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Message from Swamiji<br />
Message from His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji<br />
We are very pleased to note that World Brahman Federation is<br />
<strong>org</strong>nizing World Brahmana Convention in July 2007. The theme<br />
is "Brahmans in secular society: Myth and Reality".<br />
This is an interesting theme for the convention. In our opinion,<br />
'secular Brahman' is closer to reality in the contemporary World<br />
than the secular society. However, Brahmans have to shoulder<br />
greater responsibility to turn our society into a secular society.<br />
Brahmans always utter the words - 'Lokaa Samsthaa Sukhino Bhavanthu'. and are<br />
therefore 'Bahujana Priya', the lover of all people .This trend should continue for the<br />
realization of secular society. It is not enough to be Brahmans by birth alone. We all<br />
should strive to remain Brahmans in the real sense of the term, by our noble deeds and<br />
actions in our daily lives. Personally appeal to al Brahmans to be role models in their<br />
societies. (Bhavathu Brahmanah Samudaacharena).<br />
Shanno Asthu Dwipade Sham Chathushpade. We would like extend our blessings for<br />
the success of this convention and good wishes to the <strong>org</strong>anizers and all the participants<br />
who are trying to make this world a better place to live.<br />
His Holiness Shree Shree 1008 Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji<br />
International President of WCRP (World Conference of Religions for Peace)<br />
Jagadguru Shree Madhvacharya Moola Mahaa Samsthaana<br />
Shree Puthige Matha, Udupi, Karnataka, India 576101<br />
Ph: 91-820-2522222 / 2521272<br />
2
World Brahmana Convention (WBC) <strong>2K7</strong><br />
World Brahman Federation<br />
Welcomes<br />
Dr. Girija Vyas<br />
Chairperson, National Commission of Women<br />
Govt. of India<br />
(The Keynote Speaker)<br />
Prof. Ramanath Sharma<br />
University of Hawaii<br />
Author of six volumes on Panini, Fulbright Scholar<br />
(Inaugural Keynote Speaker)<br />
‘Brahmashri’ Dr. Mahesh Prasad Kasinadhuni<br />
of Hindu University of America<br />
(Inspirational Keynote Speaker)<br />
Mr. Ashok Trivedi<br />
Chairman and Co-Founder, iGate Capital<br />
(Distinguished Guest Speaker)<br />
Honorable Upendra J. Chivukula<br />
Assemblyman, 17th District, NJ State Assembly<br />
(Distinguished Guest Speaker)<br />
Ms. Purnima Jha<br />
(World Famous Dancer & Kathak Exponent)<br />
3
Message and Blessings<br />
4
Message from Jagadguru Shankaracharya<br />
5
Table of Contents<br />
WBC 2007 - Welcome 3<br />
Message from Sri Jagadguru Shankaracharya 5<br />
Message from the Convention Director 13<br />
From <strong>Brahmodaya</strong> - Editorial Team 14<br />
Message from Dr. Girija Vyas 15<br />
Message from Hon. Upendra Chivukula 16<br />
Message from Ms. Sheila Dixit 17<br />
Message from Mr. Suresh Pachouri 18<br />
Message from President, WBF India 19<br />
On Identity of Brāhmaṇa - Prof. RamaNath Sharma 20<br />
The Action-centric Principal Core Values for Brahmans: Gita - Dr. M.P Kasinadhuni 24<br />
What is Yoga ? Dr. M.G Prasad 27<br />
Brahman Dharma in a Secular Society - Dr. Ravi Chandrasekhara 32<br />
I know who I am - Dr. S. Sharma 33<br />
The Brahman (B-Factor) in a Secular Society - Mr. Sailesh Mishra 34<br />
Taking a Chance - Leena’s Story - Ms. Isha Misra 37<br />
Vedic Wisdoms - We can.. -Dr. Bheem Bhat 40<br />
Planning The Future Requires A Multi-Generational Strategy - Mr. Jaldhar H. Vyas 41<br />
The Assault on Traditions - Dr. Subhash Kak 45<br />
Women Issues : A myth or a reality ? Ms. Ranjana Pathak 48<br />
I want to be a Brāhmaṇa. How and Why? - Dr. B V K Sastry 50<br />
ShrAddha Karma - Dr. Krishnamurthy Ramakrishna 55<br />
Shree Ganesh - The God - Sri. Vidyarthi 59<br />
The Story of Lord Dathatreya - Dr. Y Jayaram 61<br />
Brahman in a secular society : Myth and Reality - Mr. Ganga Sahay Pathak 63<br />
Hinduism in Indonesia - Mr. Rajesh Shukla 65<br />
Welfare Society in a world of Brahmans - Sri. Prabhu Shastry 69<br />
Sanatana Dharma and Caste-System - Pundit Vidyadhar Mishra 71<br />
Vedic Rituals - Samskaras - Sri. Athreya Balakrishna 73<br />
Definitions of a Brahman - Mr. Anmol Tiwari 75<br />
Agenda suggested for Hindus in 2007 and beyond - Dr. M.G Prasad 77<br />
VedAntic Learning in Gurukulam style - Dr. M. R. Dwarakanath and Dr. S. S. Iyer 78<br />
OM OM OM - Dr. Shriharsha Sharma - Dr. Shriharsha Sharma 81<br />
Global Unity of Brahmans - Mr. R.D Dixit 82<br />
Ayoddhya, Holy Ayoddhya - Dr. S. Sharma 83<br />
Brahmans and Secularism : Myth & Reality - Vasan Iyer 84<br />
Poetry Corner - Memories - Ms. Kanupriya Bhargava 85<br />
Young World - Anisha, Garima, Neha Choubey 86<br />
Annamaya Kosha (Food according to Yoga) - Dr. Krishna Bhat 87<br />
Quotable Quotes 90<br />
The Feeling of Brahmanism is Incomplete... Mr. Sailesh Mishra 91<br />
WBF Initiatives 92<br />
World Brahman Federation - Organization Chart 94<br />
WBF - Life Memberships 95<br />
Messages & Advertisements 96<br />
6
WBC 2007 - Program Agenda<br />
World Brahmana Convention 2007 (July 6-8, <strong>2K7</strong>)<br />
Schedule of Events (Tentative)<br />
(Time and Schedule Coordinator- Vinod Tewary)<br />
Friday, July 6, 2007<br />
1000 – 2000: Registration and informal get together; registration/welcome/information<br />
desk to be kept open during the whole convention. An exhibition on Kashmir<br />
will be held for the whole day on Saturday.<br />
Imperial Ball Room II<br />
1130 – 1230 Lunch<br />
1215 - 1230 Welcome Address by Convention Director<br />
Time management & other announcements (Vinod Tewary)<br />
Imperial Ball Room 1<br />
1230 – 1300 Parashuram Pooja<br />
Shubharambh and Benediction by Balshuk Gopeshji Maharaj<br />
Track 1<br />
Session I : Discussion of WBF Initiatives<br />
(Initiatives Chairpersons will draft/coordinate resolutions that<br />
will be voted upon in the President’s session.)<br />
Co Chairs: Dr. Rajesh Shukla; Mr. R. S. Goswami<br />
1300-1315 An overview of WBF Initiatives- Dr. Azad Kaushik<br />
India’s Perspective- Mr. Ganga Sahay Pathak<br />
1315-1400 Educational & Matrimonial Initiatives- Dr. M G Prasad/<br />
Dr. Ravi Chandrasekhara/ Dr. Raya Halemane<br />
1400-1430 Government & Media Relations:<br />
Dr. Rajesh Shukla/ Dr. Shiv Shankar Bhardwaj<br />
1430- 1445 Break<br />
Session II: Discussion of WBF Initiatives (Continued)<br />
Chairpersons: Mr. Abhaya Maharaj, Pt. Supal Mishra<br />
1445 - 1515 Role of Temples and Brahman priests in propagation of Brahman<br />
Tradition - Dr. M G Prasad, Dr. Raya Halemane, Mr.<br />
Chaitanya Agnihotri<br />
7
WBC 2007 - Program Agenda<br />
1515- 1600 Session III Challenges and opportunities for Brahmanism:<br />
The Indian perspective<br />
Chair Person: Mr. Dharnidhar Trivedi<br />
Panelists: Ms. Rashmi Attri, Ms. Urvashi Attri, Mr. Shailesh<br />
Mehta, Ramnath Sharma<br />
Track II (Imperial Ball Room 2)<br />
1415 – 1600 Special parallel session for Children<br />
Chairpersons: Ms. Prakashy Choubey, Ms. Lata Pandey<br />
Educational Program- Pre and early Teen<br />
1600 – 1630 Break<br />
1630 – 1730 Social hour<br />
1730 – 2030 Inaugural Session<br />
Chair: Dr. Vinod Tewary<br />
Co-Chair: Mr Ganga Sahay Pathak<br />
1730-1745 Vedic Chanting<br />
1745-1800 Contributions of Brahmans to the “World Thought” by Dr.<br />
Azad Kaushik<br />
1800-1815 Strategy for the preservation of Brahman Tradition in India in<br />
the 21 st Century by Pt. Mange Ram Sharma<br />
1815- 1915 Inaugural Address by Prof. Rama Nath Sharma including<br />
questions and answers<br />
1915 – 1920 Stage resetting for the cultural program<br />
1920 – 2030: Cultural program<br />
Coordinators: Dr. Anita Dubey, Ms. Sharad Tewary<br />
Dances by Sailusha Rao, Anisha and Garima Choubey,<br />
Sheena, Shivani, Shelly Trivedi, Rishi Pathak, Jayasree Kottapalli,<br />
and Ranjana Pathak.<br />
2030 – 2130: Dinner (WBF Canada presentation on Annual convention 2008; and<br />
Charitable Causes by Ranjana Pathak and Rama Sreenivasan)<br />
2130 - 2330: Variety program (songs, music, poetry, jokes)<br />
Co Chairs: Dr. Anita Dubey, Ms. Rajni Bhargava , Ms. Sharad<br />
Tewary<br />
Songs from the golden era by Samir Chatterjee<br />
Many other artists and entertainers.<br />
8
WBC 2007 - Program Agenda<br />
Panel Speakers: Mr. Bushan Bhat, Mr. R.D. Dixit, Dr.<br />
Rabinder Koul<br />
Session II: (1500-1530)<br />
Mayawati’s Latest Incarnation: Panacea of<br />
Brahmans or a road block to the goal of merit based India<br />
Panel Speakers: Mr Shiv Shanker Bhardwaj, Sailesh Mehta,<br />
Dilip Tribedi<br />
Session III (1530-1600)<br />
Temple Management- Are We Ready?<br />
Panel Speakers: Mr. Ganga Sahay Pathak, Dr. Raya<br />
Halemane<br />
Track II Imperial Ball Room II<br />
Health & Finance<br />
Session I Health (1400-1500)<br />
Moderator: Dr. Anil Dubey<br />
Panel Speakers: Dr. Kamla Bhardwaj, Dr. Sudhendu<br />
Choubey, Mr. Ashok Siddhanti and Dr. Ravi<br />
Chandrasekhara, Dr. K Krishna Bhat<br />
Session II Finance (1500-1600)<br />
Moderator: Mr. Sanjay Tripathi<br />
Panel Speakers: Mr. Bushan Bhat, Mr. Ashok Siddhanti,<br />
Mr. Bilgere Kripanidhi<br />
Track III<br />
Emerald I (Class Room Style Seating)<br />
Brahmana Tradition Workshop- Pre Teenage<br />
(This workshop will focus on the role of daily prayers, Gayatri<br />
and importance of Sanskrit)<br />
Session 1 (1400-1500)<br />
Chair- Prem Lata Pandey<br />
Session II (1500-1600)<br />
Chair - Dr. M G Prasad<br />
Track IV<br />
Emerald II (Class Room Style Seating)<br />
Brahmana Tradition Workshop- High School/ College<br />
Level Youth<br />
(This workshop will focus on the role of Gayatri mantra and<br />
9
WBC 2007 - Program Agenda<br />
Saturday July 7, 2007<br />
0600- 0700: Suprabhat session (Yoga- Bushan Bhat, Bhagwat Katha and bhajan<br />
by Balshuk Gopeshji Maharaj, Jyotish by Acharya Badrish)<br />
Chair: Dr Anita Dubey<br />
0700- 0830: Breakfast (Imperial Ball Room II)<br />
0900- 1030: Plenary Session I – Imperial Ball Room 1<br />
Inspirational Session<br />
Chair Mr. Kaushal Tripathi<br />
1030- 1045: Break<br />
9:00- 9:30 Chanting and Opening Remarks<br />
Dr. M G Prasad<br />
9:30 – 9:45 Veena recital by Srikar Kasinadhuni<br />
9:45- 10:30 Inspirational Keynote by Dr. Mahesh Kashinadhuni<br />
and questions and answers<br />
1045 – 1200: Plenary Session II – Imperial Ball Room 1<br />
Panel Discussion: Brahmana Tradition: Challenges & Opportunities<br />
Moderator: Dr. Ravi Chandrasekhara<br />
Panel members: Dr. Rathna Prasad Kasinadhuni, Dr. M G Prasad, Mr Anshuman<br />
Tripathi, Srikar Kasinadhuni<br />
1200- 1300: Lunch Imperial Ball Room II<br />
1300- 1345: Plenary session III- Imperial Ball Room 1<br />
Panel Discussion: Women’s Issues<br />
Moderator: Ms. Ranjana Pathak<br />
Panel Members: Dr. Smita Siddhanti, Ms. Rajni Bhargava, Dr. Suresh<br />
Kaushik, Dr. Asha Sharma, Dr. Madhu Sharma,<br />
1345- 1400 Break<br />
1400- 1600 Breakout Sessions I & II<br />
Track 1 Imperial Ball Room 1<br />
Chairpersons: Mr. Rajesh Shukla, Mr. R.S. Goswami,<br />
Session I (1400-1500)<br />
Kashmiri Pundits: Refugees in their own home.<br />
10
WBC 2007 - Program Agenda<br />
1600-1630 Break<br />
1630 – 1730 Social hour<br />
importance of Study of Vedic Scriptures such as Bhagavadgita<br />
and Upanishads, and address issues.)<br />
Session 1 (1400-1500)<br />
Moderator- Mr. Ashok Saraswat<br />
Panelists Dr. M.G. Prasad and Dr. Rabinder Koul<br />
Session II (1500-1600)<br />
Moderator- Mr. Kaushal Tripathi<br />
Panelists: Dr. Rathna Prasad Kasinadhuni, Mr. Anshuman<br />
Tripathi<br />
1730- 2000 Plenary Session IV Imperial Ball Room I<br />
1730-1930 Keynote Session<br />
Chair: Pt Mange Ram Sharma<br />
Co-Chair: Mr. Madan Lal Sharma<br />
Mr. Nirmal Chobey (Presidential Address)<br />
Mr. Ashok Trivedi (Distinguished Guest Speaker)<br />
Mr. Upendra Chivukula (Distinguished Guest Speaker)<br />
Dr. Girija Vyas (Keynote Speaker)<br />
1930-1935 Stage resetting for the cultural program<br />
1935 – 2030: Distinguished cultural program<br />
Coordinator: Dr. Anita Dubey<br />
Kathak dance recital by Ms. Purnima Jha<br />
Veena recital by Srikar Kasinadhuni<br />
2030 – 2130 Dinner (Presentation to be announced)<br />
2130 - 2330 Abhinav Night (Poetry by Mr. Abhinav Shukla, Dr. Girija Vyas)<br />
Chair: Mr. Anoop Bhargava, Dr. Anita Dubey<br />
Sunday July 8, 2007<br />
0600- 0700: Suprabhat Session (Yoga, Bhagwat Katha and bhajan by Balshuk Gopeshji<br />
Maharaj, Jyotish by Acharya Badrish )<br />
Chair: Dr. Anita Dubey<br />
0700- 0830: Breakfast<br />
0900- 1200 Plenary session – President’s session (WBF- past, present, and future; Miscellaneous<br />
items as determined by the President)<br />
1200- 1215 Closing Remarks- Mr. Manoranjan Mishra, Mr. Dharni Dhar Trivedi<br />
1215- 1315 Lunch and farewells<br />
11
From Your President<br />
FOREWORD<br />
June 24, 2007<br />
My Fellow Brahmans:<br />
It gives me immense pleasure in presenting to you the fourth issue of <strong>Brahmodaya</strong> on the<br />
occasion of the World Brahmana Convention 2007 being hosted by the World Brahman<br />
Federation (WBF). Last December, I traveled to India where I had an opportunity to meet<br />
Brahmans from all corners of India, and the decisions made in that visit have changed the<br />
dynamics of the Brahman movement worldwide. Pt. Mange Ram Sharma is leading a very<br />
large delegation of Brahmans from India to attend this convention, a truly historic event.<br />
In India itself, the world of Brahmans has seen a sea change in the recent elections in UP<br />
where the government in power is supported by Brahmans. Recent press reports in Indian<br />
newspapers and magazines make WBF a major player in the well-being of the Brahman<br />
community.<br />
I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Sailesh Mishra and his editorial team for giving us another<br />
terrific issue of <strong>Brahmodaya</strong>. I offer my grateful thanks to these leaders and their families<br />
for their contributions.<br />
As a great privilege for us all, we are honored by our Inaugural Address speaker<br />
Professor Ramanath Sharma, Inspirational Keynote speaker His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra<br />
Teertha Swamiji, and Dr. Girija Vyas, the Keynote speaker, and are grateful for their willingness<br />
to share with us their insights and experiences.<br />
Thank you and God bless you.<br />
Nirmal Choubey<br />
Nirmalendu Choubey<br />
President, WBF<br />
World Brahman Federation, USA<br />
12
Message from the Convention Director<br />
I am happy to announce that WBF is<br />
<strong>org</strong>anizing it’s 2007 World Brahmana<br />
Convention in New Jersey. This year, we will have<br />
attendees not only from North America, but also<br />
India, Europe, Africa, Nepal and other parts of the<br />
world. We are especially excited with the presence<br />
of many dignitaries on this occasion.<br />
For many centuries, Brahmans have had the duty<br />
to practice the religion and spread the wisdom to<br />
other communities. Now that we are a global <strong>org</strong>anization,<br />
we have the opportunity to enlighten<br />
our brethren from around the world.<br />
We promise this convention to be a highly educational<br />
event for all. This convention has been possible<br />
due to the dedicated and ongoing efforts by many of you. WBF President Nirmalendu<br />
Choubey ji toured various cities in India and North America to mobilize and unite Brahmans<br />
for the cause of serving the community. We are certainly fortunate to have Pt. Mange Ram<br />
Sharma ji as the President of WBF India working with us hand in hand to raise the consciousness<br />
of the world towards the plight of Brahmans in India. Dr. Azad Kaushik has been<br />
instrumental in establishing the Canada chapter of WBF. I am sure that with such leadership<br />
and your blessings, we will soon be a leading <strong>org</strong>anization for Brahmans around the world.<br />
I want to thank you for the opportunity to host yet another convention in New Jersey. Your<br />
presence last year turned the convention into a grand success. I was absolutely delighted to<br />
see the enthusiasm and level of participation amongst Brahmans from all walks of life.<br />
Please plan on attending again with all of your family members and Brahman friends to make<br />
this convention a memorable one.<br />
Warm Regards,<br />
Sanjay Tripathi<br />
Sanjay Tripathi<br />
Convention Director<br />
World Brahman Convention (WBC) , July 2007<br />
13
From <strong>Brahmodaya</strong> - Editorial Team<br />
At Your Service, As Always<br />
We are pleased to present this souvenir issue at your service.<br />
The issue commemorates yet another World Brahmana Convention<br />
(WBC) spearheaded by WBF. In the recent years, WBF has<br />
emerged as a strong player in uniting the international community of<br />
Brahmans and bringing them together to work for Brahman causes<br />
at all levels. We appreciate the efforts from all the members of the<br />
community who have shown an outstanding level of dedication.<br />
We are honored to welcome all the delegates to this year’s convention. This publication is<br />
more than just a souvenir for the upcoming convention. It reflects the intellectual and spiritual<br />
outlook of our great community. A lot of effort has gone into this publication and we sincerely<br />
hope that it meets the standards that our readers have come to expect from us.<br />
The Editorial Board is thankful to Mr. Sailesh Mishra for coordinating with the authors and<br />
Mr. Anoop Bhargava for his efforts on publishing the magazine and CD. Mr. Vijendra Vij<br />
(India) deserves a special mention for his creative work with the cover design. Prof.<br />
Ramanath Sharma has been a great source of scholarly information for us , as always.<br />
Dr. Vinod Tewary has been really helpful in making tough decisions for us. We also appreciate<br />
the inputs of our invited guest editors, Dr. BVK Sastry and Dr. K. Ramakrishna.<br />
We were fortunate to get the contributions of excellent authors and help from a large number<br />
of friends. The credit for whatever merit this publication has, goes to our authors and friends.<br />
The faults, which will be many, are entirely ours.<br />
Your Editorial Team,<br />
Mr. Sailesh Mishra (Managing Editor) Sailesh Kumar Mishra<br />
Prof. Ramanath Sharma (Principal Editor) Ramanath Sharma<br />
Mr. Anoop Bhargava (Contributing Editor) Anoop Bhargava<br />
Dr. Vinod Tewary (Contributing Editor) Vinod Tewary<br />
Dr. B.V.K Sastry (Guest Editor) B. VenkataKrishna Sastry<br />
Dr. K. RamaKrishna (Guest Editor) Krishnamurthy Ramakrishna<br />
New Jersey (USA), July 2007<br />
14
Message from Dr. Girija Vyas<br />
I am happy to learn that World Brahman Federation is going to <strong>org</strong>anize 'World Brahmana<br />
Convention, 2007' on July 6 - 8, 2007 in New Jersey, USA. The World Brahman Federation<br />
holds world<br />
Brahman conventions world wide on regular basis with a view to promoting social,cultural,<br />
educational and religious links between Brahmans of the world and to uplift the community<br />
for the welfare of all human kind. The World Brahman Federation acts as an enabler for<br />
passing the torch of "Sanskara" to each generation.<br />
It is gratifying to note that World Brahman Federation promotes respect for all human beings<br />
and is against all types of discrimination. The main topic of the Convention is "Brahmana in<br />
a Secular Society : Myth and Reality". The Convention will be attended by the galaxy of<br />
dignitaries from all walks of life.<br />
The Brahman community always believes in secularism and provides full cooperation to this<br />
approach. It takes along with it all the classes of societies and hence it is not a myth but a<br />
reality.<br />
I hope the Convention will achieve its objectives and will continue to endeavour for the<br />
upliftment of the society at large. I convey my good wishes for the success of the<br />
Convention.<br />
(Girija Vyas)<br />
Chairperson<br />
National Commission for Women<br />
4, DDU Marg,<br />
New Delhi.<br />
15
Message<br />
NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSE<strong>MB</strong>LY<br />
UPENDRA J. CHIVUKULA<br />
Assemblyman, 17th District<br />
888 Easton Avenue Somerset, NJ 08873;<br />
Phone: 732-247-3999; Fax: 732-247-4383<br />
June 15, 2007<br />
Dear Friends:<br />
It gives me great pleasure to extend my warmest greetings to the World Brahman<br />
Federation as you host your World Brahmana Convention on July 6-8, 2007.<br />
As a Legislative Representative, I wish to congratulate your membership on this very<br />
special occasion. The state of New Jersey is a melting pot of vibrant cultures which display<br />
the traditions and richness of our communities. I applaud your commitment to promoting and<br />
fostering the Brahman culture while also embracing all people of all origins.<br />
I look forward to joining you on July 7 th for this great event. I wish you all the best for<br />
a successful program and continued success to your <strong>org</strong>anization.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Upendra J. Chivukula<br />
Assemblyman, 17 th District<br />
16
Message from Sheila Dixit<br />
17
Message from Suresh Pachouri<br />
18
Message from President, WBF India<br />
Respected Fellow Brahman Brothers and Sisters,<br />
It gives me a great pleasure and pride to associate myself<br />
with World Brahman Federation (WBF). The <strong>org</strong>anization<br />
was founded during the World Brahmana Convention<br />
2000 in Valley F<strong>org</strong>e, Pennsylvania, USA. At that time,<br />
we expressed our commitment to unite the Brahmans all<br />
over the world and form an <strong>org</strong>anization that caters to uplift<br />
our community and nurture our values and rich culture.<br />
After seven years, I think, to some extent, we have failed<br />
to honor our "word" despite the fact that we successfully<br />
<strong>org</strong>anized World Brahman Convention in 2003, New Delhi.<br />
At New Delhi<br />
Convention, delegates from over 25 countries participated and contributed to the deliberations.<br />
This was appreciated by Brahman community all over the world. We are passing through a<br />
critical time for our community due to socio-political situation in our motherland India. We must<br />
acknowledge this fact that we are responsible for this kind of situation. There is need for equanimity<br />
– both loss and gain are to be accepted as they are mutually connected.<br />
We must create leadership quality among our Brahman brothers and sisters. A leader is a<br />
person who can lead a group of people to achieve a particular goal. An enlightened leader leads a<br />
team selflessly towards a holistic goal, while enabling development and utilization of maximum<br />
potential of all members of Brahman community. A good leader works selflessly to achieve<br />
such goals. In my opinion, to blame each other can not serve the purpose. Let everyone realize<br />
this truth and attain grace by acting accordingly. It looks like that politics in independent India<br />
have degenerated into a vote gathering tool on caste lines.<br />
If we want to save our heritage and culture, this is the high time to rise to the occasion and unite<br />
ourselves. We have to honor everybody in our society, big or small. Do not f<strong>org</strong>et that the rule of<br />
discipline is the key everywhere for unity.<br />
I feel proud that WBF is holding ‘World Brahman Convention’ 2007 in New Jersey under the<br />
dynamic leadership of Shri N. Choubey who is the Founder President of World Brahman<br />
Federation (WBF) and a torch bearer of Brahman community as whole.<br />
More than fifty delegates from different parts of India are participating at this convention with me.<br />
We whole heartedly support unity among Brahmans. My heartiest congratulation to all fellow<br />
Brahman brothers and sisters at this great occasion. May God enlighten us to present ourselves<br />
in the future with zeal and devotion for the community.<br />
With regards to all.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
M. R. Sharma,<br />
President World Brahman Federation India<br />
19
On Identity of Brāhmaṇa<br />
by Rama Nath Sharma<br />
1.Brāhmaṇa as Offspring of Ṛṣi:<br />
It is known from the Vedas,<br />
Upaniṣads, Rāmāyaṇa, and last<br />
but not the least, Mahābhārata,<br />
that brāhmaṇa is the gotra<br />
descendant (grandson on) of a<br />
Ṛṣi. There were seven earliest<br />
sages, namely Bhṛgu, Aṅgirā, Atri,<br />
