Lord Shiva and Advaita Vedanta
I enjoyed reading “Visiting a Hindu Temple” (Oct/Nov/Dec 2024), especially the section, “One God, Many Gods.” Having been influenced by Advaita Vedanta for decades, my Ishta Devata (personal Deity) has become Lord Shiva. He is the one I meditate on during my meditations.
According to various Shaiva texts, such as the Shiva Purana, Shiva embodies the non-dual (advaita) nature of existence, where all dualities—such as creation and destruction, masculine and feminine—merge into a singular ultimate reality. Shiva is considered not only a Deity but also a representation of the supreme, undivided consciousness that transcends all dualities. This aligns with the concept of Brahman, the formless, ultimate reality in Hindu thought.
In addition, the Vedic perspective sees Shiva as representing the absolute, eternal truth—the formless consciousness that underlies all existence, beyond the limitations of human perception. In this sense, Shiva is not just a personal God but the very embodiment of the universal Self or Atman, which is one with Brahman.
Pradeep Srivastava
pradeepscool@hotmail.com
Earth’s Largest Gathering
The Kumbha Mela is beautifully explained in 19 pages (Jul/Aug/Sep 2025). The pictures made reading more lively. Many amazing things can be easily noted by a reader. Some 660 million visited the Mela and took a bath in a window of just a few days. It is impossible to believe that there were no flies, no bugs, no stray dogs, and no one complained, despite the crowded atmosphere, sleeping on the ground and eating from plates on the floor. The absence of guns was an important feature—thus there were no gun related deaths or injuries like we see during many gatherings of gatherings in America and in other countries. It is impressive to note that a woman’s knee pain was gone after a Nag Sadhu’s blessings and a bath in Ganga Maataa (p. 34).
prabhakar g joshi
joshipps@gmail.com
Sacred Girnar
The Girnar mountain, older than the Himalayas, is considered to be the home of yogis, jatis and sadhakas. The writer of this well-worded and self-experienced article (“Girnar Mountain, a Spiritual Journey of Ten Thousand Steps, Jul/Aug/Sept 2025) has successfully drawn a word picture of his journey to the mountain. The state government of Gujarat has put in extra efforts to make available facilities for elderly and physically challenged pilgrims. The annual circumambulation to the foothills of Girnar is most attractive, mirroring the deep faith of the people of the Saurashtra region of western India. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims circumambulate Girnar in the month of November every year. Another vibrant event, held in the foothills of Girnar, is the Maha Shivratri Mela, an annual affair featuring the foot march of Naga sadhus.
Shailesh Kumar Vyas
janmsthal@gmail.com
Mumbai Ganesha Temple
Wonderful writing, Choodie! (“Lord Ganesha’s Mumbai Home,” Jul/Aug/Sep 2025.) Such a well-structured article! It is believed that when Lord Ganesha scribed the Mahabharata as dictated by Sage Vyasa, he never lifted His hand once. This article, too, looks like such a lovely flow, with Ganesha dictating and Choodie being the scribe—another great article!
Srinivas
srinivas2007@gmail.com
A very nice and educative article, Choodie! In a fast-paced city like Mumbai, this temple enables us to pause and recharge our batteries!
Kesari Prasad
ahkesariprasad@gmail.com
Heartiest congratulations on bringing out this beautiful article on the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Prabhadevi. I have been visiting this temple since the 1960s. You have done a deep dive into the history of the temple and chronologically brought out its emergence to the present state with various twists and turns. It makes for very interesting reading. Keep writing on all possible topics, as you bring out many facts not known to readers.
Cdr. Nagaraj
bknag30@yahoo.co.in
Entering Hinduism
I agree with Mr. Grier’s letter to the editor (July/Aug/Sep 2025) stating that it is not necessary to lay the condition that one must cleanse the old religion’s influences to convert to Hinduism. Performing regular pujas and chanting mantras alone is sufficient to cleanse the mind and thoughts of the seeker, as per my view. Similarly, signing a document confirming conversion is also not advisable. Simply worshiping the God with folded hands on the heart is more than sufficient to believe in the God. Such conditions can be avoided. Jai Sri Ram!
