as adhika maas. This extra month is given the name of the succeeding month. For example if the sun continues for extra time in the rashi Meena, the next transition will be into Mesha, so the extra month is known as Adhika Chaitra.

The Hindu year has six seasons, each comprising two months. Vasant or spring occurs in Chaitra and Vaishakha. Greeshma or summer comprises Jaishtha and Ashadha. Varsha, the monsoon, is traditionally in Shravana and Bhadra, though the rains begin earlier. Sharad is autumn and covers the months of Ashvin and Kartik. Hemant, literally meaning the end of the snows, is the winter in the months of Agrahyana and Pausha. Finally Shishir, which represents the cool period between winter and spring, occurs in Magh and Falguna.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The zodiac is an imaginary band on the celestial sphere that represents the path of the principal planets, the moon, and the sun. This band is divided into 12 equal parts each 30° wide, bearing the name of a constellation for which it was originally named. This division is done with respect to a given frame of reference. Hindu astrology follows the sidereal system that has as the reference the distant “fixed” stars. Current western astrology uses the tropical system that is based on the movement of the overhead position between the tropics.

The sidereal system was used by most ancient civilizations. It has several advantages. It is not affected by the many peculiarities of the earth’s rotation and revolution. Also the system is simpler to use. The only information required is the location of either Taurus or Scorpio. One of these is always visible in the night sky within the Milky Way. Once this is done any point can be easily located. The tropical system requires adjustments to be made for the peculiarities of the earth’s rotation and revolution. Today these adjustments are made by computers but are practically complicated. Also several indicators are required to chart out the complete coordinate system of the zodiac. These are the current mean sidereal time, the observer's terrestrial longitude and latitude, and the epoch the observer wishes to utilize.

In Hindi the signs of the zodiac are called “rashis” (singular is rashi). The twelve rashis along with their western counterparts are as follows: Mesha (Aries), Vrishabha (Taurus), Mithuna (Gemini), Karka (Cancer), Simha (Leo), Kanya (Virgo), Tula (Libra), Vrushchik (Scorpio), Dhanush (Sagittarius), Makar (Capricorn), Kumbha (Aquarius) and Meena (Pisces). The period of the rashi starts about after 3 weeks from the start of the corresponding zodiac sign. For example Mesha rashi starts on April 14, whereas Aries starts on March 21. The Hindu or sidereal dates are more in tune with the Astronomical dates given by the International Astronomical Union.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

Hindus will celebrate the festival of Makar Sankranti on the 14th of January. This is the only festival in the Hindu calendar that appears on the same date as per the Gregorian calendar year after year. All other festivals appear on different dates each year as explained earlier in the case of Diwali. This is because the Hindu calendar has a lunar base, whereas the Gregorian calendar has a solar base. All Hindu festivals except Makar Sankranti are linked to the position or phase of the moon. Makar Sankranti is linked to a solar event.

Sankranti means transition. In this context it refers to the transition of the sun from one sign of the zodiac to the next. Hence there are twelve sankrantis in a year. For Hindus Makar Sankranti is the most important. Makar is the Hindi name for the sign Capricorn. During Makar Sankranti the sun transits from Sagittarius to Capricorn.

The overhead position of the sun apparently moves between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. On Makar Sankranti the sun is at its southernmost point over the Tropic of Capricorn. From this day it stars its six-month northward journey towards the Tropic of Cancer. This period is known as Uttarayana. This six month period is considered very auspicious. Makar Sankranti therefore is the initiator of this auspicious period. Makar Sankranti has the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. Thereafter the days start getting longer. Makar Sankranti also denotes the beginning of the decline of the winter. The six-month period when the sun is traveling southward is known as Dakshinayana.

How auspicious this date is can be judged from an incident in the Mahabharata. Bhishma the grandsire of the warring cousins had been granted the boon of choosing the time of his death. After the war got over he lay on the battlefield on a bed of arrows till Makar Sankranti when he breathed his last. A person dying on this day is believed to be free from the cycles of rebirth.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated differently in different parts of India. In north India ritual bathing at the holy places is common. In fact a month long Magh Mela takes place at Allahabad at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag. In south India this festival is known as Pongal and is the most important festival of the year. In Maharashtra and Gujarat this festival is accompanied by kite flying. Every child is on the streets, fields or terraces flying kites and having all sorts of competitions.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The evidence for the existence of the river Saraswati is not restricted to its mention in the scriptures of Hinduism. There is a wealth of scientific evidence both for its existence and for the reasons it disappeared.