Kaśyapa, Vaśiṣṭha, Agasta and<br />
Kuśika, to whom the Vedas were<br />
revealed. It is the family of these<br />
sages which received revelations,<br />
and continued on with preservation<br />
of the Vedas through tradition,<br />
in the form of their speech. It is<br />
because of revelation, and preservation<br />
through oral tradition that<br />
Vedas are called śruti. Names of<br />
these rṣis were accepted as gotra,<br />
ādi-puruṣa 'source person of lineage'.<br />
Most of the earliest ṛṣis<br />
were the offspring (by mind) of the<br />
brahman 'supreme being, creator'.<br />
Kuśika, the kṣatriya grandfather of<br />
Viśvāmitra, was accorded the<br />
status of brahmarṣi, only when<br />
Viśvāmitra attained the status of<br />
brahmarṣi and requested Brahman<br />
to bless his father Gādhi, and grandfather<br />
Kuśika, with the status of brahmarṣi. Many of<br />
the brāhmaṇa gotra-descendants (grandsons<br />
on) of these sages also became distinguished<br />
and even became ṛsis by the power of their own<br />
tapas. These distinguished ṛṣis were called<br />
pravaras, and the names of many such pravaras<br />
were accepted as gotras subsequently.<br />
These ṛṣis were distinguished because of their<br />
tapas, and, because of Brahman as their source<br />
of being, were called brāhmaṇa 'he who knows<br />
brahman is a brāhmaṇa' (ॄ जानाित ॄाणः).<br />
2. Offspring of a brāhmaṇa is a brāhmaṇa:<br />
There should be no doubt that a<br />
brāhmaṇa is one who is born into a brāhmaṇī,<br />
from a brāhmaṇa; a<br />
brāhmaṇa is also one who<br />
is born in a kṣatriya and vaiśya<br />
woman, in that same<br />
way:<br />
ॄायां ॄाणाजातो ॄाणः<br />
ःयान संशयः ।<br />
ऽयायां तथैव ःयाैँयायामप<br />
चैव ह ।।<br />
It should be remembered<br />
here that tathaiva 'in that<br />
same way' of the preceding<br />
Sanskrit verse requires the<br />
brāhmaṇa father to be distinguished<br />
by his tapas so<br />
that he could produce a<br />
brāhmaṇa son into a<br />
kṣatriya, or a vaiśya,<br />
woman. The phrase 'that<br />
same way' refers to<br />
saṅkalpa 'vow of invocation<br />
to accomplish'. Such an accomplishment<br />
of a<br />
brāhmaṇa son in a<br />
brāhmaṇī, or even a<br />
kṣatriya, or vaiśya woman,<br />
required the brāhmaṇa to be<br />
deserving, based on tapas.<br />
Our locus of birth, irrespective of whether in a<br />
brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, or a vaiśya woman, should<br />
not be identified as locus of birth requiring tapas<br />
on part of the brāhmaṇa father. Those births,<br />
and also births of ṛṣis, and brāhmaṇa ṛṣis as<br />
well, should not be identified with general human<br />
standards of births. The Mahābhārata<br />
mentions birth of ṛṣis in detail. Consider Viśvāmitra<br />
who was born to a kṣatriya woman. His<br />
father Gādhi gave away his kṣatriya daughter in<br />
marriage to the sage Ṛcīka. Ṛcīka blessed his<br />
wife with birth of the most exalted brāhmaṇa<br />
son. But there was a problem. Ṛcīka, at the insistence<br />
of his wife, also blessed her with birth<br />
of an exalted kṣatriya brother. He consecrated<br />
two sets of sacrificial carus 'rice-offering': one<br />
consecrated with best of the brāhmaṇa values<br />
Prof. Ramanath Sharma<br />
is a Professor of Sanskrit, at<br />
the University of Hawaii,<br />
Honolulu, USA. He is an<br />
internationally known scholar<br />
of Linguistics and particularly<br />
famous for his treatise on<br />
Panini consisting of a series of<br />
volumes.<br />
20
for his wife; the other consecrated with best of the<br />
kṣatriya values for her mother. The daughter, at<br />
the insistence of her mother, exchanged her caru<br />
with that of her mother. Once Ṛcīka found out<br />
about the exchange of caru he cursed his wife<br />
with birth of a (brāhmaṇa) son, with qualities of a<br />
very cruel kṣatriya. When the wife pleaded with<br />
Ṛcīka to not to curse his own son, Ṛcīka agreed,<br />
as suggested by his wife, to transfer the curse to<br />
his grandson, instead. Thus, the son of Ṛcīka was<br />
Jamadagni, and the grandson was none other<br />
than Paraśurāma, generally considered an<br />
avatāra. Vishvāmitra was born as a result of his<br />
kṣatriya mother's eating of sacrificial caru, consecrated<br />
with most of the brāhmaṇa values. It was<br />
as a result of most severe tapas that he became<br />
a brahmarṣi, and also won the status of brahmarṣi<br />
for his kṣatriya father Gādhi, and grandfather<br />
Kuśika. Now consider the birth of Pārāśara<br />
Vyāsa, a great ṛṣi, compiler of the Mahābhārata,<br />
and the Vedas. Vyāsa was born as a result of the<br />
union of his father Ṛṣi Parāśara with Satyavatī,<br />
daughter of the fish named Adrikā. Adrikā was a<br />
damsel of heaven, cursed to be born as a fish. It<br />
so happened that king Uparicara went hunting,<br />
and got sexually aroused in the forest. Since he<br />
did not want his semen to go to waste, he preserved<br />
it in a leaf-cup and asked a falcon to<br />
please fly it over to his wife. As the falcon was<br />
flying over a river with the leaf-cup in its clutches,<br />
another falcon attacked. The leaf-cup fell directly<br />
into the mouth of Adrikā, the fish. The fisherman,<br />
after fishing her out of the water, and cutting her<br />
open, found a boy and a girl. They took them both<br />
to King Uparicara who designated the boy as his<br />
chief of the army, and gave away the fishsmelling<br />
girl (matsya-gandhā) to the chief fisherman,<br />
to raise. This girl was Satyavatī who conceived,<br />
and gave birth to, Vyāsa right there in the<br />
river. Since Vyāsa was born at an island in the<br />
river he was also named dvaiIpāyana 'born at an<br />
island'. Right after his birth he stood up, and told<br />
his mother that he was leaving for tapas, and that<br />
he will return whenever his mother wished him to<br />
return. Satyavatī, after her sons from Śantanu<br />
passed on, wished Parāśara to return, and produce<br />
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura, by niyoga.<br />
Similar descriptions of birth of a number of other<br />
brāhmaṇas, or brāhmaṇa ṛṣis, for example Droṇa,<br />
etc., are recorded by the Mahābhārata. Suffice it<br />
to say that the truth of a brāhmaṇa being the son<br />
of a brāhmaṇa father and a brāhmaṇa mother is<br />
only human, and not super human.<br />
3. A Brahmaṇa is a śūdra by birth:<br />
जमना जायते शूिः संःकारा ज उयते ।<br />
वया याित वूवं ऽिभः ौोऽय उयते ।।<br />
'a brāhmaṇa is śūdra by birth; from samṣkāras<br />
he is called a dvija 'twice-born; he avails vipratva<br />
by knowledge; with all three he is called a<br />
śrotriya'<br />
There are four kinds of brāhmaṇas:<br />
(i) a brāhmaṇa, only by birth (janmanā);<br />
(ii) a brāhmaṇa by birth who, after going<br />
through saṃskāras, becomes dvija<br />
'twice-born' by namely śūdra;<br />
(iii) a dvija who, after receiving systematic<br />
education, becomes vipra; and<br />
(iv) a vipra who, after accomplishing<br />
knowledge of the Vedas, becomes<br />
śrotriya.<br />
It goes without saying that a brāhmaṇa by birth<br />
(jāti-brāhmaṇa), alone, is no brāhmaṇa, at all. He<br />
must receive saṃskāras so that he could be born<br />
as a dvija. A bird is also called dvija since its first<br />
birth is in the form of an egg, and second in its<br />
own form of a bird.<br />
The word saṃskāra is explained as 'bringing enhancement<br />
to a quality that already exists' (सतो<br />
गुणातराधानम ्). It implies that a new born already<br />
has some innate qualities which, when enhanced<br />
through saṃskāras, enable the child to develop<br />
mentally, physically, and socially. Saṃskāras<br />
should not be considered mere rituals. They impact<br />
significantly towards development of a human<br />
in life. There is a symbolic connection between<br />
the mantras which are woven through corresponding<br />
ritual practices, invoked at<br />
saṃskāras, namely jāta-karma 'birth-related' to<br />
vivāha 'wedding'. Notice that antyeṣṭi 'desired<br />
ritual practice at the end of body' is not accepted<br />
as a saṃskāra. For, no enhancement is possible<br />
to be brought to whatever quality exists there in<br />
the dead body. It is simply disposal. Śrāddha is<br />
similarly out since it means śraddhayā dattaṃ<br />
dānaṃ śrāddham 'śrāddha is an offering made<br />
with reverence (to a deceased relative)'. There is<br />
a lot that should be said about saṃskāras along<br />
these lines. I refuse to venture any further because<br />
of paucity of time and space.<br />
21
Luckily we live in these scientifically, and technologically,<br />
advanced times when genetic researchers<br />
are making strides. The innate qualities of a<br />
child which receive enhancement, via saṃskāras,<br />
are directly relatable to patterning of human<br />
genes. Identification of genes and their genetic<br />
mappings, particularly those relatable to a specific<br />
group of human individuals, namely<br />
brāhmaṇas, etc., is now a reality. There is<br />
research in progress in Neuroscience whereby<br />
faith and spirituality are being studied in relation<br />
to lighting up of areas of the brain. Ritual<br />
practices relatable to saṃskāras may be likened<br />
to booting and rebooting, of a computer system<br />
which, with required hardware and software,<br />
could achieve enhanced performance. Let us<br />
come to vidyā 'education, knowledge', which is<br />
what distinguishes a human from an animal. A<br />
brāhmaṇa, in ancient times, was led (upanayana)<br />
to the ācārya (teacher), and from that time on till<br />
completion of his studies, served the teacher at<br />
the teacher's place, while systematically receiving<br />
education. Since we are so far removed in time<br />
and space from ancient times, and also since the<br />
focus of studies have shifted, study of the Vedas,<br />
and related fields is not advised for pursuit of<br />
brāhmaṇas in general. It should however be<br />
emphasized here that a brāhmaṇa must distinguish<br />
himself as a vipra, in whatever field of<br />
knowledge he pursues. Becoming a śrotriya is a<br />
indeed a very tall order. Brāhmaṇa intellectuals<br />
who, by their accomplishments, have excelled<br />
nationally and internationally, are no less than the<br />
śrotriyas of the ancient times. I here remember<br />
my class-fellow at the B.H.U., Jayanta Viṣu Narlikar,<br />
whom I accept as no less than a śrotriya. A<br />
dvija may, or may not, attain the heights of<br />
becoming a śrotriya, but there is no reason why a<br />
brāhmaṇa cannot distinguish himself as a learned<br />
dvija.<br />
Let us turn to yet another definition of a dvija:<br />
जाया कु लेन वृेन ःवायायेन ौुतेन च ।<br />
एिभयुे न यःतेनयं स ज उयते ।।<br />
'he who always stays in tune with family, character,<br />
studies, and the Vedas is called a dvija'. This<br />
stage of life of a dvija relates to his being a<br />
householder (gṛhastha). A dvija must stay in tune<br />
with the gotra-tradition of the family, as reflected<br />
in his characteristic conduct (ācāra). Furthermore,<br />
he should not ignore his self-study (svādhyāya).<br />
The word vṛtta is generally explained as conduct,<br />
though strictly not unbecoming.<br />
What is a becoming conduct of a brāhmaṇa? A<br />
becoming conduct is one which a brāhmaṇa<br />
follows in consonance with dharma:<br />
जीवतं यःय धमाथ धम रयथमेव च ।<br />
अहोराऽ पुयाथःतं देवा ॄाणं वदः ु ।।<br />
'he whose life is all for dharma; and he for<br />
whom dharma is meant only for rati 'devotion'; he<br />
whose nights and days are meant for deeds that<br />
accrue him merits; he is one whom divinities<br />
know as brāhmaṇa'<br />
Note that dharma is a difficult word to<br />
translate. Religion, as an English rendition for<br />
dharma, is a misnomer. This Sanskrit word is<br />
explained as िीयते अनेन 'that which supports,<br />
or that by means of which one stays supported,<br />
or still, that by which one is saved from falling<br />
apart, in life'. Dharma could thus be nothing but<br />
the value system one inherits. Bringing dharma to<br />
one's life is a two-way street:<br />
धम रित रतः 'dharma protects only<br />
when dharma is protected'.<br />
For understanding of dharma we need svādhyāya<br />
'self-study', the process of which, itself, is a twoway<br />
street. First learn the value system as<br />
practiced by elders (role-models), then bring it<br />
into your own conduct. Next study your own conduct,<br />
especially as dharma is reflected in your<br />
conduct. A brāhmaṇa must be his own harshest<br />
critic when it comes to practice of dharma that<br />
accrues him merits (puṇya). This is no easy task.<br />
It requires discipline (tāḍana 'beating'), as is<br />
explained by the following verse:<br />
लालयेपचवषाण दशवषाण ताडयेत ् ।<br />
ूाे तु षोडशे वष पुऽं िमऽवदाचरेत ् ।<br />
'should love him for five years; discipline<br />
for ten; should treat him as a friend when a son<br />
reaches his sixteenth year'.<br />
Discipline received from parents in view of the<br />
value system, and then brought on to one's own<br />
self by practice of dharma, requires a brāhmaṇa<br />
to live his life with protection of dharma. This<br />
disciplined living ultimately frees him from all<br />
attachment (वमुं सवसंगेय:). It brings a<br />
brāhmaṇa to a stage in his life when:<br />
न बु येन ूंयेच मािनतो ऽमािनत यः ।<br />
सवभूतेंवभयदं तं देवा ॄाणं वदः ु ।।<br />
'should not be angry, nor be pleased,<br />
whether revered, or insulted, he who is no<br />
source of fear to all creatures; divinities know him<br />
as brāhmaṇa'<br />
22
TRUTH has been uniquely accepted as the<br />
dharma of a brāhmaṇa. Ascertaining TRUTH,<br />
especially when pitched against its twin variables<br />
of Fact and Reality, is no easy task. The problem<br />
is that TRUTH has three faces: yours, mine, and<br />
his, where this last also includes TRUTH's own<br />
face. What makes ascertaining TRUTH rather<br />
difficult is the fact that we approach its Face from<br />
the side of its back. Negation of TRUTH, against<br />
Fact and Reality, can be absolute no to truth<br />
(prasajya), or it could be 'similar to but different<br />
from' truth (paryudāsa).<br />
Consider the interpretation the following<br />
sentence: अॄाणो ऽयं यःतन ् मूऽयित<br />
'he who urinates while standing is a nonbrāhmaṇa'.<br />
If he is not a brāhmaṇa, who is he?<br />
If he is not a brāhmaṇa then he could be any<br />
non-Hindu. This will be the prasajya negation of a<br />
brāhmaṇa. However, if the paryudāsa view of<br />
non-negation is accepted, he could be a Hindu,<br />
similar to but different from a brāhmaṇa. That is,<br />
he could be a kṣatriya or vaiśya, who both share<br />
the Hindu saṃskāras similar to a brāhmaṇa. This<br />
muddies the waters a great deal when it comes to<br />
ascertaining TRUTH. Lastly, TRUTH is a concept<br />
relative to absolute reality. It reflects in conduct in<br />
thirteen facets:<br />
सयच समता चैव दमैव न संशयः ।<br />
अमासय मा चैव ॑ःतानसूयता ।।<br />
यागो धयानमथायवं धृित सततं दया ।<br />
अहंसा चैव राजेि सयाकारयोदश ।।<br />
ॄाण न कसी के राय म रहता है,<br />
न कसी के अन से पलता है;<br />
ःवराय म वचरता है,<br />
अमृत बन कर जीता है ।<br />
'a brāhmaṇa is no resident of any kingdom; he<br />
does not subsist on other's food; he pleasantly<br />
wanders about in his own kingdom; he lives the<br />
way of immortals'<br />
Prof. Ramanath Sharma<br />
564-G, Hahaione Street<br />
Honolulu, HI 96825<br />
(808) 395-2400<br />
Email : rama@hawaii.edu<br />
The thirteen facets of TRUTH, without a doubt,<br />
are: satya 'truth', samatā 'equality', dama<br />
'restraint', amātsarya 'no envy', kṣamā<br />
'f<strong>org</strong>iveness', hrī 'modesty', titikṣā ,'endurance',<br />
anasūyatā 'not finding faults in other's qualities',<br />
tyāga 'giving', dhyāna focus', āryatva 'high thinking',<br />
dhṛti 'steadfastness', dayā 'compassion',<br />
and ahiṃsā 'no harm to any'.<br />
A brāhmaṇa who lives by this dharma, the embodiment<br />
of TRUTH, rises above all conflicts. He<br />
then becomes truly independent of others. For<br />
him, no one has malice, everyone has respect.<br />
It is this kind of a brāhmaṇa about whom the<br />
famous Hindi poet Jayashankar Prasad wrote<br />
in his play Chandragupta Maurya:<br />
23
The Action-centric Principal Core Values<br />
for Brahmans: Gita<br />
By<br />
Mahesh Prasad Kasinadhuni<br />
x;m;;e dm;st;p;/ x;;Ec;m; Z;;int;r;j;*v;m;ev; c; =<br />
N;n;] iv;N;n;m;;ist;ky;] b;>É k:m;* sv;B;;v;j;m;< =<br />
Samo damas tapah saucham kshantir<br />
arjavam eva cha |<br />
Jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahmam karma<br />
svabhavajam ||<br />
Srimad Bhagavad Gita Ch.18:42<br />
This message is given as a part<br />
of the keynote speech at the<br />
World Brahmana Convention,<br />
2007 at Secaucus, New Jersey<br />
on July 7 th , 2007. Srimad Bhagavad<br />
Gita lists out the actioncentric<br />
core values for Brahmans<br />
which are thus recommended for<br />
practice. This listing is summarized<br />
for a reason, per se, in the<br />
last chapter of Gita, Moksha<br />
sannyasa Yoga, verse 18:42 .<br />
What are the Core Values that<br />
identify Brahmans or Brahma<br />
karma ? These are nine values.<br />
1. x;m; Sama – Discipline of<br />
Mind, intellect, Memory, and Ego<br />
2. dm; Dama – Opposite of<br />
Mada (Discipline of Physical Organs)<br />
3. t;p;/ Tapas – Sareerika,<br />
Vaachika, Maanasika tapasya –<br />
Gita/XVII.14~16<br />
4. x;;Ec;m;< Saucham – Purity<br />
(External, Internal, Physical, Mental & Intellectual<br />
)<br />
5. Z;;int;/ Kshantih – Forbearance, F<strong>org</strong>iving<br />
6. a;j;*v;m;< Arjavam – Uprightness (no angularities/crookedness),<br />
Integrity<br />
7. N;n;m;< Jnanam – 18 components of Knowledge<br />
( Gita/ XIII.8~12)<br />
8. iv;N;n;m;< Vijnanam – Application & Continued<br />
Practice leading to realization<br />
a;ist;ky;m;< Astikyam – Unshakable Faith in<br />
God, Elders, Guru and Scriptures<br />
About the Author<br />
‘Brahmashri’ Dr. Mahesh Prasad<br />
Kasinadhuni is a Sanskrit poet and<br />
a veteran Sanskrit scholar of Prasthana<br />
Traya and is a resident of New<br />
Jersey. He has a Ph.D. in Computer<br />
Science with long professional experience<br />
in corporate environment<br />
associated with AT&T, Lucent Technologies,<br />
etc. He is an adjunct<br />
professor in the Hindu University<br />
of America, Florida.<br />
x;m; Sama – Discipline of Internal Organs<br />
(mano buddhi chitta and<br />
ahamkaara). Discipline of<br />
Mind and its modalities, the<br />
Mind in action, the Intellect,<br />
the Memory retrieval and<br />
Ego. It is a state of mind<br />
with tranquility, equanimity,<br />
poise & Peace. Mind and<br />
its discipline is through<br />
Patanjali Yoga Sutras.The<br />
fore-runner to Sama is<br />
Shanti Shanti comes from<br />
not having Kama, Krodha<br />
Lobha, Moha, Mada and<br />
Matsarya, the six foes operating<br />
from inside<br />
dm; Dama – Discipline of<br />
Physical Organs (! Mada) –<br />
Absence of Mada.<br />
Mada - the following 18<br />
negative qualities:<br />
Damo ashtadasa doshah<br />
syat pratikoolam krute<br />
bhavet |<br />
Anritam paisunam trishna<br />
praatikulyam tamo aratih<br />
||<br />
Lokadveshah abhimanascha vivadah<br />
praanipeedanam |<br />
Parivado ativadascha paritapo akshama<br />
adhritih ||<br />
Asiddhih papakrityam cha himsa cheti<br />
prakeertitaah |<br />
Etairdoshirvimuktoyah sa damah sadbhiruchyate<br />
||<br />
Ref: Sanatsujatiya (MahaBharat)<br />
24
How do we practice ‘Dama’ in action ?<br />
This practice leads to getting rid of 18 negative<br />
qualities in us.<br />
1)Anritam – falsehood,<br />
2)Paisunam – calumny,<br />
3)Trishňa – excessive desire,<br />
4)Prātikulyam – unhelpful,<br />
5)Tama – ignorance,<br />
6)Rati – excessive Lust,<br />
7)Lokadvesha – hatred w/world,<br />
8)Abhimana – Immodesty,<br />
9) Vivaadah – quarrelsome<br />
10) Praanipeedanam – killing life for fun,<br />
11)Parivadah – not tactful in saying one’s defects<br />
on one’s face,<br />
12)Ativadah – excessive talk,<br />
13)Paritapah – brooding over misery,<br />
14)Akshama – Unf<strong>org</strong>iving,<br />
15)Adhritih – lack of steadfastness,<br />
16)Asiddhih – Failure in one’s pursuits,<br />
17)Papakrityam – doing forbidden things,<br />
18)Himsa * – Violence, Paining<br />
Most important practice here is Non-Violence.<br />
This is hard to practice.<br />
aih]’s;; ih p;rm;;e Q;m;*/ = Ahimsa hi paramo<br />
Dharma (Non-violence is the greatest dharma)<br />
à There are 324 kinds of Violence, we have to<br />
abstain from:<br />
3 – Reaching pain to others through body,<br />
speech and Mind<br />
3 – inflicting pain through one’s own actions, by<br />
hiring someone-else and supporting violence<br />
through an institution<br />
3 – Quantitative; excessively disproportional,<br />
medium and in small measures<br />
3 – Violence driven by Anger, Greed and Illusion/<br />
Delusion<br />
4 – Committed in a place ( violence in a temple<br />
or sacred place), time (of the day, month or<br />
year), person (pain reached to spouse, child,<br />
parents, guru or a friend) and occasion<br />
(birthdays, exploitation instead of giving on spiritually<br />
significant days like Christmas time)<br />
3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 4 = 324 kinds of violence !<br />
t;p;s;< Tapas - Sareerika, Vaachika, Maanasika<br />
tapasya (There are three kinds of Tapas)<br />
Gita XVII.14, 15, 16<br />
Deva dvija guru prajna pujanam saucham arjavam<br />
|<br />
Brahmacharyam ahimsa cha sareeram tapa uchyate<br />
|| (14)<br />
Sāreerika Tapasya (Through Body)<br />
Worship of Devas, elderly, guru, and wise<br />
Purity (In terms of thoughts & actions)<br />
Integrity and Freedom from crookedness &<br />
evil deeds<br />
Continence, Celibacy, freedom from<br />
adultery, fornication<br />
Non-Violence and Non-Injury and Honesty<br />
Anudvegakaram vakyam satyam priya hitam<br />
cha yat |<br />
Svaadhyaabhyasanam chaiva Vangmayam<br />
tapa uchyate || (15)<br />
Vāchika Tapas (Through Speech)<br />
Unexciting, unprovoking, truthful, delighting<br />
and beneficial speech, study of scripture.<br />
Manah prasaadah saumyatvam maunam<br />
atma vinigrahah |<br />
Bhaava samsuddhih iti etat tapo manasamuchyate<br />
|| (16)<br />
Mānasika Tapas (Through Mind)<br />
Serenity, delightful countenance, stillness of<br />
mind, austerity of the mind<br />
x;;Ec;m;< Saucham – Purity includes External,<br />
Internal, Physical, Mental & Intellectual<br />
Z;;int;/ Kshantih – Forbearance, F<strong>org</strong>iving<br />
a;j;*v;m;< Arjavam – Uprightness, straightforwardness<br />
(no angularities/crookedness),<br />
Integrity.<br />
N;n;m;< Jnānam - Jnānam is explained in<br />
terms of 18 components in Gita, ch.13/8 ~<br />
12.<br />
Amānitvam adambhitvam ahimsa kshāntih arjavam<br />
|<br />
Āchāryopāsanam shaucham maunam ātmavinigrahah<br />
|| (8)<br />
Indriyārdheshu vairagyam anahamkara evacha |<br />
Janma mrityu jara vyādhi duhkha dosha anu<br />
darshanam || (9)<br />
Asaktih Anabhisvangah putra dāra grihādishu |<br />
Nityamcha samachittatvam ishtanishtopapattishu<br />
|| (10)<br />
Mayi chānanya yogena bhaktiravyabhichārini |<br />
25
Vivikta desa sevitvam aratirjana samsadi ||<br />
(11)<br />
Adhyatma Jnānanityatvam tattva jnānārdha darshanam<br />
|<br />
Etat Jnānam iti proktam Ajnānam yadato anyadha<br />
|| (12)<br />
1. Amanitvam – absence of self-glorification,<br />
false pride<br />
2. Adambhitvam – Unpreteniousness<br />
3. Ahimsa – Non-violence<br />
4. Kshantih – Forbearance<br />
5. Arjavam – Uprightness<br />
6. Acharyopasanam – service to teacher &<br />
elders who uphold and pass-on the tradition<br />
7. Shaoucham – Purity & Cleanliness<br />
8. Sthairyam – Steadfastness<br />
9. Atmavinigrahah – self control<br />
10. Indriyardheshu Vairagyam – not living for<br />
sensual gratification<br />
11. Anahamkara – Non egoistic<br />
12. Janma Mrityu Jara Vyadhi duhkha dosha<br />
anu darshanam – continued awareness w/pain<br />
& suffering associated w/birth, death, old age,<br />
disease, sorrows<br />
13. Putra dara grihdishu anu raktih – obsession<br />
in familial matters to the exclusion of spiritual<br />
pursuits<br />
14. Nityamcha samachittatvam … – Continuous<br />
Equanimity in everything (likes & dislikes)<br />
15. Mayichaananya yogena Bhaktih avyabhicharini<br />
– Unserving, dedicated Devotion<br />
16. Vivikta desa sevitvam - resorting to solitude<br />
for self-reflection<br />
17. Aratirjana Samsadi – keeping away from<br />
wicked company<br />
18. Adhyatma Jnana Nityatvam – Continued<br />
Practices of Spiritual pursuits and awareness<br />
a;ist;ky;m;< Aastikyam – An unconditional firm<br />
