Source KATHMANDU, NEPAL, September 21, 2013 (Niti Central): The Indian chief priest of Nepal’s fifth-century Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu submitted his resignation after 21 years of service for personal reasons. Mahabaleshwor Bhatta, who hails from Tamil Nadu, gave his resignation to the Pashupati Area Development Trust, the body that looks after the Hindu temple’s affairs. The board of the trust…
Source To the growing soul, to the spirit within us, may not difficulties, obstacles, attacks be a means of growth, added strength, enlarged experience, training for spiritual victory? The arrangement of things may be that, and not a mere question of the pounds, shillings and pence of a distribution of rewards and retributory misfortunes!— Sri Aurobindo Ghose (1872-1950), Indian philosopher…
Source MUMBAI, INDIA, September, 2013 (Washington Post): During Ganesh Charturthi, Hindus, whether they live in Mumbai or Hyderabad, bring homes murthis of Lord Ganesha to invoke His Blessings for wisdom and prosperity and good fortune. This year the ten-day festival began September 9 but artisans start working on these elephant-headed deities weeks before and the final touch is given just…
Source TRINIDAD AND TOGAGO, September 19, 2013 (Trinidad Express): Ganesh Utsav, an Indian festival brought to Trinidad and Tobago by indentured laborers more than 150 years ago, was this week celebrated by Hindus throughout the country. The ten-day worship to Lord Ganesh, remover of obstacles, culminated with a procession where Ganesh murtis were immersed in the sea yesterday. Pundit Khemraj…
Source Wealth’s Goddess dwells in the hospitable home of those who host guests with a smiling face.— Tirukkural
Source TENNESSEE, U.S., September 20, 2013 (Tennessean): Sumner County Schools students will no longer be allowed to take field trips to religious venues after the stepfather of a Hendersonville High School student accused the school of promoting Islam. The issue surfaced when a couple of parents asked about a planned field trip to a mosque and a Hindu temple during…
Source HAMBURG,GERMANY September 16, 2013 (Abendlatt): The people in the Harburg suburb of Hamburg were treated on Friday night to an uncommon religious spectacle: 200 Indian men, women and children, along with some Germans, moving in procession through the Harburg Town Hall Square to celebrate the birthday of the Deity Ganesha. Men carried a 30-centimeter (one foot tall) statue of…
Source TEXAS, September 18, 2013 (India Herald, by Seshadri Kumar): The 150th birth anniversary celebration of Swami Vivekananda scheduled to be held in Chicago on Sept. 27 and 28 under the banner “World without borders 2013” is in limelight for the wrong reason. Chicago-based Council for World Parliament of Religions has withdrawn its support for the celebration, apparently on the…
Source The food of the soul is silence. If we don’t practice silence, we are starving ourselves.— Dada J.P. Vaswani, spiritual head of Sadhu Vaswani mission
Source TORONTO, CANADA, September 20, 2013 (Press Release): “For all that are not able to make it to our conference, we will be live streaming all activities throughout the weekend. Please visit http://ustre.am/FRhn to watch the conference from the comfort of your own home. All activities will be recorded and posted on youtube after the conference.” For more on the…