An English engineer named Oldham noticed in 1893 a tiny rivulet Ghaggar flowing in a river bed that was 3 km wide. He surmised that the Ghaggar was using the course of the old Saraswati River.

In Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) through where the Saraswati once passed, groundwater is available at a depth of 50 meters despite arid conditions and negligible rainfall. Wells have water throughout the year. Carbon dating has shown that this water is about 4000 years old. Archaeological excavations have brought to light the remains of more than 1000 towns along the course of the erstwhile river. Kalibangan in Rajasthan is notable. These findings in these excavations are consistent with the descriptions obtained from the Vedas. Several spots along the course have not completely dried up and even today lakes are found there. The most prominent ones are the Lunkaransar, Didwana, Sambhar, the Ranns of Jaisalmer and Pachpadra. Through remote sensing devices numerous paleochannels have been located that enable experts to trace the migratory course of Saraswati from the Himalayas through Kurukshetra and Rajasthan to the Rann of Kutch.

No single reason is given for the disappearance of the River Saraswati. The decline set in sometime about 4000 BC and by 1500 BC the river had disappeared. It is well accepted that the Indian subcontinent broke away from Africa and attached itself to Asia. The Himalayan ranges are a result of this plate movement. This tectonic activity continues intermittently and one such event must have cut off the glacier turning the river into a non-perennial one. Further blows came when its two main tributaries the Yamuna and the Sutlej changed their courses. The Yamuna turned eastwards and merged with the Ganga and the Sutlej turned westward to merge with the Indus. The desertification of Rajasthan occurred around this time.

Two further causes have been postulated. Satellite images have shown a large number of ground faults along the course of the river that would have drained the waters underground, sometimes to resurface through another fault. This is consistent with references from the Mahabharata given in the blog Saraswati:The lost river. Finally the shifting sands due to high winds in the desert area could have dammed up the river, which had already lost its flow.

There is not as yet any conclusive evidence for the Saraswati emerging at Prayag. Perhaps it seemed an appropriate point the river to emerge from her underground course. Or this theory could have something to do with the Yamuna leaving the Saraswati and meeting the Ganga. However the fact remains that this mighty river once existed and gave birth to a civilization on its banks.

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Posted by Harsh Nevatia

The river Saraswati (also spelled Sarasvati) originated in the Himalayas and drained the northwest region of India. Though the river has no physical existence today there is ample evidence that it gave birth to a civilization that is at least 8000 years old.

The source of the river was the Har-ki-Dun glacier in the Bandarpunch massif in West Garhwal in the Himalayas. It was close to Yamnotri the source of the river Yamuna. In fact at one time the Yamuna joined the Saraswati. The other major tributary of the Saraswati was the Sutlej. The Saraswati took a course parallel to the Indus River and emptied into the Arabian Sea at the Rann of Kutch. Through Geographical Information systems (GIS) the course of the erstwhile river has been traced. The river ran a length of 1600 km, was 8 km wide at its maximum and is said to have supported 16,000 settlements along its course.

The Riga Veda refers frequently to both Saraswati and the Saptasindhu, a region watered by seven rivers. The Sindhu (Indus) formed the western boundary of this region and the Saraswati the eastern boundary. Both Sindhu and Saraswati are Sanskrit words for river. The other rivers were Satadru (Sutlej), Vipasa (Beas), Asikni (Chenab), Parosni (Ravi) and Vitasta (Jhelum). The importance of this river can be gauged from the fact that it is referred to as Ambitame, the best of the mothers, Naditame, the best of the rivers and Devitame, the best of the goddesses in The Riga Veda, Book 2, Hymn XLI.

Later texts like the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana also refer to the River Saraswati. Kurukshetra, where the Mahabharata War took place, was bounded on the north by Saraswati. During the Mahabharata period the River Saraswati was already drying up. In Section CXXX of the Vana Parva Lomasa points out that the Saraswati goers underground at Vinasana and remerges at Chamshodbheda. In Section VI of the Bhishma Parva, Sanjay the narrator of the war tells Dhritarashtra the blind king “As regards the Saraswati, in some parts (of her course) she becometh visible and in some parts not so”. [1]

There is also a view that after going underground the Saraswati merged with the Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag. Hence Prayag is the confluence of not two but three holy rivers. In Section LXXXIV of the Vana Parva there is a reference to bathing at the confluence of the Ganga and the Saraswati results in ascent to heaven.

Brahma’s consort, the Goddess Saraswati, is the Goddess of learning. The river had been deified as the Goddess of learning because of the wisdom that was accumulated along its banks thousands of years ago.

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[1] The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli [published between 1883 and 1896] and available online at Internet Sacred Text Archive.