conviction, belief , trust in the existence of God.<br />
This is experimental ! Experiential !!<br />
To be realized through experience.<br />
Take home message for every Brahman is to practice<br />
these principal core values and put them into action,<br />
till it becomes their second nature.<br />
iv;N;n;m;< Vijnānam – viseshena jnanam:<br />
This is an on-going and a continued practice of<br />
these 18 components of Jnanam. Life is one<br />
long journey, with a road map and there is no<br />
short-cut.<br />
These are the obstacles you have to overcome,<br />
roadblocks to circumvent, inner foes to battle<br />
with.<br />
26
What is Yoga ?<br />
by M.G. Prasad<br />
Introduction<br />
It is well known in today’s world that among<br />
the many popularly known universal ideas<br />
which originate from Hinduism or<br />
Sanatana Dharma, Yoga and<br />
Meditation are foremost. Meditation<br />
however, is part of Yoga.<br />
So, let us focus on Yoga first.<br />
Millions of people around the<br />
world are into yoga in some form<br />
or the other. Therefore, it is<br />
important that we not only have a<br />
good knowledge of yoga, but also<br />
practice it. This is particularly<br />
important for Hindus since Yoga<br />
has originated from Hinduism. In<br />
spite of its popularity, it is<br />
uncertain whether everyone<br />
understands the full scope of<br />
yoga.<br />
Questions such as -<br />
1) Is yoga physical, mental or<br />
spiritual?<br />
2) How much of yoga is physical<br />
and how much is non-physical?<br />
3) Is yoga based on religion?<br />
4) Does yoga give miraculous<br />
powers?<br />
5) Does yoga cure diseases... etc<br />
are often asked.<br />
We should note that human<br />
beings around the world, from<br />
time immemorial, have asked<br />
even deeper questions such as:<br />
Who am I?<br />
Why am I born?<br />
Where am I going after death?<br />
What is the purpose of life?<br />
How to deal with the mind?<br />
How to be happy and peaceful?<br />
It is seen that yoga provides answers for all<br />
these questions. These questions come to all<br />
human beings at some point in their life.<br />
About the author<br />
The author is a spiritual disciple of<br />
yogi-seer Sriranga Sadguru, Mysore,<br />
Karnataka, India. He is a<br />
member of the board of Society of<br />
Indian Academics in America. He<br />
has authored four books related to<br />
Hinduism.<br />
Dr. M.G Prasad lectures on Hinduism<br />
at schools, universities, temples<br />
and churches. He represents Hinduism<br />
at many inter-faith symposia.<br />
He is a professor of mechanical engineering<br />
at Stevens Institute of<br />
Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey.<br />
Further details of his activities can<br />
be found at the website: -<br />
www.taranga.us<br />
This article presents an<br />
overview of yoga as a<br />
process based on its full<br />
scope encompassing body,<br />
mind and spirit. Hopefully,<br />
this article will not only lead<br />
to answers for the questions<br />
raised above, but also<br />
inspire readers to go further<br />
into yoga. It is the aim of<br />
this paper to show that<br />
yoga is essential for all<br />
human beings for development<br />
in physical, mental<br />
and spiritual domains that<br />
brings fulfillment in life.<br />
What is Yoga?<br />
There are several answers<br />
to this key question:<br />
Yoga is the restraint of<br />
mental operation (process).<br />
Yoga is the disconnection<br />
of connection with suffering.<br />
Yoga is balance<br />
(equanimity). Yoga is said<br />
to be the unification of the<br />
web of dualities. Yoga is<br />
the union of Individual self<br />
(through mind restraining<br />
process) with the Universal<br />
Self.<br />
It is evident from these definitions<br />
that the process of<br />
yoga is essential to all human<br />
beings whose inherent nature is to seek<br />
happiness and become free from miseries and<br />
suffering.<br />
27
In the light of these various definitions,<br />
yoga can be described in different forms as below.<br />
However, these forms are inter-related.<br />
Bhakti yoga (through devotion),<br />
Karma yoga (through self-less action),<br />
Jnana yoga (through self-enquiry<br />
and knowing),<br />
Mantra yoga (through mantra),<br />
Naada yoga (through transcendental<br />
sacred vibrations),<br />
Raja yoga or Ashtanga yoga (through<br />
eight-limb approach), etc.<br />
Yoga has existed from Vedic times and its<br />
importance is described in several scriptures. In<br />
Upanishads such as Shvetashvataropanishat and<br />
Kathopanishat, yoga is referred as an essential<br />
means to achieve happiness. In Kathopanishat, for<br />
example, it is advised: “Treat the self as the person<br />
seated in the body as the chariot. Then, treat<br />
the intellect as the driver (charioteer), the mind as<br />
the reins and the senses as the horses. The one<br />
who has control of mind directed by intellect<br />
thereby controlling the senses leads the person to<br />
the spiritual goal. Otherwise a person’s life will be<br />
as of a chariot driven by uncontrolled horses.”<br />
Also, in the Bhagavadgita which is known<br />
as Yoga Shastra i.e. a scripture on Yoga, Lord<br />
Krishna emphasizes that the goal of everyone<br />
should be to achieve yoga, or state of equanimity.<br />
He beautifully describes the blissful state of a yogi<br />
(i.e. one that has achieved yoga). Then through<br />
Arjuna, He advises everyone to become a yogi.<br />
Lord Krishna says “Tasmat yogi bhava Arjuna”<br />
(therefore become a yogi).<br />
Maharishi Patanjali has made great contributions<br />
in removing impurities in three domains<br />
namely though ayurveda in body for good health,<br />
through commentary on Panini’s grammar for good<br />
speech and through yoga for achieving pure mind.<br />
We are grateful to Maharishi Patanjali for systematically<br />
presenting a comprehensive process of<br />
yoga through Ashtanga yoga.<br />
The treatise on Yoga by Maharishi Patanjali<br />
is known as “Yoga-Sutras” (Aphorisms on<br />
Yoga). A sutra (aphorism) is a very cryptic statement<br />
with deep insights and it is easy to memorize.<br />
The Yoga- Sutras contain 196 aphorisms divided<br />
into four paadas (chapters). They are -<br />
Samadhi Paada (On spiritual absorption),<br />
28<br />
51 sutras<br />
Saadhana paada (On spiritual practice), 55<br />
sutras<br />
Vibhooti Paada (On manifestation of powers),<br />
56 sutras and<br />
Kaivalya Paada. (On liberation), 34 sutras<br />
The well-known eight steps of Yoga occurs in<br />
these yoga sutras. Further, the various details<br />
about operation of mind and obstacles for development<br />
are described. In addition, the yoga system<br />
also provides a philosophy.<br />
In the vision and words of yogi-seer<br />
Sriranga Sadguru, founder of Ashtanga Yoga Vijnana<br />
Mandiram, Mysore, India,<br />
“The chief aim of Yoga is to experience the<br />
inner spiritual world having realized the truths<br />
through the knowledge of process of manifestation<br />
of self, senses and body and based on one’s own<br />
full spiritual development by tuning the outward<br />
looking self (mind) inwards through the path of<br />
Sushumna (the central naadi channel in the<br />
spine)”<br />
The process of yoga encompasses all<br />
aspects of human life namely physical, psychological<br />
and spiritual. The yoga process of Patanjali is<br />
referred as “yoga-darshana” and is essentially developed<br />
on practical basis. In the vision and words<br />
of His Holiness Sriranga Priya Swamiji of Ashtanga<br />
Yoga Vijnana Mandiram, Mysore, India,<br />
“Yoga-Darshana is a practical discipline<br />
comprising of the conclusions and proclamations of<br />
enlightened seers (yogis) whose main concern was<br />
helping seekers (sadhakas) to attain the normal<br />
state called Yoga in which the perceiver is established<br />
in the real state and this is an inner experience<br />
of the inner world.”<br />
Yoga-darshana, along with its sister<br />
Samkhya-darshana of Maharishi Kapila, forms part<br />
of the six-systems of Indian philosophy, or<br />
Bharatiya darshana shastras. The other two pairs<br />
are Nyaya of Maharishi Gotama with Vaiseshika of<br />
Maharishi Kanaada, and Poorva Mimasa of Maharishi<br />
Jaimini with Vedanata of Maharishi Vyasa. It is<br />
noted that Vyasa Maharishi wrote a commentary<br />
on yoga of Maharishi Patanjali. Among these six<br />
systems, yoga through its eight limbs is highly<br />
practical and scientific, in the sense that it is universally<br />
applicable to all human beings encompassing<br />
body, mind and soul.
It is said that although the philosophical<br />
basis of both samkhya<br />
and yoga is similar; they refer to macrocosm<br />
(universal level) and microcosm (human level) respectively.<br />
The yoga system refers to 26 principles<br />
with 25 referring to a human being and the 26 th<br />
referring to Ishwara or God Principle. The 25 principles<br />
are<br />
(1) Purusha (individual soul) ,<br />
(2) Prakriti (primordial matter),<br />
(3) Mahat (intellect),<br />
(4) Ahamkara (ego-identity),<br />
(5) Manas (mind),<br />
(6-10) the five Sensory <strong>org</strong>ans namely<br />
ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose,<br />
(11-15) the five Motor <strong>org</strong>ans namely<br />
speech, hands, feet, evacuation and reproduction,<br />
(16-20) the five elements of Subtle perception<br />
namely sound, touch, color, taste and<br />
odor, and<br />
(21-25) The five Gross elements namely<br />
space, air, fire, water and earth.<br />
analogous to a clear lake which lets the light of the<br />
sun pass through to see objects as they exist, without<br />
contamination.<br />
It is the aim of yoga to achieve purity and clarity<br />
of manas (mind), buddhi (intellect) and chitta<br />
(consciousness). This removal of impurities allows<br />
the individual to realize and remain in original and<br />
normal state of uncontaminated joy and bliss.<br />
The five modes of acquiring knowledge described<br />
by Patanjali Maharishi are:<br />
Pramana (true cognition based on three<br />
means of validity namely direct perception,<br />
inference and verbal testimony<br />
from a trust-worthy person),<br />
Viparyaya (false cognition),<br />
Vikalpa (merely verbal based cognition),<br />
Nidra (through sleep) and<br />
Smriti (through memory).<br />
Also, various operations of the mind (referred as<br />
vrittis) are given by five modes.<br />
Thus, it is seen that the three levels of a human<br />
being namely physical, psychological and spiritual<br />
are described through these twenty-five (25) principles.<br />
From this constituent description of a human<br />
being, an important question arises: how does<br />
perception occur? The answer is: The internal instrument<br />
(antahkarana) operates in the process of<br />
perception in a four-fold manner:<br />
Among these the three undesirable modes are:<br />
(1) Kshipta in which mind is wavering<br />
through happy, turbulent and unhappy<br />
states,<br />
(2) Moodha in which mind is operating in<br />
negative states, and<br />
(3) Vikshipta in which mind appears positive<br />
but can be taken over by the negative<br />
tendencies.<br />
First, the mind (manas) gathers information<br />
through the senses. The mind by nature is<br />
wavering and is indecisive.<br />
Second, the information is examined by the<br />
individual’s intellect (buddhi), which is discriminating<br />
and is decisive.<br />
Third, a decision is made and is identified and<br />
related to self through ego-sense<br />
(Ahamakara).<br />
Finally, the resulting impressions are retained<br />
and recorded in consciousness (chitta).<br />
The recording of the resulting impression by<br />
the chitta through this process of perception is<br />
analogous to an iron ball in a red-hot flame, where<br />
the flame takes the shape of the round red-hot iron<br />
ball. An individual’s chitta obtains the impressions<br />
from the world of experience of objects through the<br />
senses and the gate of the mind. A clear mind is<br />
29<br />
The two desirable states are:<br />
(4) Ekaagra in which single minded absorption<br />
in God (Paramaatman) and<br />
(5) Niruddha which is beyond the state of<br />
single mindedness with total restraint of<br />
mental operation.<br />
It is also important to note that Maharishi<br />
Patanjali has given the various obstacles that a<br />
seeker could face in one’s own all-round development<br />
and the final realization through yoga. The<br />
nine primary obstacles are:<br />
Disease (Vyaadhi),<br />
Mental laziness (Styana),<br />
Doubt (Samshaya) ,<br />
Lack of enthusiasm and delusion (Pramaada),<br />
Lethargy (Aalasya),
Reluctance to give-up the craving of sensepleasures<br />
(Avirati),<br />
Erroneous perception (Bhranti-darshana)<br />
Despair due to progress in concentration<br />
(Alabdha bhoomikatva) and<br />
Inability of retaining a level of concentration<br />
once obtained (Anavasthitatva).<br />
Furthermore, there are five additional obstacles:<br />
Avidya or wrong knowledge obtained on the<br />
basis of temporal taken as eternal,<br />
Asmita or false notion based on the wavering<br />
mind identified as self,<br />
Raga or passion due to attachment to pleasures,<br />
Dvesha or aversion resulting from disliking of<br />
things, pain, etc. and<br />
Abhinivesha or instinctive fear of death and<br />
its causes.<br />
Thus we see that Maharishi Patanjali has given<br />
us very important details regarding the mental<br />
operations and the obstacles to be overcome in<br />
the path of yoga. It is clear that overcoming these<br />
obstacles will help in all aspects of life.<br />
Ashtanga Yoga (Eight-limbs of Yoga)<br />
The eight-steps from yoga sutras of Ashtanga<br />
(i.e. eight-limbs) Yoga are briefly indicated below.<br />
These form the practical aspect of the process of<br />
yoga.<br />
1. YAMA: This step contains five sub-steps,<br />
which need to be practiced in the domains of<br />
thought, speech and action.<br />
Non-Violence (Ahimsa)<br />
Truthfulness (Satya)<br />
Non-Covetedness (Asteya)<br />
Continence (Bramhacharya)<br />
Non-receiving (Aparigraha)<br />
2. NIYAMA: This step also contains five substeps,<br />
which need to be practiced in the domains<br />
of thought, speech and action.<br />
Cleanliness (Shoucha)<br />
Contentment (Santosha)<br />
Austerity (Tapas)<br />
Scriptural Study (Svaadhyaya)<br />
Surrender to God (ishvara Pranidhaana)<br />
These two steps when practiced fully, provide the<br />
seeker the self-control and disciplines which be<br />
comes the preparation to the next two steps<br />
3. ASANA (Postures)<br />
4. PRAANAYAMA (Regulation of Vital Force)<br />
In Asanas, the body is held steady in postures<br />
drawn from observing animals and nature such<br />
as a tree, mountain etc. In Pranaayama, control<br />
of vital forces is focused through proper regulation<br />
of breathing under strict supervision of a<br />
qualified Guru.<br />
5. PRATYAAHARA: in this step, the yogi practices<br />
withdrawing the mind from senses and multiplicity<br />
of thoughts. The withdrawn mind is then<br />
directed towards inner-self.<br />
6. DHAARANA deals with the development of<br />
the ability of the indrawn mind to focus and<br />
concentrate on a Sacred Object (such as vision<br />
of the Guru, chosen Deity, and other<br />
Sacred forms)<br />
7. DHYAANA referred as meditation, is continuous<br />
contemplation or concentration on the Sacred<br />
Object. Meditation is to be achieved like a lamp<br />
(steady mind) in the absence of flickering wind<br />
(wavering worldly thoughts).<br />
SAMADHI: This step refers to an experience of<br />
transcendental state of balance and deep spiritual<br />
absorption. This is an individual internalised<br />
experience. There are various states of<br />
experiences.<br />
Concluding Remarks<br />
Yoga deals with providing answers<br />
(based on practice) for the basic questions of life.<br />
Various aspects of Hinduism (Sanaatana<br />
Dharma) namely rituals, mantra japa, music,<br />
dance, etc can also be seen as related to the<br />
process of yoga. The important tools of a human<br />
being namely mind, breath, speech, and body are<br />
used in the process of yoga to achieve the highest<br />
goal of human life namely God Realization,<br />
resulting in Pure Bliss.<br />
Thus we see that yoga is not merely restricted<br />
to poses and acrobatic postures with impressive<br />
demonstrations. The sole purpose of<br />
yoga is the realization of original and normal<br />
state. Yoga should transform one’s life. In the<br />
vision and words of yogi-seer Sriranga Sadguru:<br />
30
“The customs and habits, the dress and<br />
ornaments, the manners and etiquette, the conceptions<br />
of right and wrong and of good and evil,<br />
the learning, literature and the various arts like<br />
music, the political thoughts, views regarding all<br />
actions and the consecratory ceremonies, etc., of<br />
the Indians (Bharatiyas), are all permeated like<br />
the warp and woof by Ashtanga Yoga.”<br />
Acknowledgements<br />
The author gratefully acknowledges the<br />
blessings and inspiration of his Guru yogi-seer<br />
His Holiness Sriranga Sadguru. He also gratefully<br />
acknowledges the blessings and discussions with<br />
yogi-seer His Holiness Sriranga Priya Swami.<br />
This paper is based on presentation at<br />
the Humanities forum on April 25, 2007 at Stevens<br />
Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New<br />
Jersey.<br />
Thanks are due to Chetan and Pallavi<br />
Bhatt for their help in preparation of the presentation<br />
and the paper.<br />
References:<br />
Amaravani (18 volumes) Lectures of Sriranga<br />
Sadguru in Kannada, Ashtanga Yoga Vijnana<br />
Mandiram, 957 Seshadri iyer Road, Laxmipuram,<br />
Mysore 570004, India (2004).<br />
The Ashtanga Yoga (in Kannada) S.V. Chamu,<br />
Ashtanga Yoga Vijnana Mandiram (2005).<br />
The Divine Dancer, S.V. Chamu, Ashtanga Yoga<br />
Vijnana Mandiram, 2 nd Edition, Ashtanga Yoga<br />
Vijnana Mandiram (2003).<br />
Multi-faceted Vedic Hinduism, M.G. Prasad, The<br />
foundation for the Advancement of Arts and Sciences<br />
from India, New York, (2005).<br />
Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, Swami Hariharaananda<br />
Aaranya (into English by P.N. Mukerji) State<br />
University of New York Press, Albany (1983).<br />
Yoga Darshana, Ganganath Jha, Jain Publishing<br />
Co., USA (2002).<br />
Yoga Philosophy, Surendranath Gupta, Motilal<br />
Banrasidass, Delhi (2005).<br />
The Deeper Dimension of Yoga, Ge<strong>org</strong> Feuerstein,<br />
Shambhala Publication, Massachusetts<br />
(2003).<br />
Yoga: Its Scientific Basis, K.T. Behanan, Dover<br />
Publications (1964).<br />
Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, H. D. Coulter, Body and<br />
Breath, PA (2001).<br />
Inner Workings during Yoga Practice, T.V. Ananthapadmanabha,<br />
Anugraha Publishers, Bangalore,<br />
India (1999).<br />
The Science of Yoga, I.K. Taimini, The Theosophical<br />
Publishing house, (1979).<br />
Vedantada Belakinnali Patanjali Yogasutragalu<br />
(in Kannada), Padaki Nagrajarao, Sri Shankara<br />
Jayanti Mandali, Jayanagar, Banagalore. (2002 )<br />
About the Author<br />
Dr. Marehalli G. (MG) Prasad is a professor of<br />
mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology,<br />
Hoboken, New Jersey. He has published<br />
about 100 publications including in encyclopedias, in<br />
his research in acoustics and vibrations. He is a<br />
Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and the<br />
Acoustical Society of India.<br />
He is a spiritual disciple of seer-yogi Sriranga<br />
Sadguru, founder of Ashtanga yoga Vijnana<br />
Mandiram, Mysore, India. Prasad teaches recitation<br />
of Sanskrit, Vedic chanting and Hindu scriptures and<br />
worship practices for children, youth and adults. He<br />
has written four books on Hinduism.<br />
He has given lectures at various institutions and conferences.<br />
He and his wife Geetha Prasad, through<br />
their cultural <strong>org</strong>anization, Taranga, have written,<br />
directed and produced more than 25 plays, dancedramas.<br />
The articles, presentations and activities of Dr.<br />
Prasad, related to Hinduism, can be found at the website:<br />
http://www.taranga.us<br />
Meditation, Mind and Patanjali’s Yoga, Swami<br />
Bhaskarananda, Vedanta Society of Western<br />
Washington, Seattle (2001).<br />
31
Brahmana Dharma in a Secular Society<br />
by Ravi Chandrasekhara<br />
Braahmans are the most orthodox and conservative<br />
people on one hand and paradoxically<br />
can be the most liberal on the other hand.<br />
Many “reform” movements were started by<br />
braahmans. But what were they trying to<br />
reform ?<br />
Does reform mean changing vegetarian diet to<br />
non-vegetarian, making other<br />
varnas purohits, allowing nondvijas<br />
to chant Vedas and undergo<br />
upanayana, making braahmanas<br />
give up their traditional samskars,<br />
or making braahmanas be like<br />
everyone else ? Why is there a<br />
need to reform ? Are we guilty of<br />
something? Did Braahmans cause<br />
economic deprivation of others ?<br />
On the contrary braahmans who<br />
were the most traditional were/are<br />
the most deprived economically.<br />
Did we rule over kingdoms and<br />
subjugate others ? Except for a<br />
few Braahman kings and advisors<br />
who had influence, most<br />
braahmans did not play much of a<br />
role.<br />
Nowadays when “restriction” of occupation to<br />
birth (which was more self imposed in the past)<br />
has basically vanished, why are we ashamed/<br />
afraid to declare our varna and almost disown<br />
our heritage? Fuel is added to the fire as many<br />
of our own varna members have given up our<br />
traditional values along with pseudo-secular<br />
(also anti-braahman) ideas that have permeated<br />
in the society.<br />
We must follow our values and traditions (as<br />
much as possible) in this modern era and<br />
remain a shining example to humanity. We<br />
should strive to be like divinity exampified in<br />
human form. Uplifting everyone does not mean<br />
making everyone a Braahmana. We must<br />
educate others that one size shoe does not fit<br />
all with regards to adhikar or haq for rituals and<br />
samskars. Apart from a few samskars and restriction<br />
of vedic chanting, every Hindu has<br />
equal spiritual opportunity. Kshatriyas and<br />
Vaisyas have almost the same rights, ritualistically<br />
speaking, but many do not observe<br />
upanayana.The present restrictions do not even<br />
guarantee salvation. This is what needs to be<br />
conveyed to the rest of our Hindu bretheren.<br />
Many of our non-Braahman<br />
Hindus find it hard to believe I<br />
do not eat meat or consume<br />
alcohol, wear yagnopaveeta<br />
and perform sandhya-vandana.<br />
Many of those happen to<br />
belong to the sudra varna. But<br />
there are other Dvijas who also<br />
were surprised that these ideas<br />
were held onto. But those<br />
other dvijas happened to be<br />
Rajputs or Banias who have<br />
neglected their traditions and<br />
samskars by one or two generations.<br />
Sadly, the ones who<br />
ridicule these traditional mores,<br />
are our own Braahmanas who<br />
chose not to observe them. It<br />
as if they are guilty of their<br />
renunciation of our traditions upon asking me<br />
questions as to why, etc.<br />
Ravi Chandrasekhara M.D is a<br />
leading cardiologist residing in<br />
Dallas, TX and a keen practitioner<br />
of Brahman culture and<br />
traditions<br />
The concepts behind varna dharma are the role<br />
of gunas and transmigration of souls that are<br />
the basis of its hereditary nature. The<br />
samskaras, adhikara, and range of occupations<br />
allowed, etc are to promote dharma and allow<br />
progression of one’s soul in accordance with<br />
one’s varna. I have heard varnashrama is<br />
applicable to all humans but practically limited<br />
to those born in our Hindu dharma due to its<br />
deterioration elsewhere. But these concepts<br />
are metaphysical and difficult to prove with<br />
current scientific methods. We rely on shastras<br />
(shruti and smriti), shistachar, acharyas and<br />
jagadgurus, and paramparaa to guide us in<br />
what is dharmic with regards to our varna.<br />
32
Our Hindu society in the past (at least prior to<br />
Buddha) has revealed its accomplishments on the<br />
basis of varna dharma. It served its purpose<br />
