CD?ROM
Purifying Postures
The Hatha Yoga of BKS Iyengar is now on CD-ROM. "Yoga For All" guides children and adults through asanas (postures) with interactive instruction from the renowned teacher and his daughter, Dr. Geeta Iyengar. A classroom video and 1,000 illustrations teach 23 poses in six groups: sitting, forward, twisting, back bends, inversions and supine. Many browsers will go right to the 40 sets of restorative poses for ailments such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The option of customizing your own workout is one more reason to strike a pose in this healthful Hindu discipline. Windows only. US$20. Write to: Kirloskar Computer Services, 5570 Malleswaram West, Bangalore 560055, India. E-mail: mmedia@kcsgroup.com
MUSIC
Ragas, and Then Some
We all love uplifting music to accompany work or relaxation. India's scintillating classical traditions, with vast melodies and rhythms, were composed by rishis to provide a lasting spiritual effect in the listener–as proved by their endurance through millennia. The Gramaphone Company of India offers these sounds on CD at its website (www.saregama.com.) View the latest releases from prodigies like Hari Prasad Chaurasia and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam–and sample a track online before you order. To find hundreds of classical CDs (mixed in with modern), go to the search engine and type in a language, followed by the name of a singer, raga or song title.
PUBLICATIONS
River of Books
No, it's not in South America. www.amazon.com, "Earth's Biggest Bookstore," can be visited anywhere you have an Internet connection. Boasting over 2.5 million titles, most of them discounted, this expert website has tons of religious and metaphysical books. Key the word "Hindu" into its sophisticated search engine and over 1,200 titles appear. "Yoga" gets 1,200 hits, "meditation" 1,000 and "India" finds 2,000. Try finding books that quickly at your local Borders store! Click on specific titles to see the book cover, reviews and excerpts, then drop the books you want in your "Shopping Cart." Most titles ship the next day.
SAGES
Vedanta's Vanguard
The late Swami Chinmayananda was never known to lack wise words–insights such as: "Out of purity and silence come words of power." Find more of his potent sayings at the website of Chinmaya Mission (www.chinmaya.org). Besides basic info about the Mission, you'll learn about dynamic swamis, led by Swami Tejomayananda, who lovingly inculcate Vedanta philosophy in today's youth, especially through Chinmaya family camps. Read reports of their efforts in the online newsletter, Smrithi. Or find out how to join one of over a thousand dynamic Chinmaya study groups that meet weekly to explore Hindu scriptures in satsanga style.
THIS ATMAN IS THE KING OF ALL BEINGS. JUST AS THE SPOKES ARE FIXED IN THE HUB AND THE RIM OF A CHARIOT WHEEL, IN THE SAME WAY ALL THESE BEINGS, ALL THE GODS, ALL THE WORLDS, ALL LIFE BREATHS, ARE FIXED IN THE ATMAN.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.5.15