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Source The syllable gu means shadows. The syllable ru, he who disperses them. Because of the power to disperse darkness, the guru is thus named.— Advayataraka Upanishad

Source CHINA, June 17, 2020 (Bitter Winter by M. Introvigne): This is how the CCP propaganda mouthpiece Global Times introduced an article on Indian “cults” operating in China published on June 15: “If you see a man wearing a maroon waistcloth and bead necklace sitting next to a yoga mat in a secluded meditation room in China, chances are he…

Source KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, June 16, 2020 (New Strait Times): Religious associations and temple managements say there is no rush in reopening places of worship as they wish to avoid any potential Covid-19 clusters. For Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) president Datuk R.K. Mohan Shan, the demand to reopen was dependent on the devotees who had not been able to fulfill…

Source To associate with a sadhu is like sitting near a seller of perfumes. You may not be able to own any of the wonders he holds, but what emanates from them will envelop you.— Saint Kabir (1440-1518), Indian saint revered by Hindus and Muslims

Source LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, June 16, 2020 (LA Times): When Swami Vivekananda brought yoga across the Atlantic to the United States in 1893, he made a pivotal articulation of the practice — one which has had severe implications in how we consume yoga today. At the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, Vivekananda advocated for a kind of spiritual…

Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, June 15, 2020 (New Indian Express): In the wake of depleting revenue amid lockdown restrictions, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple — which sits on over US$13 billion wealth — has slipped into a deep financial crisis, prompting the management to take some extraordinary steps. It plans to approach the trust controlled by the Travancore royal family for aid…

Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 12, 2020 (Reuters): India has turned down a travel request for members of a U.S. government panel seeking to review its religious freedom, saying such foreign agencies had no standing to assess the constitutional rights of citizens. Since taking power in 2014, the Indian government has faced criticism for attacks on Muslims and the panel…

Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 28, 2020 (Daily Pioneer): BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct Uttarakhand Chief Minister to withdraw the recent act which took over 51 temples including Badrinath and Kedarnath temples. Terming the takeover of temples as illegal, Swamy told Modi that the 51 temples taken over by the State Government…

Source The sun can give heat and light to the whole world, but he cannot do so when the clouds shut out his rays. When egotism veils the heart, God cannot shine upon you.— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886), guru of Swami Vivekananda

Source BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, June 4, 2020 (Religion News): When Keshav Kishor Sharan’s Hindu community bought a retired Friendly’s restaurant for the community’s new temple, the group renovated the building completely, replacing every fixture and window. Every window, that is, except for the ice cream takeout window. Sharan’s fellow Hindus in Holbrook, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ended up preserving the pass-through…