efficiently for running of society and allowing one’s<br />
soul to progress while on this world.<br />
A way to convince people is by example by upholding<br />
our values and traditions and being successful<br />
in our fields. Unfortunately, many of our own varna<br />
do not have full faith in our shastras. There are<br />
numerous examples in the modern era in Bharat<br />
alone. Add to that heterorthodox reformers that<br />
confounds what our varna really is. This even<br />
means being successful professionally and economically.<br />
Does this not transgress our<br />
Braahmana dharma ? Perhaps in many ways it<br />
does. Many of us are dvija brashtas (given up<br />
most of the duties) and even dvija bandhus are<br />
avoiding upanayana and wearing yagnopaveet. We<br />
do not even know Sanskrit, let alone attempting to<br />
understand our shastras. We have to learn<br />
(relearn) our heritage so that the successive<br />
generations do not fall out of the fold, which would<br />
be adharma on our part.<br />
Dhanyavaad,<br />
Ravi Chandrasekhara MD<br />
I know who I am<br />
I am a Hindu no matter what people say,<br />
I will be Hindu until my dying day.<br />
I can be Hindu what else...<br />
My parents were Hindu, my ancestors too,<br />
That makes me Hindu through and through.<br />
I am proud of Hindusthan,<br />
the land of Hindus,<br />
This land of mine ,<br />
land of my parents and their parents,<br />
Where all our holy places are.<br />
For we Hindus it suits us fine.<br />
Come on Hindus fly the Bhagwan flag,<br />
It is our pride not old rag,<br />
Hindusthan of Hindus, for Hindus.<br />
Parmatma bless our Holy land,<br />
people and flag.<br />
Vande , Vande, VANDE MATARAM.<br />
Jaya Hind. Jaya Hind, Jaya Hind.<br />
Dr.S.Sharma (Nottingham, England)<br />
33
The Brahmana (B-Factor) in a Secular Society<br />
by Sailesh Mishra<br />
When my friends ask me about my identity and<br />
origin, I usually look back at them with a stern<br />
look. My reply is instant.."Didn't you know that I'm<br />
a Brahmana ?" It is a sheer coincidence that my<br />
blood group is B+ ...Yes, I'm a positive Brahman.<br />
In India, parents are busy getting<br />
admissions for their kids in<br />
colleges based on "reserved<br />
quota" for OBCs. The word "Dalit"<br />
is viewed as a more fashionable<br />
term these days and has become<br />
an Express Pass to get where you<br />
want. So, if someone openly<br />
admits to NOT being a brahman<br />
(by birth), why can't we admit<br />
openly that we are Brahmans ?<br />
Ironically, some Brahmans shy<br />
away from the Brahmana identity<br />
and the society - no matter how<br />
secular it becomes, continues to<br />
view the Brahmana-Factor<br />
(B-Factor) as a strong force and<br />
tries to shield everyone from it's<br />
sphere of influence.<br />
Today, Brahmans live in a<br />
pseudo-secular society. It is true<br />
that the world has become a<br />
global village and one cannot<br />
accomplish much by just interacting<br />
with people from one's own<br />
community alone. But it is also<br />
true that people from every community<br />
still take pride in connecting<br />
themselves to their heritage<br />
and traditions. As per Darwin's<br />
theory, every species looks at<br />
protecting itself in the survival of<br />
fittest game. There is nothing wrong in sticking to<br />
one's beliefs as long as we don't deride or question<br />
the faith of others. Everyone has the freedom<br />
to practice what they want. As a born-Brahman, I<br />
have my freedom of choice too.<br />
Pseduo is an interesting word. It can be prefixed<br />
to anything to negate or weaken the qualities.<br />
About the Author<br />
Sailesh Kumar Mishra,<br />
is a Saryuparin Brahmana<br />
born in Chennai and hails<br />
from Ballia district in Uttar<br />
Pradesh, India. He holds a<br />
Masters degree in Computer<br />
Science and works as an IT<br />
professional for a Fortune-<br />
100 company based in<br />
Dallas, Texas. His email id is<br />
smishra@gmail.com<br />
34<br />
This leads us to another term - "Pseduo Brahmana"<br />
(bhrasta). Boys and girls in their youth<br />
either don't dedicate time to follow Brahman practices<br />
or don't believe in the orthodox traditions<br />
anymore. They need a reasoning for everything<br />
and look for short-term gains and<br />
visible returns. Needless to say,<br />
they neglect their own sanskars in<br />
due course of time and their nonbrahman<br />
friends look down on<br />
them as 'pseudo brahmans'. Modern<br />
day Brahmans don't perform<br />
Upanayana and don't limit themselves<br />
to a vegetarian diet either.<br />
Is this because we wan't to<br />
appear more secular to our<br />
friends or we find our own<br />
customs too rigid to follow ? If I<br />
were to analyze the composition<br />
of the modern society, it is easy<br />
for me to surprise you by revealing<br />
that we are producing more<br />
"pseudo-brahmans" in a pseudosecular<br />
society. Amazing isn't it ?<br />
Wait a minute, I f<strong>org</strong>ot to add the<br />
term "Brahmana Dalits" too. Yes,<br />
Brahmans have become the<br />
Dalits of today in India where several<br />
Brahmans have even resorted<br />
to shifting from Hinduism to<br />
other religions for the sake of<br />
three meals a day. Oops ! Sorry<br />
to spoil your rosy picture of Brahmans.<br />
The Brahmana priests in<br />
temples are no more privileged<br />
enough to perform pujas exclusively.<br />
For instance, in Tamil<br />
Nadu, a law was enacted that<br />
allowed for anyone with "minimum qualifications"<br />
and the ability to chant mantras by rote to become<br />
temple priests. We sure don't need a better<br />
proof of secularism, do we ? There is a brighter<br />
side too. In Uttar Pradesh, the state assembly<br />
elections were won recently with full majority after<br />
nearly a decade with overwhelming support from<br />
Brahman candidates under the leadership of a
Chief Minister, who laid her very political foundation<br />
by attacking Brahmans. Perhaps, she also<br />
joined the bandwagon of secularism by bringing<br />
Brahmans and Dalits together, despite castebased<br />
politics being used in the elections. All this<br />
makes me wonder what secularism really is and<br />
its role and acceptance in the society.<br />
Brahmans from North India and South India need<br />
to respect each other's differences and share the<br />
goodness of each others local communities.<br />
Brahmans living abroad need to be compassionate<br />
enough for their fellow-mates in India. And<br />
pundits and scholars need to stoop a level down<br />
to mingle and speak freely with common masses.<br />
No matter how far we may get away, the B-factor<br />
never fades. It comes back haunting parents<br />
when they start worrying about the marriage of<br />
their children. It also comes into limelight when<br />
political leaders contest elections in India. And<br />
beware of the B-Factor, as it maintains a golden<br />
silence every time we step into a religious place.<br />
We just cannot ignore it. Yet, we are afraid of it in<br />
a secular society. Brahmans have<br />
been so restrictive and engrossed<br />
in their own sub-communities that<br />
they f<strong>org</strong>et the other side of B-factor<br />
perceived by rest of the society. The<br />
whole world envies the Brahmana Brahmana<br />
community just as the Jews are envied<br />
in America. Not that we are any<br />
superior human beings (definitely<br />
not), but it is because traditionally<br />
Brahmans have been known to use<br />
their intellect, wisdom and direct their<br />
energies well within the framework of<br />
their culture and traditions. Brahmans<br />
do exist in the so-called secular society. The<br />
question is - are we strong enough to admit it and<br />
protect it ? Maybe...maybe not.<br />
It is my general observation that even successful<br />
Brahmans usually hesitate to give back to our<br />
community in terms of monetary assistance or<br />
helping other fellow-brahmans through social networking.<br />
Entrepreneurship and business acumen<br />
is not every Brahman's cup of tea, generally<br />
speaking, so this could have limited the financial<br />
prosperity of Brahmans earlier. And Brahmans of<br />
the past were only rich in knowledge, not money.<br />
This doesn't mean that we need to follow the<br />
same pattern in Kaliyug. Brahmans have proved<br />
their abilities in Science, Arts, Medicine and Engineering.<br />
We can definitely be successful in other<br />
areas if we have the desire and the perseverance<br />
to achieve success. What we need first is to<br />
overcome our own inhibitions and then believe in<br />
the merits of our community strength and the<br />
positive vibrations of Sanatana Dharma. The next<br />
important step would be to relax the boundaries<br />
between each of the Brahmana sub-communities.<br />
35<br />
Brahmans, in general, need to emerge as successful<br />
people and share their knowledge with<br />
other believers of Hinduism. Brahman spiritual<br />
leaders should motivate everyone to follow the<br />
principles of Sanatana Dharma by justifying the<br />
practicality and benefits of such practices. The<br />
younger generation needs to take out some time<br />
to read the scriptures, learn Brahmanic rituals<br />
and follow the Shastras. Above<br />
...The lack of togetherness<br />
and scarce social opportunities<br />
to meet each other in our<br />
community,<br />
given the already endless list<br />
of divided brahmana subcommunities,<br />
is probably the<br />
most worrying factor for the<br />
future of Brahmans.<br />
all, the Brahmana <strong>org</strong>anizations<br />
should work on a global roadmap<br />
to plant the seeds of Hinduism<br />
for future. Of course, philanthropists<br />
will need to come forward<br />
to support Brahman<br />
causes, engage fellow-brahmans<br />
in a rewarding livelihood and free<br />
them from the clutches of poverty<br />
and misery first.<br />
Unfortunately, most Brahmana<br />
dvijas are re-born with an egofactor<br />
that flares from East to West and North to<br />
South. A little knowledge can be a dangerous<br />
thing. Unless we become humble and admit there<br />
is a more knowledgeable or better person than us<br />
in the Brahman community, who has a lot more to<br />
offer than us in terms of knowledge , chances are<br />
that we will keep blowing our trumpet just within<br />
our community and "unity of brahmans" will never<br />
be possible. The lack of togetherness and scarce<br />
social opportunities to meet each other in our<br />
Brahman community, given the already endless<br />
list of divided brahman sub-communities, is<br />
probably the most worrying factor for the future of<br />
Brahmans. We must be inclusive of all Brahmans<br />
types and stand unified in a brave manner, as<br />
much as possible, if at all Brahmans and Brahmanism<br />
have to survive. This will also ensure<br />
that Brahmans flourish in their own circles, else<br />
inter-caste marriages will continue unabated and<br />
Brahmana roots will melt faster than the Antartic<br />
glaciers from global warming. Brahmans must<br />
respect other Brahmans, else no one will. Only if<br />
we bring in these changes, the B-Factor can<br />
become a benefactor for all of us.
As the pseudo-secular society turns more secular,<br />
the Brahman-Factor will still be lurking around<br />
in the minds of people, who stand to gain benefits<br />
from it. Politicans and Pontiffs may exploit the<br />
Brahmans according to their will but as educated<br />
Brahmans, we need to change the perception of<br />
B-Factor in the society. Brahmans should focus<br />
more on Brahm and Braahmanatva rather than<br />
just the Brahmana-Factor arising out of a mortal<br />
caste-system. We are the ones who should guide<br />
ourselves and the rest of the society towards truth<br />
and knowledge, explain the benefits of our value<br />
system and walk the path of Dharma.<br />
Hinduism doesn't need to hold a carrot like other<br />
religions to convince people. The day when common<br />
masses realize the good things Brahmanism<br />
can offer and the significant gains from being a<br />
follower of Sanatana Dharma, all religious conversions<br />
would stop automatically and Hinduism<br />
will regain the strength to survive on its own. If<br />
we were to put these thoughts into action, I am<br />
positive that this would be the surest way to<br />
dispel all the myths surrounding Brahmans and<br />
we can look forward to the day when Brahmans<br />
will be viewed as secular and will peacefully coexist<br />
in a secular society.<br />
(The author is an Editor for <strong>Brahmodaya</strong>,<br />
a publication of World Brahman Federation<br />
(WBF) and can be reached at his email<br />
address - smishra@gmail.com)<br />
Courtesy : www.Hindunet.<strong>org</strong><br />
36
Taking a Chance – Leena’s Story<br />
By Isha Misra<br />
Prologue<br />
New York City never sleeps. It is late at<br />
night, and the streets are buzzing with activity.<br />
Some head out to nightclubs; others catch a<br />
movie, or choose from an eclectic collection of<br />
restaurants. A sleek black limousine rounds the<br />
corner of 14 th street and pulls up in front of Lotus<br />
Bar, which is the place to be tonight. The<br />
door opens and an elegant woman in a g<strong>org</strong>eous<br />
red dress steps out. She is almost<br />
blinded by flashes as cameras go off and the<br />
crowd murmurs excitedly.<br />
This is Leena Trivedi, a 25<br />
year old world-famous journalist. As<br />
she walks towards the entrance of<br />
Lotus Bar, reporters surround her,<br />
asking her questions about her plans<br />
for the future. She finally reaches the<br />
entrance and begins to ascend the<br />
stairs leading into the bar, when suddenly<br />
she hears a familiar voice and<br />
looks back into the crowd. A very angry<br />
middle-aged woman has elbowed<br />
her way to the front of the crowd.<br />
“Leena! You should be ashamed of<br />
yourself!” the woman shouts. “But<br />
Amma [mother]… I’m 25!” Leena protests.<br />
“I don’t care! You have to study!<br />
You must begin preparing for your<br />
MCATs!” The crowd begins to protest,<br />
but a scathing look from Amma quickly<br />
silences them. As Amma determinedly<br />
begins to lead Leena away from Lotus Bar,<br />
ignoring her protests that she doesn’t want to go<br />
to medical school, Leena stumbles and …<br />
“BEEP BEEP” I groan and open one<br />
eye. “How is it morning already?” I wonder. I<br />
turn off my alarm, roll over, and try to get back<br />
to what began as a wonderful dream. “Well it<br />
was wonderful, until Amma showed up in it! As<br />
if she doesn’t nag me enough when I’m awake!<br />
” I think. I doze off for another fifteen minutes,<br />
before Amma yells at me to come downstairs. I<br />
stumble out of bed and look at myself in the mirror.<br />
Who was I? Leena Trivedi – famous journalist?<br />
“Hah,” I grumble. “Leena Trivedi, struggling<br />
premed student is more like it.” I sigh and start<br />
getting ready for class.<br />
Leena Trivedi, M.D. – The Model Minority Myth<br />
Isha Misra is a 19 year old<br />
junior at the University of<br />
Maryland (UMD) College<br />
Park. She is a General<br />
Biology Premed Student<br />
and has a passion for<br />
writing.<br />
I am a freshman at Columbia University.<br />
I graduated from my high school with a 4.0<br />
GPA. I applied to fifteen colleges, and got into<br />
some of the best schools in the nation. My first<br />
choice was always Columbia University, and my<br />
parents were very supportive<br />
until I told them that I wanted to<br />
major in Journalism. Like most<br />
South Asian parents, they<br />
wanted me to become a doctor.<br />
For most of the summer after I<br />
graduated from high school, I<br />
argued with them and tried my<br />
best to convince them to listen to<br />
me, but like they me feel very<br />
guilty. I knew my parents would<br />
be disappointed if I did not become<br />
a doctor -- most South<br />
Asian parents believe that the<br />
only “respectable career options”<br />
for their children are medicine,<br />
law, engineering, or business.<br />
This mindset makes the “model<br />
minority” stereotype seem even<br />
more accurate in the eyes of the<br />
general public.<br />
The South Asian community is thought<br />
to be extremely successful. My parents often tell<br />
me about their friends’ children, most of whom<br />
have high paying jobs. I rarely, if ever, hear<br />
about South Asians who are singers, artists, or<br />
writers. According to the myth, the community<br />
also has very low crime and divorce rates. This<br />
stereotypical view of South Asians results in a<br />
serious problem. Since people do not think that<br />
we have to deal with these problems, the general<br />
public tends to ignore them when they do<br />
arise. Problems such as drug use, teenage<br />
37
pregnancy, and learning disabilities are just as<br />
serious in our community as they are in other<br />
communities.<br />
I have seen several examples of discrimination<br />
due to the model minority stereotype,<br />
while growing up. There have been instances<br />
where Asian American students at my<br />
high school were picked on for being “nerds.” I<br />
also witnessed my tenth grade Biology teacher<br />
paying less attention to a disabled Asian student<br />
than other disabled students. I have even<br />
had to deal with discrimination myself during an<br />
interview for a seven year medical program.<br />
When I talked about being a minority in America,<br />
I was told by the interviewer that I should<br />
not consider myself a minority, because there<br />
are so many South Asians in the<br />
health professions. After a lot of arguing,<br />
the pressure to conform was<br />
too great for me to handle, and I<br />
agreed to choose the pre-medicine<br />
option at Columbia, despite my passion<br />
for writing.<br />
School Always Comes First!<br />
Although it takes me 45<br />
minutes every morning to get to Columbia,<br />
my parents will not consider<br />
letting me live on campus. One would have to<br />
be insane to even think of driving in the city, so I<br />
use public transportation. My parents fear that if<br />
I lived on campus, I would be distracted by boys<br />
and would do poorly in school. They grew up in<br />
India and had an arranged marriage. Young<br />
men and women in India are expected to focus<br />
on their studies until they reach a marriageable<br />
age, at which point their parents will find them a<br />
suitable husband or wife. The parents consider<br />
several factors when selecting a spouse for<br />
their child, including religion and vocation. Additionally,<br />
it is important that a prospective<br />
spouse’s family has a good reputation in the<br />
community. Those in favor of arranged marriages<br />
say that both partners try harder to make<br />
the relationship work, thus few arranged marriages<br />
end in divorce. However, men and<br />
women who enter into an arranged marriage<br />
may become victims of domestic abuse. Also,<br />
since divorce is frowned upon in the Indian<br />
community, these men and women may end up<br />
trapped in loveless marriages. Although the<br />
...I knew my parents<br />
would be disappointed<br />
if I did not become a<br />
doctor -- most South<br />
Asian parents believe<br />
that the only<br />
“respectable career<br />
options” for their<br />
children are medicine,<br />
law, engineering, or<br />
business...<br />
number of “love marriages” is increasing, even<br />
to this day, arranged marriages are the norm in<br />
many parts of India. In other countries, South<br />
Asians often compromise by allowing their sons<br />
and daughters to meet and get to know each<br />
other before deciding on the marriage -- forcing<br />
young men and women into an arranged marriage<br />
is not as common. The custom has been<br />
transformed somewhat into a type of matchmaking<br />
service. Luckily, even though I am not<br />
allowed to date, my parents will let me have<br />
some say in who I marry. My parents believe<br />
that if I wait until I am older to have relationships<br />
with the opposite sex, I will think about my future<br />
and will not make rash decisions. Although<br />
my parents feel that arranged marriages are a<br />
part of South Asian culture that should not be<br />
completely done away with, they do<br />
agree with me that the custom<br />
should be modified, so that young<br />
men and women are allowed to<br />
make some decisions by themselves.<br />
Also, my parents want me to have a<br />
stable career before looking for a<br />
husband. This idea contradicts traditional<br />
South Asian gender roles,<br />
which can be defined as socially<br />
determined differences between<br />
women and men. Traditionally,<br />
women stay at home and take care of their children,<br />
while men support the family financially.<br />
Modern women who work earn significantly less<br />
than men do. Women are also expected to be<br />
docile, allowing the men in the family to make<br />
decisions. Also, though it is not as common now<br />
as it used to be, the practice of female infanticide<br />
still occurs in many villages. Although the<br />
situation has improved somewhat, South Asian<br />
countries still have among the most significant<br />
gender gaps in the world. On the other hand,<br />
South Asian women living abroad have many<br />
more opportunities. They are just as welleducated<br />
and successful as South Asian men.<br />
Many conservative South Asians believe that<br />
these gender roles benefit women, who cannot<br />
handle the stress of working and raising their<br />
children simultaneously. Men, on the other<br />
hand, can handle the stress of a real job, and<br />
thus should be given the task of providing for<br />
their families. Also, if women are absent often<br />
while their children are growing up, it may have<br />
a negative emotional impact on the children.<br />
38
Fortunately, my parents believe that some aspects<br />
of traditional South Asian gender roles<br />
should not be passed down to subsequent generations.<br />
A woman should be financially independent,<br />
and should not need to be protected<br />
by men. Although these are only some of the<br />
many important issues concerning South<br />
Asians, they allow me to prove the following<br />
point: while some traditions should be passed<br />
down from generation to generation, others<br />
need to be adapted; still others need to be done<br />
away with entirely.<br />
A Typical Day? Maybe Not…<br />
After I get ready for school and eat<br />
breakfast, my parents drop me off at<br />
the subway station. I get to school at<br />
around 7:45 am. Unfortunately, many<br />
of the 100 and 200 level science<br />
classes begin at 8 am or 9 am. Today<br />
is a Wednesday; so I have Physics<br />
and Chemistry in the morning. Even<br />
though my morning classes bore me, I<br />
always look forward to my Wednesday<br />
afternoon journalism seminar. It is the<br />
only non-science class that I am enrolled<br />
in; and the only reason my parents<br />
allowed me to take it is because it<br />
fulfills my English requirement. The<br />
class only meets once a week from 11<br />
am to 1 pm and is the most interesting<br />
class I am taking.<br />
Today, I am even more excited than<br />
usual because we have some guest speakers<br />
coming to talk! There are five speakers: one<br />
from the New York Times, a television journalist,<br />
a sports journalist, and two investigative<br />
journalists. My morning classes seem to be<br />
even longer today and I impatiently check my<br />
watch every 5 minutes. Finally, my Chemistry<br />
professor dismisses us and I run to my seminar,<br />
trying to get there early so that I can sit in the<br />
front. I get to class just as a young woman is<br />
standing up to speak to the class.<br />
As I walk down the aisles and get closer<br />
to her, I realize that I know her! The first<br />
speaker is none other than my family friend<br />
Nina! I last heard from her a few years ago,<br />
when she was entering her second year of<br />
medical school at Johns Hopkins University in<br />
Washington, D.C. “She was so good at science!<br />
…parents already realize<br />
that compromises<br />
need to be made. The<br />
opinions of the earlier<br />
generations of South<br />
Asians do not necessarily<br />
reflect those of<br />
later generations. Adjustments<br />