Athinarayanan R
athinirmal@gmail.com
The Glory of Pilgrimage
I absolutely love these articles on pilgrimage (“Awesome Kedarnath,” Apr/May/Jun 2025), which highlight the grit, the sacrifice, and finally the joy of touching the Divine by breaking away from our comforts and routines. It reawakens memories of my pilgrimages and immediately transports us to walk along with the author, endure the hardships, walk the dusty roads, smell the incense, seek and touch the immaculate.
Deva Seyon
devaseyon@gmail.com
John Adams’ View of Hinduism
Wow, excellent work by this young man (Jul/Aug/Sep 2021)! I’m sure he will be a defender of Sanatana Dharma for his whole life. What an inspiration!
vs
Sreenarasimhaiah@yahoo.com
Advice for Students
The article “Balancing Religion & High School” (Apr/May/Jun 2025) was very well done—not just words, but small, actionable suggestions, which I am sure will resonate with young Hindus.
Athinarayanan R
athinirmal@gmail.com
Sri Ramana
Thank you for the article on the life of Sri Ramana Maharshi (Apr/May/Jun 2025). It is a moving narrative that covers all aspects of a sage’s life, mission and vision. I know the author well (Sudarshan Ramabhadran) and remember being with him during his program at the venue in 2018. Reading the entire article gives a clear idea of a yogi who transcends all material and spiritual boundaries and who continues to guide seekers by his writings and presence. I have done the parikrama at Tiruvannamalai thrice, and it is always an elevating experience despite the huge crowds that throng the hills. Om Namah Shivaya.
Seshadri Vasan
rsvasan2010@gmail.com
An excellent article on the Sage of Tiruvannamalai, who taught through silence and the most profound three-word enquiry: “Who am I?” I loved it, as it contains everything a lay person would need to know about Ramana Maharshi, with archival pictures and testimonies from prominent persons who had the privilege of meeting and interacting with him.
Subramaniam Mullurcaramani
mps@rediffmail.com
An Extraordinary Dancer
Indrani Rehman was a pioneer and a trailblazer (“She Dances with Devas,” July 1999). She was Odissi’s first major dancing star, whose perseverance, dedication, beauty and sense of aesthetics brought attention to the style in its crucial, initial years of revival. Indrani’s thorough grounding in Bharatanatyam gave her Odissi angashuddhi and azhuttam. She and I share an Odissi guru—the late Debaprasad Das. I later moved on to study and perform Odissi with Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, who taught me at home in Bhubaneshwar for 12 years, and with whom I stayed, studying, for 30 years (1974–2004).
You cannot overstate Indrani’s contribution to the revival of Odissi. I met her a few times (she was inevitably warm and charming), and I fondly recall spending a delectable evening with her at an excellent dinner hosted by Yamini Krishnamurti at her Satya Marg, New Delhi, residence in the 1980s.
Professor Oopalee Operajita
office@oopalioperajita.com
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The second purpose of Hinduism Today is “To inform and inspire Hindus worldwide and people interested in Hinduism.“ One of the ways we accomplish this is through in-depth articles on aspects of the faith, exploring areas not commonly covered. A good example, in the April 2025 issue, is “Capturing Divinity,” with the subheading, “India’s ancient crafts, thriving to this day, tell awe-inspiring tales of human creativity and religious fervor. Stone etching, metal casting, wood carving, earth molding and primordial musical instruments—let’s experience the living stories of these five arts with traditional exponents in Tamil Nadu.”
Author Padma Krishnan and photographer Anne Petry visited numerous craft shops to provide insightful detail into each of these traditions through text and photos. For stone carving, they chronicled the entire process—from selecting suitable stones at the quarry, and tracing designs on the stone, to the various stages of carving and final detailing. Similar details are covered for the metal, wood and terra-cotta crafts.
In the article’s section on music, we learn about the Kailaya (or Siva) Vathyam, an ancient ensemble of instruments still played at Siva temples, especially in South India. They provide the music for all manner of religious events: festivals, consecrations, processions and whenever Tevaram or Tiruvasagam are sung. The ensemble includes membranophones, brass percussion and brass wind instruments, along with strings and conches. In order to touch any of the instruments, one must be a devotee of Siva, signified by wearing a rudraksha bead, smearing holy ash on sixteen places on the body, becoming a vegetarian and performing puja to the Sivalinga twice a day. As the article explains, many artists have become more serious about their spiritual life after their initiation into Saivism. Some were drawn to this form of music by reading Tevaram and Tiruvasagam, while others were struck by hearing gifted musicians playing at temple events.
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