Source The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him–that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.— Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
Source KUMBAKONAM, INDIA, February 22, 2016 (NDTV): More than 1 million devotees will take a holy dip at the temple tank at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu as part of the grand finale of the Mahamaham festival celebrated once in twelve years. The auspicious time for the dip which is called Theerthavari will between 12 noon and 1 pm. The tank…
Source NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 19, 2016 (Hindustan Times): Premier engineering and scientific institutes run by the Centre, including the IITs, should have a Sanskrit cell to help students study ancient literature related to their fields, a panel set up by the education ministry has recommended. The panel also wants these institutes to let students opt for internship in Sanskrit…
Source BANGLADESH, February 22, 2016 (Daily Star): Criminals slit the throat of a Hindu priest at a temple in Debiganj of Panchagarh just after dawn yesterday and fled the scene firing shots and exploding homemade bombs, which injured two devotees. Deceased Jogeswar Dasadhikari, 50, is the latest victim of a recent string of attacks on clerics and prayer houses of…
Source IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, February 22, 2016 (Inside Higher Ed): The University of California at Irvine is walking away from two gifts to establish endowed chairs in Hindu and India studies after faculty members and students raised concerns about the ideology of the donors and the influence they sought to exert in the search process. The gifts in question came from…
Source Go beyond science, into the region of metaphysics. Real religion is beyond argument. It can only be lived, both inwardly and outwardly.— Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society
Source PAKISTAN, February 16, 2016 (BBC): A province in Pakistan has become the first in the largely Muslim country to give Hindus the right to register their marriage officially. The bill was passed on Monday by lawmakers in Sindh – home to many of Pakistan’s three million Hindus. Activists say that without such a law, Hindu women are targets for…
Source AGRA, INDIA, February 16, 2016 (Times of India): In a sensational robbery, a statue of Shesh Nag, made of ashtdhatu (a combination of eight metals- gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, tin, iron and mercury), which was installed by President Dr. Pranab Mukherjee at Chandrodaya Temple at Vrindavan in November 2014, was reportedly stolen on Monday night. According to the…
Source USA, February 22, 2016 (by Kasia Litwinski): Google’s efficiency has now integrated itself into the yoga community. Google has announced that users will be able to learn yoga poses without leaving the search engine. When you search for any yoga pose using the English or Sanskrit name, Google will provide you with all the necessary information to complete the…
Source Sight is very powerful. Sight is the first connection made with the Deity. The sight of the murti in the temple inner sanctum stimulates and enhances the flow of uplifting energies, or pranas, within the mind and body. Each Deity performs certain functions, is in charge of certain pranas. Seeing the Deity there unfolds in the mind’s eye a…