also need to<br />
be made for those<br />
South Asians living<br />
abroad...<br />
Why did she decide to change?” I wonder. After<br />
class, Nina stays to answer students’ questions.<br />
When I approach her, she smiles welcomingly<br />
and gives me a big hug. “Leena! I didn’t know<br />
you were in this class! I thought you were taking<br />
the science route!” she says. “Actually, that’s<br />
what I wanted to talk to you about. “You always<br />
did so well in your science classes! What made<br />
you change your mind? Weren’t your parents<br />
disappointed?” Nina laughs. “Of course they<br />
were disappointed! Anyone in the South Asian<br />
community would be disappointed if their child<br />
did not choose a ‘proper’ career! I was good at<br />
science, but I didn’t enjoy it. I stuck with medical<br />
school for over a year because I wanted to<br />
please my parents; but in the end, I decided to<br />
do what I enjoyed. I’m not passionate<br />
about science. I wanted<br />
to make my parents happy, but I<br />
didn’t want to be miserable for<br />
the rest of my life!”<br />
Nina, as I remember her, was<br />
always the “model child”. I am<br />
shocked that she went against<br />
her parents and ask her how she<br />
convinced them. Nina says that<br />
her parents accepted it when<br />
they saw how much she loved<br />
writing. “In the end, they’re your<br />
parents and they love you. They<br />
would never force you to be unhappy.<br />
The rest of the community may disapprove<br />
and talk about me, but they’ll get over it.<br />
It’s my life.” Nina and I talk for a while about my<br />
interest in journalism, and she encourages me<br />
to pursue my passion.<br />
When Nina and I part ways that day, I<br />
resolve to at least talk to my parents about my<br />
interest. After all, there’s no harm in trying. My<br />
parents already realize that compromises need<br />
to be made. The opinions of the earlier generations<br />
of South Asians do not necessarily reflect<br />
those of later generations. Adjustments also<br />
need to be made for those South Asians living<br />
abroad. They must learn to adapt in order to be<br />
accepted by the society they are living in. “Who<br />
knows?” I think. “My parents might agree. After<br />
all, change is necessary to keep up with the<br />
times; and it is often for the better!” I smile and<br />
begin my journey home.<br />
39
Vedic Wisdoms…We can…<br />
by Bheem M. Bhat<br />
Bheem M. Bhat, West Chester, Pennsylvania<br />
We can welcome with a bright smile and “NAMASTHE”<br />
We can welcome BALAVIHAR with a smile<br />
We can welcome BALAVIKAS with a smile<br />
We can welcome BALALOKAM with a smile<br />
We can smile and participate in any one of them as extended families<br />
We can feel united despite diverse names and minds<br />
We can feel the culture enriching the self-confidence<br />
We can see the BRIGHTEST smile among the little ones<br />
We can see the budding talents among the little ones<br />
We can feel our BRIGHEST future in the little ones<br />
We can feel the little friendship grow and strengthen<br />
We can feel and serve the needy as youth and adults<br />
We can join them to serve the needy community<br />
We can respect them and all around us<br />
We can conquer our enemy “The EGO”<br />
We can surrender to our friend “The HUMILITY”<br />
We can educate ourselves with modern sciences<br />
We can educate ourselves with Ancient Vedic sciences<br />
We can learn any language<br />
We can learn SAMSKRITAM<br />
We can understand any poem<br />
We can understand simple SHLOKAM<br />
We can appreciate modern poet<br />
We can appreciate ancient KAVI and RISHI<br />
We can get blessings of MHAHARUSHI PATANJALI<br />
We can enrich ourselves with YOGA ABHYAASA<br />
We can enhance strength of our joints and muscles<br />
We can prevent ailments of our joints and muscles<br />
We can practice PRAANAYAAMA and SOORYA<br />
NAMASKAARA<br />
We can enhance our concentration<br />
We can decrease our confusion<br />
We can practice MEDITATION<br />
We can decrease Medication<br />
We can educate ourselves with AYURVEDA<br />
We can try JALA NETI and not suffer from allergies of dust and pollen<br />
We can be happy with nature’s fruits and vegetables<br />
We can be happy by living simple in harmony with the PRAKRUTHI<br />
We can be energized with the VASTU SHASTRA and nature’s SHAKTHI<br />
We can instill our VEDIC WISDOM: SARVE JANAH SUKHINO BHAVANTHU<br />
We can be the “SHANTHIH” ourselves<br />
We can instill “SHANTHIH” in our communities<br />
We can enrich our SUNDAR BHOOLOKAM with “SHANTHIH”<br />
We can conclude with “OM SHANTHIH, SHANTHIH, SHANTHIH…”<br />
We can conclude with a bright smile and “NAMASTHE”<br />
40
Planning For The Future Requires<br />
A Multi-Generational Strategy<br />
There is much consternation in Dharmic circles<br />
over the fate of our ancient religion. Will it be<br />
able to survive the challenges of the modern<br />
age? Not being a trikalajna I can't guarantee<br />
my predictions of the future, however based<br />
on social science and the history and experiences<br />
of the many ethnic groups who have<br />
faced these same issues before us and my own<br />
experience as both a child of<br />
Brahmana immigrants and someone<br />
who regularly works with<br />
Brahmana-American youth, I am<br />
optimistic that Brahmanas will not<br />
only survive but thrive in the coming<br />
years.<br />
Surveying the current scene this<br />
may seem like a naïve thing to<br />
say. But a primary mistake observers<br />
make is to fail to recognize<br />
that cultural change is multigenerational<br />
and the intermediate<br />
forms may not actually be representative<br />
of the final result. In<br />
describing multicultural change,<br />
sociologists speak of “Hansen's<br />
Law” which was first formulated<br />
by Marcus Lee Hansen in 1937.<br />
It says “What the son wishes to<br />
f<strong>org</strong>et, the grandson wishes to<br />
remember.” and it is the key to<br />
understanding what will happen.<br />
Basically it means that the first<br />
generation of an immigrant population<br />
has orthodox cultural attitudes.<br />
The second generation rebels against<br />
the “old-fashioned” views and tries to assimilate<br />
into the new while the third generation rebels<br />
against assimilation and returns to the more<br />
“authentic” identity of the first generation.<br />
Unlike the law of Gravity, Hansens law is not<br />
100% valid in every case -no observation on<br />
human behavior can be - but it has been shown<br />
to be broadly true for other immigrant groups in<br />
the US so it can provide at least a rough guide<br />
for us too.<br />
by Jaldhar H. Vyas<br />
The first generation of immigrants try to keep up<br />
their culture in a new situation but lack the<br />
means. In my case it was my great-grandfather<br />
and grandfather who can be considered as<br />
“immigrants” despite never having actually left<br />
Gujarat by moving from their village to the relatively<br />
modern and cosmpolitan city of Rajkot.<br />
They tried to maintain the traditional Brahmana<br />
culture to the fullest extent<br />
possible despite the fact<br />
that new methods of work,<br />
learning and socialization<br />
made much of it practically<br />
irrelevant. For instance,<br />
even in their day (1930's),<br />
learning English could help<br />
you get a good job. Learning<br />
Sanskrit could not.<br />
Jaldhar Vyas is a 36 year old<br />
Gujarati Vallum Brahmana who<br />
works in the IT field. Born and<br />
brought up in the UK, he now<br />
lives in Jersey City, NJ with his<br />
wife Jyoti, daughter Shailaja,<br />
and son Nilagriva.<br />
He is the webmaster of<br />
www.advaita-vedanta.<strong>org</strong>, and<br />
www.mimamsa.<strong>org</strong> and one of<br />
the moderators of the Advaita-L<br />
Internet mailing list.<br />
The second generation pick<br />
up on their parents discomfort<br />
and ambivalence and try<br />
to distance themselves from<br />
them. So my father (the<br />
one who actually immigrated,<br />
first to the UK and<br />
then the US) was during<br />
much of my childhood virtually<br />
an atheist. He had<br />
nothing good to say about<br />
mandirs or sants and never<br />
did puja or observed any<br />
vrata. In so far as he was<br />
interested in Indian culture<br />
at all it was those parts that<br />
were “scientific” and “progressive” He moved to<br />
the West to escape Indias “backwardness” He<br />
encouraged his children to assimilate into Western<br />
society as much as possible.<br />
For me on the other hand, having studied science<br />
and other forms of modern thought from<br />
the beginning of my education, I didn't feel the<br />
need to look to ancient books to validate the<br />
importance of those fields. I did not feel any<br />
anxiety about American identity. I was American<br />
and only a contemptible racist could tell me<br />
41
otherwise. I saw that Indian children did better<br />
in school than their non-Indian friends and<br />
were much more likely to go on to the best colleges<br />
and professional jobs so why should I<br />
think Indians were backwards? Although the<br />
teachings of the reformers were initially much<br />
more accessible to me being in English, the<br />
more I learnt about Indian history and philosophy,<br />
the more I realized that their doctrines<br />
were based upon lies and distortion. Together<br />
with some fortuitous encounters with orthodox<br />
scholars such as the famous Gujarati Bhagavata<br />
kathakar, the late Krishnashankar Shastriji,<br />
these factors combined to make me more traditionalist<br />
than my parents. Today I'm a shikhawearing,<br />
Sanskrit-knowing Pandit who would<br />
not look out of place beside his Grandfather.<br />
As Hansen predicted, I in the third generation<br />
have embraced the culture of the first generation<br />
that the second generation rejected.<br />
Although the exact experiences of my family<br />
may not match, many families pass through or<br />
will pass through similar trajectories. Knowing<br />
this, the Brahmana community can tailor its efforts<br />
to various constituencies to more effectively<br />
pass on our customs and beliefs.<br />
Because the first generation finds it hard to integrate<br />
with their new surroundings, they withdraw<br />
into their own cocoon. For all intents and<br />
purposes they are living in a distant suburb of<br />
their home towns rather than a new country.<br />
They pay more attention to politics and cultural<br />
trends at “home” than in the places they actually<br />
live. Unfortunately as they are the founders and<br />
in control of most cultural institutions their insularity<br />
can have terrible effects on their children.<br />
To take one example, there are some mandirs<br />
in this country that postpone the celebration<br />
of utsavas to the weekends rather than the<br />
actual days they should be on. The people<br />
who make such decisions want to maximize the<br />
number of people attending and they don't think<br />
people will be able to take time off from making<br />
money. They don't realize that most Americans<br />
are by nature happy to accommodate their religious<br />
beliefs and that tolerance is also backed<br />
up by solid legal rights. Besides the old timers<br />
know how “real” utsavas took place back in<br />
India so there should be no harm in making a<br />
few “adjustments”, should there?<br />
The problem is from the perspective of the second<br />
generation people, who don't have familiarity<br />
with the way things were done in India. They<br />
are looking to mandirs etc. to teach what was<br />
instinctual to previous generations so these actions<br />
by their elders look like hypocrisy. While<br />
the elders may be saying they are proud of<br />
Hindu culture, their actions suggest it takes<br />
a back seat to the demands of American culture.<br />
This feeds into the anxiety and confusion<br />
the young person himself feels about his place<br />
in American society. He is constantly told, “Be<br />
Indian” but India is a foreign place he only goes<br />
to on vacation and, as in the case of the<br />
mandirs with the weekend utsavas, the very<br />
people who are making exhortations seem<br />
themselves to be compromised in “being Indian”<br />
Meanwhile American culture and all it has to<br />
offer seem so enticing. (Another point of confusion,<br />
the same Mommy and Daddy that say “Be<br />
Indian” also say “Get good grades, go to a good<br />
college, get a high-paying job.” or in other words<br />
succeed in American terms.) So their reaction<br />
is sometimes to reject their parents culture altogether<br />
or to only retain the parts which do not<br />
conflict with the larger societies mores. For instance<br />
they may be willing to wear an OM necklace<br />
(I know one girl who has an OM tattoo) but<br />
not a tilak. They might show an interest in yoga<br />
or vegetarianism because those are mainstream<br />
now and quite trendy too but not in Sanskrit<br />
or ekadashi fasts. Although it might seem<br />
futile, it is vitally important not to give up on the<br />
second generation. Their seeming rebellion is<br />
only a transitional phase.<br />
The third generation is more emotionally distant<br />
from the culture wars and this can be good or<br />
bad. It is bad if they are indifferent to our culture<br />
altogether but it is good if they can look at it<br />
fairly and objectively. Which option they are<br />
likely to take depends on several factors.<br />
The first and foremost is education. Young people<br />
will not embrace Dharma if they don't even<br />
know what it is. Brahmanas should consider<br />
the sheer illiteracy amongst both young and old<br />
in our community to be a scandal. Even when<br />
attempts to educate are made, they often backfire<br />
due to the irrelevance or inappropriateness<br />
of the information provided. You cannot simply<br />
take a child and give him a copy of the<br />
Upanishads and expect him to suddenly become<br />
a Maharshi. The important thing to learn<br />
for those who are brought up outside of India is<br />
42
context not facts. In other words knowing why<br />
we should be studying the Upanishads is more<br />
important than the actual words. Just as we<br />
don't give calculus lessons to kindergartners but<br />
first teach them numbers, then addition, subtraction,<br />
and so one until they are ready for calculus,<br />
I think it is more useful in the long-term to<br />
teach them to take their shoes off in the mandir,<br />
wear white clothes at funerals, and not shave<br />
on Tuesdays than to read any book. It is truly<br />
said that Sanatana Dharma is a way of life not a<br />
collection of facts and those actions, as trivial as<br />
they maybe, are immediate in their application.<br />
The youngster who considers the practice of<br />
Dharma an imperative in their lives will of their<br />
own accord want to learn more and progress.<br />
Those who are only know a few unconnected<br />
facts will remain at a stagnant level for the rest<br />
of their lives.<br />
Also important is to make the practice of<br />
Dharma relevant. Too many times Dharma is<br />
presented as some kind of dusty museum<br />
exhibit. Sure it's great that we invented the<br />
number zero thousands of years ago but<br />
what difference does it make to me or you in<br />
2007? Another mistake is to pander to “the<br />
kids.” Treat children with maturity and don't talk<br />
down to them. It is very patronizing and leaves<br />
a bad impression. If they have questions they<br />
will ask you. Be prepared to answer honestly<br />
and be honest. If you don't know don't just<br />
make up something you think they might want<br />
to hear but admit you don't know and help them<br />
find someone who does know. Don't be defensive.<br />
It doesn't matter if our Brahmana Dharma<br />
is “modern” or “scientific”; What makes it relevant<br />
is that it comes from Bhagavan Himself,<br />
state this clearly and unapologetically. If your<br />
children respect the idea of Dharma then even if<br />
it seems they are rebelling, there is always a<br />
seed of hope which may one day bring them<br />
back to the fold. If they think it is just a “dead”<br />
relic of long ago and far away they are most<br />
likely lost forever. If they think it is just the<br />
same as whatever is the intellectual fad of the<br />
day they might seem to hold on to their faith a<br />
little longer but it will collapse as soon as fashions<br />
change again.<br />
“Network effects” are another important social<br />
science concept. Basically the theory of network<br />
effects says that the worth of relationships<br />
increases exponentially to the number of people<br />
involved in them. The first person to attempt<br />
a Brahmana lifestyle in the new world will<br />
find it very difficult. But the next person<br />
who joins him will find it a little easier. The<br />
third, fourth, and fifth people will find it even<br />
easier still. But Brahmana society does not<br />
make efficient use of network effects.<br />
Ideologically, we are too vague. You may have<br />
noticed that nowhere in this article do I use the<br />
word Hindu. It is not because I am ashamed of<br />
the word, in fact in some superficial contexts I<br />
do refer to myself as a Hindu. But it is simply<br />
meaningless as a label for my identity. If we<br />
want our children to have Brahmana values, we<br />
must clearly identify them as specific Brahmana<br />
values not simply some options amongst the<br />
many mutually contradictory tenets of what is<br />
referred to as Hinduism. Because Hinduism<br />
stands for nothing in particular it frequently ends<br />
up being reactionary; anti-Muslim or anti-<br />
Communist, anti-Christian etc. Such negativity<br />
is not a stable basis for cultural growth. I also<br />
don't talk about India. I have already mentioned<br />
how the second generation feels the pressures<br />
of assimilation. If the choice is only between<br />
being Indian or being American they will choose<br />
the latter every time. The bigger problem is that<br />
“Being Indian” is also meaningless. A Himalayan<br />
Sherpa is being Indian. A Keralite Catholic<br />
is being Indian. You can see how those ways of<br />
being Indian are different to how being a Brahmana<br />
is being Indian. Even amongst Brahmanas<br />
there are significant differences between a<br />
Gujarati Smarta, a Kannada Madhvite, or a<br />
Kashmiri Pandit. Those differences must be<br />
clearly stated.<br />
What I am saying may seem counter-intuitive.<br />
The conventional wisdom of both the left wing<br />
and right wing is that a lack of “unity” was responsible<br />
for our historical misfortunes. And<br />
surely sharper differences means smaller<br />
groups and therefore smaller network effects<br />
right? Wrong. A successful network requires<br />
standards. One way Hinduism tries to distinguish<br />
itself from other religions is by saying it is<br />
the “pluralistic” religion, the one which has no<br />
dogma. This is ridiculous; the person who<br />
claims to believe everything actually believes<br />
nothing. True tolerance simply means that others<br />
should not be coerced into a particular belief.<br />
It does not mean that you shouldn't assert<br />
your own beliefs to the fullest extent. I would<br />
43
say that it is passivity and the inability to critically<br />
evaluate other cultures which is responsible<br />
for the downturn in our fortunes and this is<br />
made worse by “unity.” When I make this argument,<br />
another objection I get is if we focus on<br />
jati, language, and sampradaya we will become<br />
narrow-minded, self-centered fundamentalist<br />
types. I disagree that this is inevitable. Let me<br />
give an example from my own life. When I was<br />
young I assumed that Indian = Gujarati and all<br />
Hindus believed in the same things. I could<br />
have found out otherwise but why bother? All<br />
views are essentially the same aren't they?<br />
Delving deeper into my heritage shook this<br />
complacency. Because of the zeal of my<br />
Gujarati Smarta Brahmana belief, I am more<br />
familiar with Indians who are not Gujarati, or<br />
Smarta, or Brahmana and I have a much better<br />
understanding of the things we have in common<br />
as well as the differences. Because of my<br />
attachment to Gujarat, I am more involved with<br />
India as a whole than if I still believed it was an<br />
exotic, almost mythical land far away.<br />
A related network effect to ideology is caused<br />
by language. What is the only source of information<br />
most Brahmana-Americans have<br />
for cultural and religious information?<br />
Mommy and Daddy. What happens if<br />
Mommy and Daddy can't answer a question?<br />
Well, there are books in English now of varying<br />
quality but even the best books cannot convey<br />
the entire context of a living culture. When you<br />
teach your children their mother tongue (and<br />
how to read and write it) you allow them to participate<br />
in the community at an equal level<br />
rather than just appendages of their parents and<br />
to seek and acquire cultural knowledge independently.<br />
44<br />
Marriage is yet another area where network effects<br />
enhance utility for cultural growth. It<br />
should be obvious that Brahmanas who marry<br />
other Brahmanas are going to be more likely to<br />
pass on Brahmana culture to future generations.<br />
In fact that is the best guarantee there<br />
will even be future generations; sociologists<br />
have observed a clear correlation between<br />
secularization and low fertility. It is no good<br />
talking about how great our culture is if it<br />
dies out because we have failed to reproduce.<br />
The community—the whole community<br />
not just parents—must fight intermarriage<br />
energetically. People in cross-religious<br />
marriages often do try and maintain both cultures.<br />
For instance the 2000 National Jewish<br />
Population Survey showed that most Jews who<br />
had married outside their faith (almost 50% of<br />
liberal Jews do so nowadays, less than 6% of<br />
Orthodox ones.) considered themselves proud<br />
to be Jewish and many had both a priest and<br />
rabbi present at their weddings. However 98%<br />
of the children of such marriages considered<br />
themselves non-Jewish. We have every reason<br />
to believe similar results will occur in our future.<br />
Sometimes people hesitate to talk about this<br />
out of fear of being considered “casteist.”<br />
but there is nothing to be apologetic about.<br />
We are not oppressing anyone by setting<br />
standards for ourselves. Another marriage<br />
related problem that must be tackled is that<br />
Brahmanas are getting married later in life. This<br />
is bad because the older you are, the more<br />
likely you are to have problems conceiving and<br />
the less time you will spend in cultural activities.<br />
My last example of a network effect is perhaps<br />
the most important. Location, location, location!<br />
It might seem that in this age of TV, internet and<br />
long distance phones, physical residence might<br />
not seem that important anymore but believe it,<br />
it does. The more that Brahmanas get together,<br />
the more they can reinforce each other even if<br />
individually they are culturally illiterate. The<br />
more they can support mandirs, schools and<br />
other cultural institutions. The anxious 2 nd generationer<br />
who feels like a weirdo because he<br />
doesn't share the faith of the majority can take<br />
comfort that there are others like him. Strong<br />
local communities will also help transient<br />
Brahmanas such as college students and H1B<br />
professionals.<br />
In conclusion, many amongst us feel overwhelmed<br />
and unequipped to face the task they<br />
have ahead of them. They are pessimistic<br />
about the long term viability of Sanatana<br />
Dharma. My message to them is don't be discouraged.<br />
Bear in mind that our problems<br />
are no different than those that every other<br />
immigrant group in this country have faced.<br />
The very fact that after all these years there<br />
aren't just some bland homogeneous Americans<br />
but Jews, and Italians, Muslims, Catholics, and<br />
Koreans shows that we too can flourish in this<br />
country. Hang in there for the long run even if<br />
the outlook for the immediate future doesn't look<br />
good to you, because this is just the dark before<br />
the dawn.
