Should Hindus Celebrate New Year’s Day on January 1? The Agamic View

HPI KAUAI, HAWAII, December 31, 2012 (HPI): An article in the Daily Pioneer (here) published December 30 reads: “Hindu groups and tantrik scholars in Tamil Nadu have questioned the propriety of midnight pujas and homams held in Government controlled temples in the State to usher in the New Year. Temples coming under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department (HR&CE)…

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Indian Railways To Run 750 Special Trains For Kumbha Mela 2013

Source MUMBAI, INDIA, December 27, 2012 (travelbizmonitor.com): The Indian Railways is gearing up to facilitate the rush of passengers during the Maha Kumbha Mela at Allahabad in February next year and is expected to run around 750 special trains and make arrangements for additional 1,800 coaches to ensure seamless travel for devotees, as per a TOI report. As Railways is…

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Daily Inspiration

Source G-o-d, d-o-g. both the same. Top and bottom. See God in everything. You must do that!— Satguru Yogaswami (1872-1964), Sri Lanka’s revered contemporary mystic

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How the new BAPS Temple in California Ingratiated Itself

Source CHINO, CALIFORNIA, January 4, 2013 (India Abroad, by Arthur J. Pais): Even as hundreds of devotees gathered for the dedication of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, California, December 23, and thousands watched the Web cast as the murthis were installed inside the temple, for the local organizers, there was also a satisfaction of having…

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Daily Inspiration

Source As long as someone cries out “O God! O God!” be sure that he has not found God, for whoever has found Him becomes still.— Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)

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Mumbai’s Yoga institute Holds World Householders’ Yoga Convention

Source MUMBAI, India, December 25, 2012 (Times of India): The Yoga Institute, oldest organized centre of Yoga in the world, celebrates the completion of 94 years in Mumbai. On the occasion of its 94th foundation day celebrations, the institute held The World Householders’ Yoga convention 2012 December 25 and December 26, 2012 at the Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz East,…

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UP Govt To Clean Up River Ganga Ahead Of Maha Kumbh Mela

Source LUCKNOW, INDIA, December 24, 2012 (India Times): In a bid to make available a clean and continuous flow of water in the river Ganga during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad next month, the UP government has issued directions for shutting down industrial units that discharge pollutants in the river, officials said today. Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Javed Usmani…

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“Behind The Veil Of The Forest” In India

Source INDIA, December 21, 2012 (New York Times): The rutted road, part paved, part dirt, was a border between two worlds. To the left, a patchwork of villages, farms and fields covered the fertile plains between the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers. To the right rose the rugged, forested wilderness of the Shivalik Hills. Dehradun, the bustling capital of the northern…

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BAPS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir Opens in California

Source CHINO HILLS, CALIFORNIA, December 23, 2012 (baps.org): After six years of unflinching dedication and thousands of hours of volunteer work, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, in Chino Hills, California stood glistening under the sun as the much anticipated inauguration ceremony started on the morning of December 23, 2012. Sadguru Pujya Kothari Swami (Pujya Bhaktipriya Swami) performed the consecration ceremony…

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Daily Inspiration

Source It is far easier to conquer others than to conquer oneself, because the former can be attained by recourse to outside means, while the latter can be achieved only with one’s own mind.— Mahatma Gandhi(1869-1948)

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