Source SRI LANKA, August 27, 2013 (Tamil Net): After a hundred years of its establishment, the Young Men’s Hindu Association (YMHA) of Thirunelveali in Jaffna proposes to do away with gender bias in its membership and name. In a letter to all lovers of Thirunelveali and the YMHA on Sunday, the current president of the YMHA, Mr. S. Muthulingam was…
Source DUBAI, August 28, 2013 (Emirates 247): Brace yourself for a traffic jam if you plan on venturing into the heart of Bur Dubai this evening with Hindus venturing out in hundreds to celebrate the Indian festival of Janmashtami. All roads will lead to the Hindu temple post 9pm, with the Sikka Bastakiya neighborhood preparing for the crowds that will…
Source Good thoughts are the foundation stones in the mansion of good conduct. If the foundation is strong, the mansion will endure.— Sri Rameshbhai Oza, inspired performer of Vaishnava kathas
Source COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, August 29, 2013 (Times Of India): A Sri Lankan court today stopped the annual ritual of animal sacrifices at Hindu temples throughout the island following a petition by a Buddhist monk group. [HPI note: Sri Lanka’s Buddhists are not vegetarians–nor, for that matter, are many of its Hindus.] Jathika Bhikku Federation (Federation of Buddhist Monks) had…
Source UNITED STATES, August 30, 2013 (Huffington Post by Murali Balaji): This week, the University of South Carolina hosted a conference celebrating the launch of the Encyclopedia of Hinduism. To be sure, it’s more than just an encyclopedia — it’s an effort to tell the life story of the world’s oldest active major religion. In an age where we can…
Source To enter into the spiritual life is a rare blessedness, it is a great good: to take it seriously and engage in active spiritual Sadhana is a second blessedness and a still greater good: but to persevere in the spiritual life, to be ever progressive and ceaseless in one’s spiritual life, is the greatest good, the crowning blessedness.— Swami…
Source SINGPUR, INDIA, August 27, 2013 (The Hindu): Religious leaders of the Sarna tribe in this area outside Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, have announced an agitation this December demanding that a statue of Virgin Mary be removed from a Catholic parish church in Singpur. The religious leaders described the statue — Virgin Mary, hair tied in a bun, dressed as a…
Source COLUMBIA, USA, August 30, 2013( by Susanne M. Schafer,Associated Press): A comprehensive encyclopedia of one of the world’s major religions was unveiled Monday in South Carolina. The 11-volume work covers Hindu spiritual beliefs, practices and philosophy, and is the culmination of a 25-year academic effort. The encyclopedia is written in English and includes about 7,000 articles on Hinduism and…
Source BALI, INDONESIA, August 24, 2013 (Jakarta Post): (Note: the Balinese spell “Visnu” as “Visnu,” which tends to confuse the rest of us, so we’ve changed it to Visnu for this article). Dramatic performances by the famous Kecak Rina troupe, guitar prodigy Dewa Budjana, singer Trie Utami, up-and-coming dancer Keni Kurniasari, harpist Maya Hasan and hundreds of local residents marked…
Source Just as, when we touch a live wire, the electric force infuses itself into our body, when we deeply meditate on God the power of the whole universe seeks entry into our personality.— Swami Krishnananda, General Secretary, Divine Life Society