The Assault on Traditions<br />
By Subhash C Kak<br />
(This article was published in Sulekha.com<br />
on January 6, 2005 and is reprinted here<br />
with prior permission from the author)<br />
Modernity is associated with the idea of industrialization,<br />
a strong nation-state system and identity,<br />
progress, rationality, reason and objectivity<br />
that emerged in the mid-eighteenth century<br />
Western Europe. All this sounds great, but there<br />
is a price to pay. Mechanistic logic in human<br />
affairs results in oppression and regimentation,<br />
objectification of life, and alienation<br />
and loss of freedom. From it<br />
arise self-hate and destructive<br />
behaviour.<br />
The end of Cold War led some to<br />
announce the end of history; in<br />
reality, it only intensified the struggle<br />
in different societies between<br />
modernity and tradition. In the US,<br />
the right has exploited the deep<br />
unhappiness with the oppressive<br />
aspects of modernity by promoting<br />
its economic and social agenda as<br />
a palliative, when, in reality, its<br />
policies promote further<br />
“industrialization” of human affairs.<br />
The right’s prescriptions may be<br />
false; but it is winning because the<br />
left has not come up with a consistent<br />
argument to counter it.<br />
Meanwhile, “industrialization” of<br />
human affairs marches on, facilitated<br />
by new technologies. This<br />
globalization is not only in the<br />
spread of American pop-culture or control of<br />
increasing public space by the multinational corporations,<br />
it is also in the practice of law, which<br />
in traditional society was quite decentralized.<br />
Modernity in the legal sense is the notion that<br />
only the state or the sovereign can lay down the<br />
body of rules for citizens to follow. Here it draws<br />
from the tradition of the Christian Church with its<br />
claim to be the sole interpreter of law.<br />
Dr. Subhash Kak is an Indian<br />
American scientist and a<br />
Professor at Louisiana State<br />
University (LSU).<br />
He is notable for publications<br />
outside of his field, from an India-centric<br />
"Indigenous Aryans"<br />
ideology, including history and<br />
philosophy of science, ancient<br />
astronomy, and history of<br />
mathematics.<br />
The resistance of Muslims to westernizing modernization<br />
is natural, given that it sees itself as a<br />
revelation that supersedes Christianity. But the<br />
agents of westernization have been surprised<br />
by the claims of other non-Western societies for<br />
validity of their culture and attachment to their<br />
own social and legal arrangements. This explains<br />
the puzzlement of the westernized elite at<br />
the continuing affirmation of many for the Hindu<br />
tradition.<br />
The Matter of Law<br />
The modernist is puzzled because<br />
he does not understand<br />
the Hindu tradition, a situation<br />
getting worse due to the declining<br />
knowledge of the classical<br />
foundations of this tradition.<br />
According to Werner Menski in<br />
his path-breaking “Hindu Law:<br />
Beyond Tradition and Modernity”<br />
(Oxford University Press,<br />
2003), “Hindu law today must<br />
be seen as a postmodern phenomenon,<br />
displaying its internal<br />
dynamism and perennial<br />
capacity for flexibility and realignment.”<br />
Menski argues that<br />
the modernist reading of the<br />
tradition is a caricature, perpetuated<br />
because “studying<br />
Hindu law is often seen as regressive<br />
activity.” Menski adds:<br />
Anything ‘Hindu’ is quickly<br />
denigrated in many ways, not<br />
only by many followers of the monotheistic religions,<br />
but also those who imagine and assert<br />
that a modern world, by which is often meant a<br />
Western-inspired world, can do without socalled<br />
primitive religion and cultural traditions.<br />
Lawyers (as well as more recently whole cohorts<br />
of diasporic Indian scholars)... have had<br />
specific reasons to argue for modernity. Colonialism<br />
added its own ideologies and arguments<br />
45
to subjugate not only Hindus, but also Hindu<br />
law, all in the name of universalistic legal constructs.<br />
In the complex process of scholarly manipulation,<br />
many scholars have engaged (often unwittingly)<br />
in misleading and sometimes simply<br />
wrong representation of Hindu ‘tradition’.<br />
Prominent amongst these misrepresentations is<br />
the assumption that ancient Hindu texts<br />
‘prescribed’ certain rules, which even infects the<br />
most intricate subaltern writing.<br />
In recent years, arguments such as Menski’s (or<br />
those of Triloki Nath Madan and Ashis Nandy<br />
before him) have been criticized by the modernists<br />
as being dangerous because they provide<br />
support to the political right. But that is a false<br />
argument because the political right in India has<br />
not analyzed civilization dynamics in terms of<br />
the push and pull between modernity and tradition.<br />
Indeed, the right’s insistence on a common<br />
civil law for all Indians is inspired by the modernist<br />
ideology as are its many policies that promote<br />
centralization. The right has mostly been<br />
reactive, fighting at best for symbolic gains,<br />
hoping –erroneously, as it found to its grief --<br />
that these would suffice to ensure victory at the<br />
next election.<br />
The stakes are very high since they have implications<br />
for the manner in which India will be<br />
able to respond to the pressures of globalization.<br />
Menski reminds us:<br />
Arguments about the inherent political incorrectness<br />
and modern irrelevance of Hindu law have<br />
conveniently f<strong>org</strong>otten that the so-called modern<br />
traditions have their own roots in specific Western<br />
cultural and religious traditions. So how<br />
could Indian be called upon to ‘modernize’, if<br />
that simply meant, at one level, shedding the<br />
social and cultural concepts that make up the<br />
fabric of the various hybrid Indian identities?<br />
How can hundreds of millions of Hindus be expected,<br />
let alone forced, to abandon Hindu law?<br />
Modernity, calling on all ‘others’ to assimilate to<br />
the supposedly higher, apparently secular and<br />
‘modern’ value system represented by the<br />
West, amounted to thinly veiled pressure to<br />
abandon various indigenous traditions and convert<br />
to the supposedly universal notions of modernity.<br />
In other words, modernity expected and<br />
demanded unidirectional assimilation to alien<br />
lego-cultural norms and models, and a stepping<br />
outside of one’s own inherited traditions. It demanded<br />
de-Hinduization, abandoning of Hindu<br />
customs, habits, and traditions. While modernity<br />
was, at one level, not concerned about religion,<br />
it expected the modern world citizen to be of a<br />
secular disposition, thus seeking to prescribe<br />
one particular religious perspective as appropriate<br />
for modernity.<br />
Since the modern university is a vehicle for<br />
westernization, with hardly a representation for<br />
those who are schooled in the Indian classics,<br />
there hasn’t been a proper debate on identifying<br />
the proper tension between modernity and tradition<br />
in the Indian context. This is one reason the<br />
state has been paralyzed in making legal reforms,<br />
and has ceded decision making in many<br />
spheres to the judiciary.<br />
Modernity and Temple Administration<br />
It is in the relationship between the state and<br />
religion that the lack of clear thinking becomes<br />
most apparent. Observers of recent Indian history<br />
express incredulity at how the Indian state<br />
(whether ruled by the left or the BJP), which<br />
professes to be secular, has taken over the<br />
management of most Hindu temples. This has<br />
proceeded in the face of corruption, and diverting<br />
of the temple income for non-religious purposes,<br />
or even for the maintenance of religious<br />
institutions of rival religions.<br />
Typically, the government creates trusts to run<br />
these temples, with active management entrusted<br />
to officers of the Indian Administrative<br />
Service, with the government’s representatives<br />
sitting on the board taking decisions regarding<br />
where the income is to banked (gaining kickbacks<br />
from the banks in the process) and how it<br />
is to be invested, and even the sale of temple<br />
properties. Naturally, these bureaucrats have no<br />
interest in any larger vision associated with the<br />
temple.<br />
In spite of its numerous shortcomings, the medieval<br />
temple included all jatis as stakeholders<br />
in a complex system of obligations under the<br />
yajamani system. But that is not the case with<br />
the government controlled modern temple,<br />
where the bureaucrat is the supreme authority.<br />
Operating in a system without appropriate<br />
46
checks and balances, it is easy for him to succumb<br />
to greed. For such an officer, who is on a<br />
temporary assignment as a temple chief, there<br />
is no incentive to look at the larger role of the<br />
temple in the community, and he, at best, is an<br />
instrument of the status quo. Such temples are<br />
not the harbingers of social change that they<br />
should be.<br />
A few months ago, I heard from one of the government<br />
trustees of the Vashno Devi temple in<br />
Jammu, who was visiting the United States. He<br />
wanted some advice on how to go about recruiting<br />
faculty for the newly established Mata Vaishno<br />
Devi Temple University, of whose existence<br />
I was not aware until that moment. He<br />
explained that the government had decided to<br />
create this university with the income of the Vaishno<br />
Devi temple; this university, it had been<br />
decided, would focus on information technology<br />
and biotechnology.<br />
I asked him why the university, which is being<br />
run on the donations of the pilgrims, did not include<br />
Hindu religious studies on its curriculum.<br />
He said since the university operated within the<br />
parameters of a secular state, it could not teach<br />
any subject related to Hinduism. The bottom<br />
line: the donations of the pilgrims support activities<br />
that have nothing to do with the pilgrimage.<br />
The control of the Hindu temples by the government,<br />
when the mosques or the churches have<br />
not similarly been taken over, is defended on<br />
the ground that the modern Indian state is the<br />
successor also to the earlier pre-British Indian<br />
states where much of the great temple ritual<br />
was around the person of the king. The chief<br />
ministers, being the democratically elected successors<br />
to the kings, are within their rights to<br />
continue with this tradition irrespective of what<br />
the Constitution says.<br />
Meanwhile, many Hindu groups have begun<br />
agitating for the Hindu temples to be restored to<br />
the Hindu communities. If there is need for a<br />
better legal and administrative framework for<br />
the running of temples, they demand that all<br />
Hindu communities are made stakeholders with<br />
complete separation between the government<br />
and the management boards, with the judiciary<br />
to act as referee in case of dispute.<br />
Globalization and Body and Soul<br />
The seizing of the temples by the Indian bureaucracy<br />
is only a small part of the larger war<br />
for individual freedom. Friedrich Hayek in his<br />
classic The Road to Serfdom (1944) warned<br />
that government control over production led to<br />
totalitarianism. Now the danger is much greater.<br />
Technology makes it easy for the state and multinational<br />
corporations or even guilds to assume<br />
unprecedented power over not only production<br />
but also distribution. This power is likely to be<br />
exercised in neocolonial control of national<br />
economies and natural wealth; meanwhile, it is<br />
being increasingly applied to the last frontiers<br />
before man, the human body and the mind.<br />
Western medicine has become a hand-maiden<br />
to pharmaceutical firms, resulting in the vast<br />
majority of Westerners becoming dependent on<br />
some sort of medication, as documented in<br />
John Abramson’s Overdosed America: The Broken<br />
Promise of American Medicine<br />
(HarperCollins, 2003). The philosopher Ivan<br />
Illich once said: “Modern medicine is a negation<br />
of health. It isn't <strong>org</strong>anized to serve human<br />
health, but only itself, as an institution. It makes<br />
more people sick than it heals.”<br />
The other force of globalization is the use of<br />
media and marketing theory to sell <strong>org</strong>anized<br />
religion and to separate individuals from their<br />
traditions and cultural history.<br />
But our age of confusion is also an age of enormous<br />
promise. One hopes that out of the current<br />
conflict will arise better understanding and<br />
compassion and more freedom for people everywhere.<br />
But this will be, at best, a rocky road.<br />
External links:<br />
http://www.vivekanandagospel.<strong>org</strong>/<br />
AwakeArise.<strong>pdf</strong> : Swami Jyotirmayananda on<br />
Hindu Temples<br />
http://atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/<br />
GA06Dj01.html : The Naked Hegemon<br />
Courtesy: Sulekha.com<br />
http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/<br />
column.asp?cid=305983<br />
47
Women Issues : A myth or a reality ?<br />
by Ranjana Pathak<br />
This article will attempt at briefly touching the<br />
surface surrounding women issues, although<br />
this is targeted towards our Brahman community,<br />
I do not believe that “women issues” are<br />
unique to a Brahman woman. I will venture to<br />
say a woman is a woman and the issues transcend<br />
religious and ethnic barriers, yes it is<br />
compounded if you are a Havik Brahman<br />
woman in Totagadde or a Brahman woman in<br />
New York. I do not want to raise the expectation<br />
of the reader that this article will be<br />
creative writing or filled with titillating<br />
material, it is, meant to be<br />
thought provoking.<br />
So what are these issues? Is it a<br />
myth? Or is it our reality? The issues<br />
vary depending on who is<br />
being asked and the time this question<br />
was posed. An important aspect<br />
is the geographic area of the<br />
subject woman. Before we get into<br />
the nuts and bolts of these issues<br />
and its underpinnings let us first<br />
define the woman. I am not suggesting<br />
that our readers do not<br />
know the physiological makeup of a<br />
woman. It is the unseen that we<br />
want to discuss in this article, or<br />
better yet question the mother-wife<br />
role that has become a woman’s<br />
identity.<br />
It is her opportunities, her upbringing,<br />
her competition, her growth,<br />
her health, her, future that we want<br />
to discuss. A woman is quite different<br />
today than she was a century<br />
ago or for that matter 50 years ago,<br />
or even 25 years ago, her role has<br />
evolved. This evolution is global;<br />
the western world may have seen rapid<br />
changes whereas in some parts of the world<br />
they are more subtle and slow. Even in the<br />
pharmaceutical industry clinical trial subjects<br />
were always men, women were not part of the<br />
population that studied a new<br />
drug until recently. This does not delineate<br />
Brahman women but does beg the question<br />
around health; don’t women have a right to be<br />
healthy? Who makes this decision? Until<br />
women are in decision making roles change will<br />
be slow and skewed until a special interest lobbying<br />
gets wind of the subject.<br />
Historically there have always been exceptions<br />
and it is noteworthy to write about Brahman<br />
women such as Dr. Anandabai<br />
Joshee and Rukmini<br />
Devi Arundale who broke<br />
the mold in the 19 th century.<br />
This article would be incomplete<br />
if it did not recognize<br />
the aberrations created by<br />
these two women, I am sure<br />
the list is longer but I found<br />
it fascinating to note the era<br />
that these women achieved<br />
their dreams and goals.<br />
Kosambi (2001) noted that<br />
Dr. Anandbai Joshi was an<br />
enlightened Hindu woman<br />
who was the first Brahman<br />
woman to leave India to obtain<br />
an education. Her visit<br />
was compared to an academic<br />
pilgrimage. She came<br />
to the U.S. to be enrolled in<br />
the Women’s Medical college<br />
of Pennsylvania at a<br />
tender age of 18. She was<br />
able to overcome the gender,<br />
time, and cultural divide<br />
in 1883. Dr. Joshee sacrificed<br />
her life so as to bring<br />
relief to her suffering fellow<br />
countrywoman. It was unfortunate<br />
that her health was failing and passed<br />
away when she was 22, in her short life she<br />
proved that great things can be achieved even<br />
in the midst of adversity. Many Brahman girls in<br />
the U.S will probably be shocked to learn that<br />
Dr. Joshee was married at age nine.<br />
Ranjana Pathak is presently a<br />
VP of Quality and Compliance<br />
for Endo Pharmaceuticals. She<br />
is not only a charming and accomplished<br />
dancer but a successful<br />
professional. She was<br />
honored as an industry Rising<br />
Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s<br />
Association in<br />
2006. She has completed her<br />
Aarengeterum under the guidance<br />
of Padma Vibhushan<br />
Kamla Narayan.<br />
48
If it were not for the Indian Government this<br />
would be the fate of many girls in India.<br />
Rukmini Devi Arundale also f<strong>org</strong>ed ahead and<br />
broke barriers when she was determined to<br />
dance at a time when Brahman woman were<br />
expected to make no decisions, stand silently in<br />
doorways, live for the betterment of their husbands.<br />
“All Madras, indeed, all India, was<br />
schoked that a Brahman woman had performed<br />
in public, the art of the temple harlots” (The<br />
Hindu, 2003). Bharatnatyam was forbidden by<br />
the anti- Nauten Social reform Movement in<br />
1890.The British Givernment had banned dance<br />
in 1911. None of this stopped Rukmini Devi<br />
from performing and opening her own school<br />
with only one student, no campus, no class, her<br />
classroom was under a tree which has grown<br />
exponentially over the years. Today her school<br />
is known as Kalashetra in Chennai, which celebrated<br />
its centennial in 2006 (The Hindu, 2003).<br />
So is there still an issue? How did Rukmini Devi<br />
and Anandbai manage to break the mold? The<br />
statistics of such examples are paltry. Ullrich<br />
conducted a study involving Havik Brahman<br />
women in Tottageda, which is a small town in<br />
Karanataka. As recent as 1964, Havik Brahman<br />
girls and women were being ostracized during<br />
their menstrual cycle. They were not allowed to<br />
use any of the household items, or even sleep<br />
in the main house. The patrilineage was dominant,<br />
girls and women at these times were considered<br />
to be impure, polluted, and a threat to<br />
male ritual status. This tradition is slowly changing<br />
as people are becoming more educated and<br />
marital relationship is overcoming patrilineage<br />
(Ullrich, 1992).<br />
Women issues are vast; the spectrum is wide<br />
and fraught with challenges. From cosmetic issues<br />
such as allowing a Brahman woman to cut<br />
her hair even though she is still married to becoming<br />
an astronaut. It is my humble opinion<br />
that it is up to each girl, women, albeit a Brahman<br />
woman to fight for her cause to exercise<br />
her mind and intellect and fight the odds. As a<br />
member of society we must collectively enable<br />
women to overcome economic dependence<br />
through education. Each one of us can make a<br />
difference. The work has only begun…<br />
References:<br />
Kosambi, M. (2001, July). A Prismatic Presence:<br />
the Multiple Iconisation of Dr Anandibai<br />
Joshee and the Politics of Life-Writing. Australian<br />
Feminist Studies, Vol. 16 Issue 35.<br />
Raghvan, N. (2002). The uplifting face of dance.<br />
New Straits Times.<br />
Ullrich, H. E. (1992). Menstrual taboos among<br />
Havik Brahman women: A study of ritual<br />
change. Sex Roles, 26 (1/2), 19-40.<br />
Brahman women are not unique; their needs to<br />
be economically independent, educated,<br />
healthy, and have a voice in society are not<br />
unique. A woman in the 21 st century has more<br />
say than she ever had, the divide between expectations<br />
and practice is still significant, society<br />
is not ready for Brahman woman priests, a<br />
woman can only hold her husband’s hand at<br />
crucial times in the prayer. Traditionally she will<br />
be allowed this status only if she has vowed to<br />
perform services for the long life of her husband<br />
such as Gauri puja (Ullrich, 1992 ).<br />
49
I want to be a Brāhmaṇa. How and Why? *<br />
By B V Venkatakrishna Sastry<br />
Origin of Question -<br />
Pursuit of Spiritual excellence<br />
‘I want to be a Brāhmaṇa’- the pursuit of<br />
this vedic ideal of human spiritual excellence, is<br />
the message from the life of Brahmarṣhi Viśhwāmitra,<br />
narrated in his own words in<br />
ŚrīmadRāmāyaṇa to Śrī Rama. Viśhwāmitra’s<br />
name is taken daily, with reverence by all<br />
Brāhmaṇas over centuries as a part of the recitation<br />
of the viśhwāmitra- savitṛu – Gāyatrī mantra<br />
at the time of doing the daily Sandhyā meditation.<br />
This Gāyatrī mantra is the royal path for<br />
every one to the attainment of the status of a<br />
Brāhmaṇa.<br />
Śrīmad Rāmāyaṇa, is considered the<br />
essence of Vedas. It gives the story of ŚrīRama<br />
and Sita, which is an ideal of ethical family life<br />
for Brāhmaṇas. This work through several characters<br />
symbolically brings out, the causes of the<br />
downfall of Brāhmaṇa and the consequence of<br />
it on the society. The family history of Ravana<br />
coming in the lineage of pulastya brahma sage<br />
is an illustration here. The story of Śrī Rama’s<br />
encounter with Parashurama is another illustration.<br />
Rāmāyaṇa inherits this standard from<br />
Vedas and passes it on to Mahābhārata. Śrīmad<br />
Bhagavad-Gītā, the words of Lord Śrī<br />
Krishna, the Supreme incarnate, speaks about<br />
Brāhmaṇa’s as follows:<br />
‘Om tatsaditi nirdesho Brahmaṇah trividhah<br />
smritah; Brāhmaṇāh tena vedāścha, yajnāścha<br />
vihitāh purā (17-23).<br />
There are three words to designate Brahman:<br />
Om, Tat and Sat. From these (or from Brahman),<br />
have emerged the brāhmaṇas and Vedas.<br />
Thus all those (a) who maintain that<br />
standard of purity of source (Om) and (b) follows<br />
the Dharma guidance of Brahman<br />
(=Vedas) and (c) are committed to the performance<br />
of ‘yajna’ which purifies and delivers global<br />
welfare are brāhmaṇa’s.<br />
Having said this, the standards checklist<br />
and duties of Brāhmaṇa’s are detailed in the<br />
following reference:<br />
śhamo, damastapah śhaucham, kśhāntirārjavameva<br />
cha, jnānam vijnānam, āstikyam<br />
brahma-karma svabhāvajam. (Gita 18-42)<br />
Any one who meets the checklist noted below in<br />
the domains of Body-Mind-Speech related to<br />
these standards is a brāhmaṇa: (a) Self control,<br />
(b) Sense control, (c)Tapas, (d) Purification, (e)<br />
Contentment, (f) Ethical enterprise, (g)<br />
Engagement in the pursuit of Knowledge (h)<br />
application of knowledge for productive welfare<br />
values of peace and prosperity,(i) A firm belief<br />
in a Supreme Power guiding the destiny beyond<br />
human endeavor (j) lives a life style where<br />
these qualities are inherited, lived and transmitted<br />
to the next generation.<br />
Such brāhmaṇas are the need of all<br />
societies for the welfare of the World. These are<br />
the pure souls free from selfishness and ego,<br />
who are the torch bearers of vedic tradition, who<br />
alone can guide the seekers for the goal of spiritual<br />
excellence and welfare. A society which<br />
has no ‘living brāhmaṇa’ of this standard is a<br />
fallen society. A society which has a rich constitution<br />
of members traversing on the path of becoming<br />
brāhmaṇas is a spiritually progressive<br />
society. A land in which generations of such<br />
brāhmaṇaṣ have lived ensuring a continuity<br />
brāhmaṇa- āchāra is a puṇya-bhūmi.<br />
What is ‘Brāhmaṇa’ identity ? Rule based<br />
models<br />
What is a Brāhmaṇa identity? Is an individual<br />
(male/female) a Brāhmaṇa because the<br />
parent/s are ‘identified’ as ‘janma-brāhmaṇa’<br />
Brāhmaṇa’s? This will make Brāhmaṇa identity<br />
a gene based inheritance. It also means the<br />
following:<br />
- What ever material and processes<br />
constitutes for the ‘gene’ is responsible for<br />
‘brāhmaṇa identity factor’!<br />
- This further implies that ‘food’ is an<br />
important input for ‘brāhmaṇa body’ building<br />
and maintenance. The body processing of food<br />
to the inroads of gene chemistry is responsible<br />
50
for brāhmaṇism! - Any thing that influences /<br />
impacts this impacts the fuller blooming of<br />
Brāhmaṇa identity. This concept needs to be<br />
stretched in its totality of extent from the food<br />
that the pregnant mother takes to nurture the<br />
baby in the womb, the child foods, the school<br />
foods, the daily food, the health food, the nourishments<br />
and entertaining foods and the medicines<br />
provided for health maintenance.<br />
This reduces brāhmaṇism to the level of<br />
a body attribute in the form of chemistry. And<br />
efforts will be on to manufacture ‘brāhmana<br />
gene in the laboratories and patent it! This is not<br />
the understanding and standards of traditions.<br />
Is an individual Brāhmaṇa because: the<br />
individual is trained and allowed to learn/read<br />
vedas, follow certain family traditions, do worship<br />
in a temple, have the name appendages<br />
characteristic of historical Brāhmaṇa families,<br />
affiliated to certain temples –religious institutions<br />
and/or guru’s ? This would make<br />
brāhmaṇism a geo-centric, land-locked, club<br />
membership by sponsorship and recommendation<br />
or a priced title! This is not the understanding<br />
and standards of traditions.<br />
Then what is brāhmaṇism? It is a standard<br />
of integrated refinement of body –mind –<br />
speech for spiritual excellence. The body related<br />
purity is of two types. The first one is the<br />
inheritance factor to which the father and<br />
mother contribute together through their body<br />
matter. The second one is the contribution of<br />
the individual who is bound by own body- matter<br />
and uses it in the current life. This demands<br />
continuous refinement of the body-matter<br />
