Source

BALI, INDONESIA, June 18, 2013 (The Jakarta Post):The second World Hindu Summit has agreed to establish the World Hindu Parisad, a Hindu organization discussion and deliberation forum aiming to expand the network of Hindu devotees around the globe. In addition, the 500 Hindu leaders and scholars from all over the world also established the World Hindu Center, the implementing structure of the World Hindu Parisad. Both the Parisad and the Center are to be based in Bali.

Hindu high priest Ida Pedanda Gede Ketut Sebali Tianyar Arimbawa was elected as the president of the World Hindu Parisad.

The three-day summit attended by Hindu leaders and scholars from 21 countries also declared the spirit of tolerance. "We happily announce to the world that harmony and tolerance shall prevail and that acceptance is the basic principle of our relationships, either with our brothers of the same faith or with our brothers of different faiths. Hinduism believes in one world, one Supreme God and one world family. There are no boundaries or borders in Hindu Dharma. We are all one, we share the same fate and destiny," the declaration states.

Organizing committee chairman, Gde Made Sadguna, said that Bali should do its best as it has been entrusted by global Hindu leaders. "We are also hoping that Indonesian government will support us, as this also upholds the image of Indonesia and Bali globally," he added."We are eager to create a real program that contributes to enhancing tolerance and harmony, both facing challenges all over the world," Sadguna said.

Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said that the summit had a strategic role in determining the Hindu position in the world. "Bali deserves to be the global center for Hindus," Pastika said.Meanwhile, speaking at the opening ceremony of Bali Arts Festival on Saturday, also attended by participants of the World Hindu Summit, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also appreciated the meeting. "Through the World Hindu Summit, I am urging all Hindu devotees from all around the globe to always develop religious traditions that provide a role model for harmonious life," Yudhoyono said.

The establishment of the World Hindu Parisad and World Hindu Center is part of the implementation of the Bali Charter, initiated during the first World Hindu Summit in 2012.

HPI Note: Hinduism Today correspondent Rajiv Malik covered the Summit for Hinduism Today. His report will appear in a forthcoming issue of Hinduism Today.

Source

BANGALORE, India, June 15,2013 (Lavanya Shankaran): Caste is not a word that modernizing India likes to use. It has receded to the unfashionable background. Newspapers reserve their headlines for the newer metrics of social hierarchy: wealth and politics, and those powerful influencers of popular culture, actors and cricket stars. Traditionally, Indian society was divided into four main castes. The castes were ostensibly professional divisions but were locked firmly into place by birth and a rigid structure of social rules that governed interaction between and within them. That, famously, was then. Discrimination based on caste has been illegal in India for more than six decades.

As India transforms, one might expect caste to dissolve and disappear, but that is not happening. Instead, caste is making its presence felt in ways similar to race in modern America: less important now in jobs and education, but vibrantly alive when it comes to two significant societal markers -- marriage and politics. No surprise on that first one. Inter-caste marriages in India are on the rise but still tend to be the province of the liberal few. For much of the country, with its penchant for arranged marriages and close family ties, caste is still a primary determinant in choosing a spouse. Politics is where caste has gotten a surprising new lease on life. Nearly half of the voting population of even a highly educated city like Bangalore considers caste to be the No. 1 reason to vote for a candidate.

Six decades of democratic statehood have attempted to correct the imbalances of the past through "reservation" -- job and education quotas for the so-called backward castes, like the Dalits. This program has been effective, in a fairly hit-or-miss fashion. This changed in 2011, with the first Indian census to visit the subject in eight decades. The ostensible reason for the caste census was to see where we were economically. But let's have no doubt, the impact will be political. Indian political parties have played caste politics for years. The census results will give strategists their best tools for precisely targeting voters and tailoring campaign messages to caste concerns and fears. Caste will probably grow as a voter focal point, at the expense of administrative competency in economics, education, foreign policy, women's rights, the environment and every other vital matter of governance that concerns a growing India. So that is the fascinating conundrum of Indian society: on one hand, caste is losing its virility as India opens up opportunities and mindsets, while on the other, the forces of democratic politics ensure that it will thrive and never be forgotten as a crucial social index.

Source

Peace has three dimensions. Peace within ourselves, peace among nations and peace with nature.
-- Dada J.P. Vaswani, head of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission

Source

KAUAI, HAWAII, June 18, 2013 (HPI): The July/August/September, 2013, edition of Hinduism's award-winning spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has been released in digital form and is now available for free on your desktop. You can read articles online or download the PDF or ePub and enjoy it on your iPad.

We broke most of our rules in this one. And for good reason. The issue focuses almost entirely on the extraordinary Kumbh Mela held recently at Prayag, where three holy rivers converge. Readers may know that this is the largest gathering of human beings in the world. This year, fully 30 million were at the mela on the most holy day, February 10th, and a mind-boggling 130 million attended during the entire month. How big and difficult is that to engineer? Well the city of Tokyo has 30 million residents, and the mela is miles of temporary tents on a sandy river bed.

Our intrepid team, a journalist and photographer, captured the event on all levels, from the personal trials and tribulations of pilgrims to the initiation of 1,600 sadhus on the banks of the Ganges, a highly-protected and private event that we were miraculously able to attend and capture for you. They interviewed 250 people and took 5,500 photos. So when we saw what they had experienced, we were compelled to share it with you and set other feature articles aside. We realized that while 130 million Hindus were there in person, 870 million more were not. We present the full experience, from the comfort of your home.

Countless camps and events took place. One sadvi, a woman monastic, held a Women's Empowerment Day at her camp, raising all of the gender issues of the day, which are a hot topic in India of late. Muniji of the Parmath Niketan Ashram put his considerable influence to work in orchestrating a Green Mela initiative, and himself joined the teams to clean the River Ganges. His article explains the importance of environmental consciousness to India and to seekers.

Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak bravely brought a group of untouchables to the gathering, and formally freed them all of the onus of social ostracism. His story lights a lamp of hope for the future, a future "in which all may share the well, the pond, the temple and the dining table."

The words of pilgrims will give you courage in undertaking life's difficulties, and the counsel from the swamis will inspire you forward on your chosen path. And the photos.... so many awesome photos that will make you a virtual pilgrim to the river sangam.

In this issue's Publisher's Desk, Bodhinatha to your home, to teach you how to approach God with love and never in fear. It's a common truth, that people do things out of fear of God's retribution. Common, but not necessary, as you will learn in his editorial.

You're living in California and wondering if it's safe to go to the big all-stone Hindu temple in town, since this is an earthquake zone, one of the most active on Earth. Well, if your town is Chino Hills near Los Angeles and the temple is the Swaminarayana Mandir, then you are safe. You see, the talented BAPS sadhus and volunteers built this new temple, which reaches 79 feet high, on 40 specially-designed supports called base isolators. If an earthquake hits, and it will, the entire stone temple can move up to four feet horizontally and still remain intact. The article dives into the fascinating details, and explores how the group fought successfully against local resistance to their presence.

There's more, of course. A where-am-I-? cartoon, a story of how much it costs to own an elephant, a new crossword puzzle as well as a few surprises found in our quotes and letters. It's all there in the current issue of Hinduism Today, where you go to stay in touch with Sanatana Dharma. In print and online.

Source

In the house of the seer there are five cows (the five senses), which without a cowherd wander everywhere. If they were controlled and their thirst quenched, they would give milk.
-- Tirumantiram, a sacred mystical treatise by Rishi Tirumular.