News

Source Whatever defect I have in my sight, in my heart or mind, may God amend! May He, the Protector of the world, bless us! — Yajur Veda 36.2.

RNS USA, April 11 (Religion News Service): Bibles cannot be the only reading materials allowed in jail, the U.S. Department of Justice said in joining a lawsuit against a South Carolina detention center on Tuesday (April 12). The original suit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Prison Legal News last October, charged that the Berkeley County…

Source Wealth and happiness are not related to each other as cause and effect. An attempt to secure happiness by securing wealth is as futile as it is absurd. — Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal(1912-1954), 34th pontiff of the Sarada Peetham

Source INDIA, April 2011: The state Cabinet on Friday accorded sanction for preparing and introducing the controversial Black Magic Bill in the state legislature. The Bill aims at curbing the exploitation of people at the hands of tantriks and fake sadhus. The state government has been struggling with pioneering the legislation against such faith since 2005. The previous bill, the…

Source [HPI note: With the Hindu diaspora, this is becoming more common: temples and ashrams receiving donations from many places around the world.] PANCHKULA, INDIA, April 10, 2011: The faith of devotees coming to pay obeisance at Mata Mansa Devi temple in Panchkula can not only be witnessed in numbers but also in the form of foreign currency donations. Like…

Source INDIA, April 10, 2011: Temples in Himachal Pradesh will now be able to sell half their gold reserves in the form of gold biscuits and coins at the current market rate. The state assembly has amended the HP Hindu Public Religious & Chairitable Endowments Act 1984 to accomodate the suggestions by temple committees. The yellow metal lying in temple…

Source THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA, April 4, 2011: The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hill shrine of Sabarimala, has begun the process of distributing solatium of US$5,668 each to the families of the 102 devotees who died in the stampede at Pullumedu on January 14. Most of the devotees who died in the tragedy, mainly from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and…

Source In the whole world there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. It has been the solace of my life–it will be the solace of my death. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher and writer and first Western philosopher to have access to translations of philosophical material from India.

Source UNITED STATES, April 2011: The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge will help magnify, value and encourage America’s religious and cultural diversity. The initiative will engage the rich, pluralistic diverse communities in partnerships for the common good. It will empower them to be innovative in providing services (seva) to communities in need. The Campus Challenge can build social…

Source UNITED STATES, April 4, 2011: Celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, over 5000 women attended the BAPS Women’s Conference 2011 at 20 locations across North America in the month of March. This conference focused on the theme “Women: Honoring the Past, Envisioning the Future.” Conference organizer in New York, Parul Patel said, “BAPS is committed to the…