through the care in food, actions and entertainment<br />
. This is the discipline of Brāhmaṇa life.<br />
Nothing is denied, but indiscipline is not accepted.<br />
Every indiscipline needs to be atoned<br />
and set right. That is Karma! Falling prey to the<br />
viles of indiscipline needs strict atonement! This<br />
is not a choice like the options of gaining weight<br />
and loosing it! Each successive fall demands<br />
stricter discipline of atonement! It is a walk on a<br />
razor edge. Deeper one falls, the work against<br />
gravity needs a higher force to pull up! One can<br />
be happy to have a smaller pull up’s at a time<br />
and wait for a longer time to reach the surface;<br />
or, one may seek the a faster pull and reach the<br />
surface early. The sop providing gurus are like<br />
palliative care providers.<br />
How to become a brāhmaṇa?<br />
Traditional model, Current period model<br />
The traditional model of becoming a brāhmana<br />
is (a) initiation to the dvija status through<br />
upanayana samskara under the supervision of<br />
parent – guru – community (b) living under the<br />
guidance of a guru following the code of conduct<br />
prescribed for brāhmin in the six fold model<br />
noted earlier (brāhmna-āchāra) (c) the maintenance<br />
of the standards of Dharma guided living<br />
with Mokṣha as the highest value.(d) periodic<br />
renewal of the status through proper atonements.<br />
The current model of identifying brāhmana<br />
has been mainly restricted to the parental<br />
identity as brāhmana’s! and the one time initiation<br />
to the dvija status through upanayana samskara<br />
as a social function. This change in trend<br />
has a historicity of less than three hundred<br />
years, more on the post 1700 period side. This<br />
short historicity error is overshadowing the tradition<br />
of more than three thousand plus years is a<br />
matter of serious concern.<br />
With the rampant power and speed with which<br />
the traditional brāhminical view of veda’s as<br />
transcendent revelations apuruśheya is eroding<br />
on the onslaught of the post 1700 CE colonial<br />
model of vedic interpretation leaning to historical<br />
linguistic interpretation, both in India and<br />
beyond and the blissful neglect of the brāhmana<br />
community in studying-preserving-supporting<br />
their religious language and heritage in a live<br />
way (beyond a voice less lifeless mechanical<br />
web page !) the future of brāhmana identity as<br />
‘veda-adhyāyī śhrotriya’ is in great danger and<br />
this needs to be addressed urgently .<br />
How to be/ stay a brāhmaṇa? Life style<br />
The Brāhmaṇa life style in a given society and<br />
context, technically called brāhmaṇa-achaara,<br />
is guided by value standards noted above and<br />
a threading of continuing-traditions, assessed<br />
by the learned masters. This is the guidance<br />
from the tatittiriya Upanishad: ‘te yatha tatra<br />
varteran, tathā tatra vartethāh’ – Live as the<br />
learned Brāhmaṇas live in a given context. This<br />
sets the responsibility of Brāhmaṇa in guiding<br />
the society on the dharmic path and leading the<br />
ideal life. Brāhmaṇa priest, in the temple is one<br />
unit of excellence and an internal reference<br />
standard for the Brāhmaṇa community members.<br />
51
If the Brāhmaṇa community fails to support<br />
and make the life of a Brāhmaṇa priest a<br />
respectable one, it is a sure sign of internal decay<br />
in the Brāhmaṇa society. The Brāhmaṇa<br />
priests come in several streams: Archaka in the<br />
temple; Purohita beyond-temple, family context;<br />
Acharya - Ritvik in the vedic-ritual context; Shrotriya<br />
in the academic context; Shastri in the research<br />
and technology application context;<br />
there are several more specific titles of professional<br />
specialization in this area, all responsible<br />
for preserving one or the other facet of vedavedanga<br />
tradition needed for understanding<br />
veda. It is a team work of spiritual-ritual tradition<br />
technologies specialists.<br />
The guidance for nurturing a tree is<br />
‘water the root’. The root of brāhmaṇism is in<br />
the daily routine called ‘Sandhya’ worship for<br />
daily replenishment of spiritual energy. The formats<br />
of this ‘Sandhya-vandana’ have several<br />
customized formats with an integration of philosophies,<br />
yoga, mysticism, devotion, Tantra<br />
providing brāhmana religious identities.<br />
The ‘spark of Brāhmaṇism’ is lit through<br />
the rite of passage called ‘upa-nayana’- opening<br />
the additional eye beyond the physical eyes.<br />
This is akin in concept to the baptizing / initiation<br />
ceremony. There is a ‘death’ of the previous<br />
phase, a resurrection / rebirth of the individual<br />
through the spiritual pathway to explore the<br />
study of vedas. Technically this rite of passage<br />
makes any one who undergoes this, to be<br />
called a ‘Dvi-ja’= twice born. This is the qualifying<br />
entry point for entry in to the corridors of<br />
brāhmaṇism. Here the ‘one time entry’ qualification<br />
alone is not sufficient. The entrant has to<br />
maintain that status through consistent practice.<br />
Failure to keep up the status puts the individual<br />
back at the out gate of brāhmaṇism. The reentry<br />
is through a system of rigorous atonements.<br />
Each time the entrant falls off the standard,<br />
the reentry criterion and atonement becomes<br />
stringent. This is intended to keep the<br />
inner sector of brāhmaṇism as a high qualityhigh<br />
purity zone. A new name appendage and<br />
the discipline of life is directed to be followed.<br />
The instruction of ‘Viśhwāmitra Gāyatrī mantra’<br />
is given by the parent /master initiator.<br />
How to restore brāhmaṇa status ?<br />
Practice, Atonement<br />
The issue of fall from Brāhmaṇa status and restoration<br />
has been a much debated subject from<br />
earliest times. The deliberations in Manu smriti,<br />
Mahabharata and later books of Dharma shastra<br />
have extensive updates on this issue. The<br />
common ground stood firm by all the texts in the<br />
matter of brāhmaṇism fall /restoration is:<br />
a) The fall from the status of ‘birth Brāhmaṇa /<br />
trained Brāhmaṇa / professional brāhmaṇa’ is<br />
not uncommon . This depends upon ones previous<br />
karma and circumstances present in current<br />
life style.<br />
b) When there is a recognition of a fall with reference<br />
to the standards of brāhmaṇism, the<br />
restoration of status is through appropriate<br />
atonement’ Prayschitta’. The details of<br />
prayaschitta are like medicine, to be decided on<br />
case to case basis.<br />
c) The general guidance for group restoration<br />
(not very common in early deliberations, but yet<br />
noted in dharma śhāstra and prayoga books<br />
maintained in the brāhmana priest traditions) is<br />
a group yajna. This was called the ‘Dhaatri havan’,<br />
done every year, after the upakarma by<br />
the team of Brāhmaṇas, as a community.<br />
d) The body of a Brāhmaṇa remains a<br />
‘brāhmaṇa body’ due to the inheritance of<br />
Brāhmaṇa body matter from the parent; but<br />
whether that passes on to the next generation<br />
as ‘brāhmaṇa body matter’ depends upon the<br />
present parent having maintained the inheritance<br />
by use/abuse / misuse and the ability to<br />
transfer it to be a part of the body matter of next<br />
generation.<br />
e) Even if one has not inherited the ‘brāhmaṇa<br />
body matter’ as a parental gift /inheritance (no<br />
need to blame the parents!), every human can<br />
start with the ‘Dvi-ja’ samskara’ with appropriate<br />
prayaschitta and take on the journey towards<br />
exploration of brāhmaṇism. Just as different<br />
batches starting the tour will be seeing different<br />
segments at one given time, the explorers of<br />
brāhmaṇism from different references will see<br />
different practices in a given time point. Because<br />
of this, the diversity of the ‘practices’ appears<br />
to be beyond measure. There is nothing<br />
wrong in this. Each one has to make their journey<br />
on the route appropriate to them for their<br />
predestined’ / common goals. The mistake is in<br />
expecting that every person outside the home<br />
should come to the same home through the<br />
same route and at the same time! Brāhmaṇa<br />
community should not fall a prey for this kind of<br />
‘uniformity rule’ of regimentation, which is de-<br />
52
structive to the very nature of individual freedom<br />
and spiritual evolution. The path of brāhmaṇism<br />
has accorded highest priority to the individuals<br />
freedom and comfort with utmost concern. The<br />
guidance is provided for the most natural spiritual<br />
progress. This is honoring the trueness of<br />
human essence and dignity.<br />
Grooming ‘Next Generation Brāhmaṇas’<br />
Vision for future.<br />
What needs to be done for the grooming of the<br />
next generation of Brāhmaṇas is a vision for the<br />
grooming of a global Brāhmaṇa. Here are some<br />
practical tips, inspired by the traditional<br />
sources:<br />
a) Get at the bearings of your tag of<br />
‘brāhmaṇism’ reference with reference to the<br />
standards. What you were is not the important<br />
point here. What you are now and what you<br />
want to be is the key.<br />
b) See how much of the six activities recommended<br />
for a brāhmana can be taken up by<br />
you. This is not the model desired or fit for every<br />
one.<br />
c) Make your personal and temple prayers<br />
meaningful. Understand the prioritization of values<br />
provided in the prayers. Why try to wear<br />
‘prayer’ clothes that does not suit the occasion<br />
or fit the size? And why even make such prayer<br />
or advise them?<br />
c) Observe the brāhmaṇaical practices in the<br />
primary matters of food taking (at least at home<br />
and the Temples, Brāhmaṇa meetings and get<br />
together programs; especially in important functions<br />
like upanayana and marriage). These are<br />
simple, practical things and every community /<br />
society understands the value of this. High<br />
ideas without implementation will not yield results.<br />
Remember these are jus the necessary<br />
conditions and not sufficient conditions.<br />
d) Sit with family members and read together<br />
the prayers of your family traditions in one of the<br />
religious languages of vedic traditions. (this<br />
could be a mix of Sanskrit, Prakrits, one of the<br />
indian languages. Deliberate on the meaning of<br />
the prayer as a family in the language your<br />
team understands. Remember these are jus the<br />
necessary conditions and not sufficient conditions.)<br />
e) Display the name of your self, your elders,<br />
your personal deities as a pride tradition on your<br />
belongings: house, car, the street of your home<br />
and the like. Don’t fall to the trap of short<br />
names. When some one asks your name, say<br />
your full name and then say you may call me<br />
‘(short name)’. Teach this to your next generation.<br />
Explain the meaning of your name on demand.<br />
Name is a powerful toll that sustains the<br />
roots of spiritual traditions and religious languages.<br />
f) Make education partnerships and learn. This<br />
does not mean that you start accessing the unfiltered<br />
web pages, cheap stuff to be bought<br />
during india trips, free lectures and advise of<br />
‘neighbor guided yoga’ or TV channel show<br />
yoga!<br />
Put your self through the professional discipline<br />
of investing time and energy in experiencing<br />
religion through authentic and systematic studies.<br />
In short, you made a mark as a professional<br />
through hard work, application of energy and<br />
time to be recognized as a successful person.<br />
When it comes to brāhmana identity and vedic<br />
spirituality, make the same model of investment<br />
of time and energy on yourself and your next<br />
beloved generation for your welfare, your family-lineage<br />
kula-vaṃsha gotra welfare and the<br />
global welfare. What makes you think that a<br />
compromise on professional approach works in<br />
religion?<br />
Conclusion<br />
Ḍvi-ja samskāra is the starting gate from where<br />
the journey to the goal of I want to be brāhmana<br />
starts. This is not a faith bound rite or hindu<br />
evangelism. This is a vedic rite which helps one<br />
to transcend the limits of faith and explore<br />
higher levels of consciousness for the Spiritual<br />
truth and welfare. This gate is open to all at all<br />
ages and times. If one falls in the journey, they<br />
come back and start at this gate once again!<br />
Brāhmaṇism is a path and a goal all the way to<br />
the excellence of spirituality. The individuals<br />
journeying through this path may be at different<br />
points, working with different speeds; but they<br />
are all headed for the same goal. Identify your<br />
slot and make your progress with reference to<br />
your ground reality.<br />
The fall on the path of journey is always remediable<br />
through the atonement procedures. The<br />
falls do not stop the journey. This is a path<br />
where each has to carry own weight and packs.<br />
Let the Masters do the guidance and needed<br />
help, while you are asked to keep on your journey.<br />
If you want to become the maser, then pursue<br />
that path. Being a traveler and guiding an-<br />
53
other traveler having different needs is not<br />
proper, unprofessional and unethical. This is the<br />
story of Viśhwāmitra - the friend of the Universe,<br />
the guiding spirit, who got the revelation of the<br />
Gāyatrī mantra, which is the vehicle that delivers<br />
every one through the goal of Brāhmaṇa<br />
identity for the successive generations.<br />
* © The opinions expressed in this article/presentation are<br />
purely of the author and it may not be associated with the<br />
Institution of his affiliation.<br />
Srimadrāmāyaṇa –Bāla-kāṇda sarga 55-sloka<br />
24: ‘tapo mahat samāsthāsye, yadvai brahmatva-kārakam’<br />
– I shall take to penance, which<br />
alone can deliver the status and goal of Brahman.<br />
The rishi-devata-chandas of the gāyatri mantra<br />
carries this reverential opening: tatsavituhviśhwāmitrah-savitā<br />
–gāyatrī.<br />
Gita 10-35: gāyatrī chandasāmaham.<br />
There are several explanations and traditional<br />
views on the interpretation of these stories.<br />
Here, just one perspective of the characters<br />
being Brahmans by birth is picked up to highlight<br />
the point that the gift received by birth<br />
needs to be sustained by action and performance.<br />
The vedic word for Brahman is ‘śhrotriya’.<br />
The limited translation of yajna as a ‘fire ritual<br />
to the chants of veda by ordained brahmans’ is<br />
not a holistic presentation of the message of<br />
Bhagavadgita. Some times, this limited literal<br />
translation has been the source of damage to<br />
the tradition. The wide definition of yajna is<br />
given through out Bhagavadgita. The two undisputed<br />
features of all yajna being: purification<br />
and global welfare.<br />
The word vijnānam is to be specifically noted<br />
here. The sections: chapter four, 13-2 to 13-11<br />
clearly says what is jnānam and differentiates<br />
what is ajnānam. In chapter seven, the distinction<br />
and integration of jnāna and vijnāna is detailed.<br />
Each of these attributes are further graded on<br />
the scale of three guṇas: satva-rajas-tamas,<br />
and four models of Karma- profession of livelihood.<br />
The four models here are brāhmaṇa,<br />
kśhatriya, vaishya and all others. These are<br />
again value based checklists. These are not to<br />
be marked by limited literal translations /<br />
historical practices of the text. The emergent<br />
diversity is analyzed in the dharma śhāstras and<br />
smriti’s to draw the rules of conduct for evaluating<br />
the conformity to the standards of brāhmin.<br />
The parental transmission of these qualities is<br />
also an important point for the consideration of<br />
‘brahmana śharīra’. This has been inaccurately<br />
explained as ‘birth – right’ of Brahman ! Or in<br />
short, born brāhmin, birth-brāhmin !<br />
The Sanskrit word ‘sva-bhāva-jam’ has the<br />
force of giving all these meanings. This inheritance,<br />
living and transmission has to take place<br />
at the three levels of Body-Mind and Speech,<br />
the individual-family and society. The family life<br />
standards of brāhmins, in practice for several<br />
centuries like: ethics in married life, responsibility<br />
for children’s spiritual welfare, commitment to<br />
perform the religious rituals so that the next<br />
generation grows in an environment of ‘faith in a<br />
higher force guiding the destiny’, the values of<br />
merit and sin (punya-papa), the insistence on<br />
the performance of the annual rites for the departed<br />
(shrāddha – piṇda udaka kriyā)- are all<br />
outcomes from the powerful meaning of this<br />
word.<br />
Manu smriti says that one should not live in a<br />
village/ society /place where there is ‘no brāhmana’.<br />
The responsibility to maintain a brāhmana<br />
as a standard of living, model of vedic<br />
excellence and inspiration among the members<br />
of society is vested with the leadership of state.<br />
Āhāra, āchāra, vichāra, vihāra – the four elements<br />
which make a sampradāya = tradition, a<br />
śhāstra paddhati , a cultural heritage, a family<br />
tradition. the value directives for these comes<br />
again in bhagavad-gītā.<br />
These topics are covered in the third , tenth and<br />
eleventh chapters of manu smriti: - prayachitta,<br />
fall of Brāhmaṇa and the path for revival. Jāti<br />
bhramshakara; prāyschitta, vrātyatā.<br />
This is called teaching inappropriate to the<br />
needs of the student. In medical practice, this<br />
would mean prescribing medication that does<br />
not suit the patients health needs.<br />
54
ShrAddha Karma<br />
by Krishnamurthy Ramakrishna<br />
What is shrAddha ? - ShrAdDha is a vEdic<br />
ritual performed with faith (shraddhA), for deceased<br />
parents; The ritual involves giving away<br />
(thyAga) of food and/or other materials along<br />
with dakShiNa (hiraNya) in accordance with<br />
specified vidhi (routine) –(“pitru mAtrAdIn mritAnuddishya<br />
vihitE dEshE kAlE pakvAnnAmAnna<br />
hiraNyAdInAm anyatama dravyasya vidhipUrvakam<br />
shraddhayA tyAgah iti shrAddham”). As<br />
much as faith or shraddha is required in the performance<br />
of any ritual, the shrAddha karma<br />
needs a higher level of faith, because,<br />
here the pitrus are invoked<br />
visibly (pratyakSha) in brAhma-<br />
Nas, where as, in the divine pUja,<br />
the deity is invoked invisibly<br />
(parOkSha) in an idol. Therefore,<br />
in worshipping the pitrus - in the<br />
brAhmaNa we invite for that day, a<br />
higher level of shraddha is necessary.<br />
Classification of shrAddha -<br />
shrAddha is classified in three way<br />
as follows;<br />
nitya shrAddha (daily ritual)<br />
kAmya shrAddha (a ritual in expectation<br />
of fulfillment<br />
of a desire )<br />
naimittika shrAddha (a ritual<br />
caused or occasioned by an event<br />
– like a death).<br />
We will discuss here only the naimittika shrAddha<br />
– performed in regard to passing away of<br />
and in memory of parents.<br />
The purpose of shrAddha. - shrAddha<br />
sankalpa (statement of intention) states that the<br />
purpose of shrAddha karma is to offer unlimited<br />
satisfaction to deceased parents; the male children<br />
of deceased parents undertake the karma<br />
so that the ancestors reach puNyalOka –<br />
higher lands; It is the obligatory duty of sons to<br />
perform this ritual on specified dates, in loving<br />
memory of parents, who gave birth to and fostered<br />
them with love and affection. It may be a<br />
Dr. Krishnamurthy Ramakrishna<br />
is an engineer by<br />
profession. He has been in<br />
United States for over 30<br />
years. He is a smartha Brahman,<br />
and comes from the<br />
state of KarnAtaka. He is a<br />
keen follower of Sanathana<br />
Dharma, its religion, culture<br />
and philosophy. He is an active<br />
member of World Brahman<br />
Foundation. He lives<br />
with his wife Uma in Silver<br />
Spring, MD, a suburb of<br />
Washington D.C.<br />
curiosity to understand how a ritual like this will<br />
offer unlimited satisfaction to deceased parents.<br />
Every deceased person, in accordance<br />
with his / her karma, may have taken birth in<br />
different environments. In recognition of this,<br />
tradition quotes a verse as follows;<br />
“ agnou hutantu dEvAnAm svah-sthAnAm vipra<br />
bhOjanam |<br />
dakShiNAbhyO manushYaNam AsurE bhUri<br />
bhOjanam ||<br />
yama sthAnAm pinDa dAnAm nArakE vikiram<br />
tathA |<br />
prEta sthAnAm vAyasam cha<br />
saptaitE pitru triptayah || “<br />
The deceased pitru, now, if in<br />
divine land, is pleased with the<br />
pArvaNa hOma (havan), while<br />
those in the heaven are happy<br />
with brAhmaNa bhOjana<br />
(offering food to a brAhmaNa);<br />
A parent reborn as a human<br />
being, is satisfied with dak-<br />
ShiNa or cash offer, while, if<br />
born as a demon (asura), he/<br />
she is happy with offering food<br />
to relatives and friends (asushu<br />
ramantE iti asurah – one who<br />
revels in sense objects is an<br />
asura; by this definition, most<br />
humans of today can be classified<br />
as asuras). A pitru in<br />
yama’s land is fulfilled with offering of pArvaNa<br />
pinDa pradhAna, and if in hell, is pleased with<br />
scattered food; deceased parents in the form of<br />
a spirit (prEta) are pleased with vAyasa pinDa<br />
(pinDa offered to crow); so each aspect of the<br />
shrAddha ritual is designed to reach the deceased<br />
parents - wherever they may be now, in<br />
which ever state or birth they may be. Performance<br />
of the shrAddha karma in the prescribed<br />
format is intended to reach the parent in respective<br />
state or rebirth.<br />
Apastamba discusses the shrAddha ritual in a<br />
different light. In the past, humans and demigods<br />
were inhabiting this land. The demi-gods,<br />
by virtue of very distinguished karma, rituals<br />
and havans, they acquired heaven and started<br />
55
to enjoy the pleasures of heaven. The humans,<br />
unable to follow the lead of demi-gods, were left<br />
behind in this land. Then Manu, prescribed the<br />
shrAddha ritual for humans to enjoy all the<br />
pleasures of heaven, here in this land itself. So,<br />
Manu says, by the grace of ancestors pleased<br />
by the shrAddha karma, humans can enjoy the<br />
pleasures of heaven, here, in this earth.<br />
Classification of Naimittika shrAddha. - The<br />
naimittika shrAdDha is classified in several<br />
ways;<br />
EkOddhishTa shrAddha is the ritual performed<br />
for parent of one generation<br />
(immediate parent – father or mother);<br />
this is generally performed as a part of<br />
death rites (anthyEShTi) following the<br />
death of a parent.<br />
pArvaNa shrAdDha is the ritual intended for<br />
three generations of parents – father,<br />
grand father and great grand father or<br />
mother, grand mother and great grand<br />
mother. This ritual is performed annually<br />
per the chAndramAna calendar on<br />
the same thiThi (day of this calendar) of<br />
the day of the death. This ritual is performed<br />
in the afternoon (after mid-day);<br />
the salient aspects of this ritual are<br />
hOma or havan, brAhmaNa pUjana<br />
(worship), tarpaNa (offering til – black<br />
sesame seed - mixed water to specific<br />
mantras), bhohjana (offering food), pArvaNa<br />
pinda pradAna – offered food to<br />
ancestors in the form of balls of rice and<br />
other foods prepared on the day – the<br />
offering is made through specific mantras;<br />
vAyasa pinDa – offering food to<br />
animals, generally intended for crow.<br />
The above description is the traditional<br />
shrAddha vidhi; however, since this routine<br />
requires resources on several<br />
fronts – financial, availability of eligible<br />
brAhmaNas and priests, time away from<br />
professional careers etc., sampradAya<br />
(tradition) has proposed alternatives for<br />
the vEdic shrAddha vidhi as follows:<br />
brahmArpaNa vidhi – inviting a brAhmaNa<br />
to home on the day of the shrAddha for<br />
meal; receive and respect the brAhmaNa,<br />
prepare food as resources allow<br />
and offer the meal to the BrahmaNa ,<br />
followed by a dakShiNa (cash offering).<br />
Ama shrAddha – offering uncooked grains,<br />
vegetables and other groceries along<br />
with some nominal dakShiNa to a brahmaNa.<br />
The brAhmaNa leads the kartru<br />
(doer) with appropriate mantras and<br />
accepts the offerings. The intention<br />
here is to provide resources of food to<br />
the brAhmaNa on the day of the shrAddha<br />
(meal cooked by his family out of<br />
the resources offered).<br />
hiraNya shrAddha – principally a cash offering<br />
with some fruits to a brAhmaNa on<br />
the day of the shrAddha; The brAhmaNa<br />
leads the kartru (doer) with appropriate<br />
mantras and accepts the offering.<br />
tila tarpaNa offering – on the day of the<br />
shrAddha, offer tarpaNa to pitrus (fore<br />
fathers of three generations); this is a<br />
procedure, takes about 30 minutes. The<br />
pitrus are invoked in a kUrcha – a knotted<br />
arrangement of three grass blades;<br />
offering til and water to the kUrcha to<br />
specific mantras.<br />
Offering grass and water to a cow on the<br />
day of the shrAddha.<br />
A person with absolutely no resources can<br />
go to a lonely place and cry loudly – a<br />
genuine expression of his inability to<br />
follow any ritual in pleasing the pitrus<br />
and asking for their f<strong>org</strong>iveness. This is<br />
the last resort for a person to remember<br />
the parents and pitrus on the day of<br />
their death anniversary.<br />
The above six alternatives are in practice<br />
instead of the pArvaNa shrAddha. They are<br />
listed in decreasing order of preference. A<br />
person with means and resources should<br />
strive for the increasingly preferred alternatives.<br />
Other shrAddha rituals in traditional practice<br />
are<br />
gayA shrAddha – There are three distinct<br />
routines in performing pitru shrAddha in<br />
gayA. They are<br />
offering pinda (balls of cooked rice<br />
mixed with til) at the vishNu pAda;<br />
(ii) Some of the routines of pArvaNa<br />
shrAddha; and (iii) Rituals at the<br />
vaTa vrikSha (fig tree) – The rituals<br />
here are supposed to offer inexhaustible<br />
fruits (akShayya phala) of<br />
the shrAddha karma. We may<br />
quote here Bhishma’s teachings to<br />
yudhiShTira in anushAsana parva<br />
of mahAbhArata (88-9):<br />
56
“ EShTavya bahavah putrA yat EkO<br />
api gayAm vrajEt<br />
yatrAsou prathitO lOkEshu akShayya<br />
karaNo vaTah “ – A parent must<br />
seek many sons, hoping that at<br />
least one of them will do shrAddha<br />
karma at gayA, where the rituals at<br />
the eternal vaTa (fig) tree, will yield<br />
inexhaustible good fruits ( visitors to<br />
gayA can see the fig tree even to<br />
this day) . The local priests will<br />
lead the doer in the vidhi.<br />
pitru pakSha amAvAsya shrAddha – offerings<br />
to fore fathers on the new moon<br />
day, prior to sharannavarAtri – This falls<br />
on the New Moon day of bhAdrapada -<br />
generally late September to mid October.<br />
AmAvAsya tila tarpaNa – offering til and<br />
water to three generations of paternal<br />
and maternal ancestors; the ancestors<br />
are invoked in a three grass blade kUrcha.<br />
nAndi shrAddha - this ritual is performed<br />
prior to auspicious occasions like marriage,<br />
brahmOpadEsha etc.; the purpose<br />
of nAndi shrAddha is to invoke the<br />
ancestors and receive their blessings,<br />
on the eve of the auspicious occasion.<br />
For example, on the eve of a wedding<br />
in the family, the bride’s/groom’s parents<br />
separately invoke their respective<br />
parents and ancestors and symbolically<br />
present the marriage proposal to them.<br />
The bride’s parents seek the ancestor’s<br />
blessings by stating that following due<br />
diligence in the family tradition, the proposed<br />
alliance is in the best interest of<br />
their daughter and their daughter will<br />
prosper in the inherited home and the<br />
receiving family will take good care of<br />
their daughter. The groom’s parents<br />
invoke their ancestors and seek blessings<br />
to bring a new member (daughterin-law)<br />
to the family, stating that, following<br />
due diligence, they find the incoming<br />
daughter in law is raised in a tradition,<br />
that is compatible with their family<br />
tradition, that she will contribute to and<br />
maintain the peace in the family, that<br />
their son will prosper socially and spiritually<br />
in her company.<br />
Observing shrAddha in today’s world<br />
In today’s world, availability of qualified<br />
brAhmaNa may be a concern; so how to<br />
address the issue of shrAddha? Also if the<br />
pitru has already taken life else where, what<br />
is the use of offering pinDa? How long to<br />
observe the practice of shrAddha? These<br />
may be expected questions, from the point<br />
of today’s science education. However, their<br />
importance is secondary, if we understood<br />
the spirit behind the observation of shrAddha.<br />
shrAddha observation is an expression<br />
of respect for the fore-fathers and paying<br />
back the debts of the parents for bringing us<br />
to life – providing us an opportunity to experience<br />
the fruits of our past karma and<br />
build samskAras for the next life. These are,<br />
of course to be observed every day, but the<br />
faith takes a special significance on the<br />
death anniversary day (just as a special<br />
significance attached to birthday). The<br />
shrAddha karma is one of those obligatory<br />
rituals, which accrues spiritual benefit to the<br />
doer in developing the samskAra for spiritual<br />
growth and evolution. This being the<br />
sentiment and spirit behind the observance<br />
of shrAddha ritual, this day is the day to<br />
remember the ancestors through acts of<br />
dharma.<br />
How long to perform shrAddha ? - One<br />
needs to understand the difference between<br />
a human year and a divine year. One<br />
human year is equivalent to one divine day.<br />
During the life of a person, he is possibly<br />
separated from his pitrus, (say) about 50 to<br />
60 years; this is like 50 to 60 divine days.<br />
The departed pitru may take divine, human<br />
or some other life according to his/her<br />
karma. The shrAddha vidhi prescribes rituals<br />
to reach parents for all possibilities. It<br />
may take even hundreds of years for a jIva<br />
to be reborn. So even during 50-60 years of<br />
observance of shrAddha, the departed pitru<br />
may still be in between lives. Following<br />
death, the departed acquires a state, generally<br />
referred to as a state of prEta (spirit).<br />
The state of prEta is in effect until the death<br />
rites are performed. During the death rites,<br />
a ritual called sapinDIkaraNa shrAddha<br />
unites the departed pitru with the forefathers.<br />
The subtle body of the departed person<br />
is in search of another environment to<br />
57
e reborn, in accordance with his/her<br />
karma. So the ritual of shrAddha is designed<br />
to address the state of the departed,<br />
in what ever state he /she may be, during<br />
the course of the 50-60 years following<br />
death. It is not inconceivable, that offering<br />
pinDa enables the pitru to avail food elsewhere,<br />
where ever he/she may be reborn.<br />
Even if the departed father/mother has already<br />
been reborn, it may not be inconceivable<br />
that observance of the shrAddha ritual<br />
reaches the pitrus and enables them to receive<br />
nurturance and sustenance through a<br />
chain of societal benevolence.<br />
Obligated Individuals. – The<br />
(brahmOpadEsHa initiated) male sons of<br />
parents belonging to the brAhmaNa, kShatriya<br />
and vaishya communities are obligated<br />
to perform the shrAddha karma. The<br />
brAhmaNas have an added responsibility to<br />
lead and be a role model for members of<br />
other communities, in observing this ritual,<br />
even in today’s world. This obligation is being<br />
neglected more and more in recent<br />
days. Even if one is unable to fulfill the<br />
shrAddha karma in any of the several vEdic<br />
or traditional options described in this article,<br />
it is not beyond the reach and means to<br />
arrange a satsang (a divine get-together),<br />
inviting friends and relatives. A bhajan or<br />
gIta pravachan (discourse) can be arranged<br />
in loving memory of the parents. Following<br />
the satsang, serving a simple home cooked<br />
meal to guests could very well be an alternative<br />
to remember departed parents.<br />
Courtesy : www.Hindunet.<strong>org</strong><br />
58
Shree Ganesh - The God<br />
by Vidyarthi<br />
II Shri Swami Samartha II<br />
- Aum -<br />
SHREE GANESH - THE GOD<br />
In the last 10,000 years the Vedic tradition has<br />
occupied an invaluable place in Indian culture. It<br />
has had a major impact on forming a strong,<br />
healthy and structured society.<br />
Indian society has a very interesting<br />
nature. It is rich with the<br />
images of a multitude of deities.<br />
We Indians are extremely tolerant.<br />
Each person decides according<br />
to his preference his<br />
own deity to worship without<br />
criticizing the choices of others.<br />
However, it is amazing how little<br />
knowledge we have about our<br />
preferred deities.<br />
Every one of our scriptures<br />
starts with "Shri Ganeshaya Namah".<br />
At the entrance of every<br />
temple there is an image of Shri<br />
Ganesh. Shri Ganesh has the<br />
foremost place in the performance<br />
of any pooja. Thus, Shri<br />
Ganesh is the recipient of this<br />
entire honor.<br />
Today, Shri Ganesh has the same important<br />
place that in ancient times 'OM' used to have in<br />
all the rituals. Even in the "Apourushey Vedas"<br />
(Book, the authorship of which is not<br />
claimed by any particular person) Shri Ganesh<br />
has been included (for worships / prayers). 'Om<br />
Gananam Tvaam Ganapati Havamahe' is a<br />
chant and is meant to invoke Lord Ganesh.<br />
Since ancient days, there have been occasions<br />
when gods, sages and men have<br />
faced many difficulties. At such times, they have<br />
had to invoke the Eternal Universal Energy, to<br />
obtain the inner strength in order to overcome<br />
those difficulties. Even in today's modern world,<br />
in spite of our material achievements, man is<br />
still restless and constantly seeking peace of<br />
mind. He is always afraid of difficulties unknown.<br />
Therefore, man should observe a daily<br />
spiritual practice, however brief, so that it brings<br />
some mental stability and advances him on his<br />
spiritual path.<br />
For thousands of years,<br />
people in India have observed<br />
various religious<br />
practices. Our sages have<br />
suggested various practices<br />
that could be performed<br />
in our daily lives.<br />
When practices are performed<br />
faithfully, they lead<br />
to self-advancement, selfconfidence<br />
and the power<br />
of self-determination. This<br />
leads to continuous progress<br />
in the fields of business,<br />
employment, arts<br />
and performance, knowledge,<br />
and progress in the<br />
life of one's children.<br />
The "Omkar" form of Shri<br />
Ganesh is very important.<br />
This is mentioned in the<br />
twelfth chapter of<br />
'Ganeshpurana'. Sant Dynaneshwar in his first<br />
verse mentions 'Tvam Pratyaksha Brahmaasmi<br />
' and in the second line says 'Lord, You are Ganesh<br />
Himself'. Sant Dnyaneshwar refers to that<br />
'Eternal Energy' as OM.<br />
This is also mentioned in the Geeta, 'Omi ety -<br />
eka aksharam brahma vyawaharan-mamanusmaran,<br />
yah prayaati tyajan-deham sa yaati<br />
paramaam gatim'. Even Samarth Ramdaas, in<br />
his tribute to Shri Ganesh, says that He is the<br />
deity of all forms. He is the first form of all the<br />
forms, He is the beginning and foundation of all<br />
that is formless. Sant Eknath and Sant Tukaram<br />
have also described the "Omkar" form of Shri<br />
59
Ganesh. Sant Tukaram, in his devotional poem,<br />
further praises the Omkar form of Ganesh, explaining<br />
that "Omkar" is the first form of Shri<br />
Ganesh, the origin of the Hindu trinity.<br />
Of the "Aum" sound, the "A" represents<br />
Brahma, "U" represents Vishnu, and "M" represents<br />
Mahesh. Vedas also tell us that Ganesh is<br />
the parent of the Hindu trinity.<br />
Ganesh is the one and only original deity. This<br />
deity was not only worshipped in India, but was<br />
also present worldwide. Even today Ganesh<br />
murtis are found in archeological digs in Turkey,<br />
S. Russia, USA, Mexico, Java, Sumatra, Philippines,<br />
etc.<br />
One will get the fruits of their actions according<br />
to the depth of their knowledge, faith and devotion.<br />
In conclusion, all Ganesh devotees are<br />
urged to obtain as much knowledge as possible<br />
about their deity. Faith based on knowledge,<br />
faith that is complete, will lead to personal, societal<br />
and national advancement.<br />
In praise of Shri Ganesh,- Rig Vedas contain,<br />
"Brahmanarspatisukta" and "Ganapatisukta".<br />
- Yajurveda contains Ganesh Shantisukta.<br />
- Saamveda contains 'Stotra' and 'Vinayak Samhita'.<br />
- Shri Ganapati Atharvasheersha is contained<br />
in the Atharvaveda, which describes the<br />
highest principles of all vedas. Atharvasheersha<br />
stands for A+tharva+sheersha,<br />
A = absence of, tharva = wavering/restless,<br />
sheersha = head.<br />
Thus Ganapati Atharvasheersha contains the<br />
secret of peace of mind. Ganapati Atharvashirsha<br />
has suggested ways to achieve peace and<br />
one-pointedness of the mind.<br />
The meaning of "Ganapati" is given as follows:<br />
"G" is Shaktiswarupa (Universal energy), "A" is<br />
Suryaswarupa (Sun), "N" is Vishnu,<br />
"A" is Shankar.<br />
The lord of "Gana" is Ganesh. The protector of<br />
the "Ganas" is the lord of the "Ganas". All matter,<br />
living and non-living, in the Universe has<br />
been classified, e.g. manavgan (humans),<br />
pashugan (animals), pakshigan (birds), Vrukshagan<br />
(plants), etc.<br />
From the above analysis, it is clear that Shri<br />
60
The Story of Lord Dathatreya<br />
(God with Three heads)<br />
By Yelleshpur Jayaram<br />
Summary: Story of Lord Dathatreya, God with<br />
three heads, One representing Construction<br />
(Srushthi), one representing Protection (Sthithi)<br />
and one representing salvation/destruction<br />
(Laya)<br />
Full-Text :<br />
Sources for this article are the story I have<br />
heard from my parents/grand parents and some<br />
of the books I have read in the past when I was<br />
a child.<br />
We celebrate Datha Jayanthi (birthday of lord<br />
Dathatreya) on the Shukla Chaturdashi of Margashira<br />
which usually happens in<br />
December. As westerners are<br />
celebrating their Christmas and<br />
Chanukah festival, some of the<br />
Hindus and some Muslims also<br />
celebrate Datha Jayanthi.<br />
Dathatreya is the son of Atri Mahamuni<br />
and Mahasati Anusuya.<br />
We all know Narada Mahamuni,<br />
(great sage) who is famous for<br />
bringing some conflicts among<br />
Devas (Gods) so that in the long<br />
run, God’s qualities and his bhakthas'<br />
qualities are displayed to the<br />
public (Loka Kalyana). Many<br />
times, colloquially we also, use the name<br />
“Narada” as an alias for the person who tries to<br />
bring conflicts between /among people.<br />
Once, amidst his tours of all the lokas, Narada<br />
came to the abode of goddesses, Saraswathi ,<br />
Lakshmi and Parvathi (wives of Brahma, Vishnu<br />
and Maheswara respectively) who were chatting<br />
among themselves with some pride on how<br />
faithful (Pathivrathya) they had been to their<br />
husbands, their powers and accomplishments.<br />
They even asked Narada to attest it. However,<br />
Narada said, “You are all great; but there is<br />
someone in Bhooloka (Earth), who is more powerful<br />
and more faithful (Pathivrathya), than all<br />
the three of you". Obviously they got upset and<br />
jealous and asked Narada who that person was.<br />
He responds that it was Mahasathi Anusuya,<br />
wife of Athri Mahamuni. Then these goddesses<br />
took a challenge and wanted to test<br />
Sathi Anusuya of her pathivrathya. . They went<br />
to their husbands and requested that they go to<br />
earth and test her powers. The husbands initially<br />
refused saying that it would not be appropriate<br />
to test great persons. But they yielded to<br />
the pressure of their wives.<br />
(Don’t we all :-) :-) :-)<br />
Then they came to earth in the form of sages/<br />
sanyasis and arrive at Athri’s<br />
Ashram. Atri had gone to the<br />
river for special services which<br />
he routinely offered to the Lord<br />
Sun. They came to Anusuya<br />
and gave her some iron tidbits,<br />
telling her “Here is some rice,<br />
Please fry them and make some<br />
puffed rice. This is for some<br />
special offering to God”. Sathi<br />
Anusuya took the same and put<br />
it in the frying pan and fried<br />
them. All the three gods were<br />
puzzled to see that the iron tidbits<br />
had turned into puffed rice.<br />
They collected the same conveying<br />
their thanks to her and<br />
told her that they would return for lunch soon<br />
after they completed their rituals. They went<br />
behind the Ashram and wondered how else<br />
they could proceed to test her as she already<br />
passed one test. Then they came out with a<br />
plan. They returned to her and said that they<br />
were hungry and they were ready for lunch.<br />
But there was one condition or practice they<br />
had to observe - the person who served lunch<br />
should have no clothes. Hearing that, Sathi<br />
Anusuya was puzzled and from her inner sight<br />
(Divya drishthi), she realized that those three<br />
were really Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara<br />
who had come to test her. She thought that it<br />
61
was her great fortune that all the three Gods<br />
whose darshan every one in the world yearned<br />
for, were in fact at her door step begging for<br />
food.<br />
She thought for a second, went inside, prayed<br />
for the blessings of her husband, brought the<br />
Theertha (holy water) from the morning pooja,<br />
and sprinkled it on the three visitors. What a<br />
miracle!! They turned into three babies. She<br />
carried them inside, warmed the milk and<br />
started feeding them after removing her clothes.<br />
By this time, Atri returned to the Ashram, heard<br />
the sound of children and was puzzled. Then,<br />
by his Divya drishthi, he realized all the events<br />
that had taken place and was overflowing with<br />
joy as he was yearning for children and got all<br />
the three gods as children.<br />
In the meanwhile, the three goddesses were<br />
wondering as to how successful their husbands<br />
had been in testing Anusuya. When they did<br />
not return for a while, they got concerned and<br />
became really worried as days passed.<br />
Just at that time our famous Narada walked in<br />
smiling. They all asked him as to what had happened<br />
to their husbands. He replied that they<br />
have lost their husbands playing their silly<br />
game. They begged him to f<strong>org</strong>ive them and<br />
tell them what had happened. He narrated to<br />
them as to what had happened and actually<br />
showed them from heaven, (pointing to<br />
Bhooloka/earth) all the three children who were<br />
playing in the laps of Atri and Anusuya. Now<br />
they begged Narada to show them a way out.<br />
He said that the only person who could give<br />
back their husbands was Anusuya herself and<br />
no one else, and advised them to go and appeal<br />
to her.<br />
same and went back to their lokas (abodes).<br />
Later Sathi Anusuya gave birth to Sri Dathatreya<br />
who is the combination of the three Gods.<br />
(Datha= head threya=three), the Lord with three<br />
heads.<br />
Soon he mastered all the Vedas and Shastras<br />
and became a highly knowledgeable person/<br />
muni spreading the word of God. That is why,<br />
when you see God Dathatreya’s photo, there<br />
are four dogs following him, representing four<br />
Vedas.<br />
Some people celebrate his birthday for one day<br />
and some people for one week (Sapthaha).<br />
May Lord Dathatreya shower his blessings on<br />
all of us..<br />
Namasthe<br />
Jayaram<br />
About the Author<br />
Dr. Yelleshpur Jayaram is a Colonel, Medical<br />
Corps (Retd), US Army and is currently working<br />
as Deputy Commander of Clinical Services at<br />
Ft Dix, NJ<br />
They came to Atri’s ashram and begged her to<br />
return their husbands. Sathi Anusuya,<br />
being a great woman, said that she would make<br />
them come back to normal with the permission<br />
of her husband. Again, she brought the theertha<br />
and sprinkled on the children who all immediately<br />
took their original adult form. They all<br />
apologized to the couple and asked them to<br />
request any boon they desired. They both responded<br />
saying that they were really craving for<br />
a child all these years and all the three of them<br />
should become their son. They granted the<br />
62
Brahman in a secular society : Myth and Reality<br />
by Ganga Sahay Pathak<br />
DEFINITION OF BRAHMAN<br />
By definition, Brahman is one, who has acquired<br />
Brahmanatva and Brahman must have<br />
knowledge of the Vedas. It may be one out of<br />
the three namely Rig Veda, Yajurveda and<br />
Sam Veda.<br />
BRAHMANS IN THE PAST<br />
Brahman as an individual and as Samaj had<br />
dominated in the Indian history from Satyug<br />
(Ram Rajya time) and even before. Valmiki<br />
Ramayana can be referred and the role of<br />
Bhagwan Parshuram and Guru Vashisth and<br />
Rishi saints is well established.<br />
BRAHMANS IN THE MUGHAL PERIOD<br />
During this period, the Hindu society as a<br />
whole was based on VARNA VYAVASTHA like<br />
Brahmans, Kshatriyas ,Vaishyas and Shudras<br />
and their social obligations were well established<br />
accordingly. It is a matter of great regret<br />
that during 1946 Dr.Ambedkar told that the root<br />
of untouchability lies with the deliberate power<br />
of Brahmans and since then anti-Brahman feeling<br />
wave started, though Dr.Ambedkar himself<br />
was one of the team members for drafting Indian<br />
constitution and untouchability was constitutionally<br />
prohibited .In the constitution all the<br />
citizens of the country have equal right, but<br />
even today after India’s freedom nearly 60<br />
years are passed, for certain specific groups<br />
such as Schedule Caste(SC) / Schedule Tribe<br />
(ST) / Other Backward Castes(OBCs), the Govt.<br />
of India has provided an umbrella of rights by<br />
means of reservation in the job and even in the<br />
promotion. About 50% or more reservation exists<br />
for non-brahman castes, which includes the<br />
above categories. This leaves very little for<br />
Brahmans of India today.<br />
INDIA AS A SECULAR COUNTRY<br />
From Village Panchyat, Taluka Panchyat, District<br />
Panchyat, State Assembly, Parliament and<br />
Rajya Sabha, members are elected and for the<br />
district panchyat leval, administration that assumes<br />
responsibility is known as Panchayati<br />
Raj. Since there is reservation in almost all the<br />
sectors, there are certain constituencies where<br />
only lower caste people can contest the election<br />
and it has been found that in states like Bihar,<br />
Jharkhad & UP constitute a major share for<br />
more than 50% of the country’s electoral seats<br />
and elections are based on caste-based politics.<br />
Today, Brahmans are a divided caste having so<br />
many sub-brahmans castes within themselves.<br />
One Brahman does not respect the other Brahman.<br />
They keep showing their sense of pride<br />
only among themselves. High education and<br />
intelligentsia of Brahmans are slowly becoming<br />
a thing of past.<br />
Therefore, in a secular country like India, Brahman<br />
existence is a myth for the above values as<br />
they are not even able to secure anything for<br />
themselves at the moment. Not having major<br />
share in elected Govts. and reservation quotas<br />
are limiting their progress as they do not find<br />
jobs in Govt. sectors. Most of the educated and<br />
learned technocrats in the Brahman community<br />
are forced to migrate to other parts of the world<br />
in their quest for a successful livelihood.<br />
While the Brahman infighting continues, other<br />
communities have been networking and helping<br />
their people to get jobs and indirectly brought<br />
them into powerful positions.<br />
Under the circumstances which are prevailing in<br />
India from village to Government level, Brahman,<br />
if in real sense does not act like other<br />
powerful forces, will perish or be pushed to the<br />
bottom of the ladder in the society . At the moment,<br />
Brahmans should take the following steps<br />
quickly to restore their lost value and prestige<br />
and to make a comeback in REAL SENSE.<br />
1) Brahmans should be unified in their approach<br />
and overcome the barrier of many sub-castes.<br />
In short, every Brahman must become a<br />
PANDIT.<br />
2) We should f<strong>org</strong>et Bigha and Biswas i.e.<br />
Higher-category Brahmans and Lower-category<br />
63
Brahmans prevalent in India. There are no Rajasand<br />
Zamindars and everything has changed<br />
since there is elected governance.<br />
3) Throughout India, Brahmans should display<br />
their unity by joining hands in politics and become<br />
a force to reckon with. The percentage of<br />
Brahmans may be around 16% only, yet only<br />
when we overcome our differences, Brahman<br />
leaders can be generated through elections.<br />
There should be participation from village<br />
panchayat to Parliament elections and this is<br />
the only way to beat reservation, which has become<br />
an easy tool for creating vote bank for<br />
politicians.<br />
can play an important role in bringing unity<br />
among Indian Brahmans directly and through<br />
the network of WBF, India and other related<br />
<strong>org</strong>anizations like IGBM, Mumbai.<br />
About the Author<br />
Ganga Sahay M. Pathak is a Sr. Vice-President<br />
of WBF, India and a strong supporter of<br />
Brahman causes in India.<br />
4) An individual Brahman has no any importance,<br />
no voice, no power and no place in a democratic<br />
society<br />
5) Brahmans have to acquire and share the<br />
knowledge of Brahmanism and not just rely on<br />
the caste-divide and glory of being a Brahman.<br />
6) Brahmans have to improve their daily lifestyle<br />
by following a vegetarian-rich diet and avoid the<br />
consumption of liquor.<br />
7) In India, because of dowry system, there are<br />
more BURN cases of newly wedded women.<br />
Though there is an Act, still the higher society<br />
has to take remedial steps to remove this evil<br />
from the society and people should give due<br />
respect to women like it was worshipped in ancient<br />
days for Sita, Savitri and Parvati etc.<br />
8) For removing dowry system, young girls<br />
should refuse collectively and not marry with<br />
persons or his parents who are demanding<br />
dowry.<br />
9) Women education should be given much importance<br />
so they can be self-dependent on<br />
themselves to run their family and become contributing<br />
members of the society<br />
10) Brahmans should be a symbol for India’s<br />
prestige, India’s brain and India’s light like Pt.<br />
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Pt. Gopal Krishna Gokhale,<br />
Pt. Madan Mohan Malviyaji, Pt. Nehru and<br />
lastly Pt. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji<br />
World Brahman Federation, NJ can also play a<br />
vital role in uniting brahmans across America<br />
and in other Western Countries . Above all, it<br />
64
Hinduism in Indonesia<br />
Compiled by Rajesh Shukla<br />
Indonesia is the only country in the world where<br />
Hinduism survived besides the Indian subcontinent.<br />
In most of the countries, Hindus have<br />
migrated in last few centuries. Indonesia is a<br />
country of more than ten thousands islands.<br />
The major islands are Java (Yav Dwipe), Sumatra<br />
(Swarn Dwipe), Borneo (Kalimantan),<br />
Sulevesi, Irian Jaya, Bali etc. India and Indonesia<br />
have been having cultural and religious interactions<br />
since the last two millenniums.<br />
The Hindu and Buddhist traders<br />
arrived in first century. An early<br />
Hindu archeological relic of a<br />
Ganesh statue from first century<br />
AD has been found on summit of<br />
mount Raksha in Panaitan islands.<br />
The next historical record<br />
is in area of Kutai on the Mahakal<br />
river in East Kalimantan. Three<br />
rough plinths dating from the beginning<br />
of the fourth century are recorded in<br />
Pallavi script of India. Another archeological<br />
monument found is in western Java. The accompanying<br />
script reads “ Here are the foot<br />
prints of King Purnawarna, the heroic conqueror<br />
of the world “. This inscription is in Sanskrit and<br />
is still visible after 1500 years.<br />
During the 8 th & 9 th Century, the world’s largest<br />
Buddhist complex at Borobudur and Hindu complex<br />
at Prambanan were built near Yogya Karta<br />
( Jog Jakarta) in Central Java. In tenth century,<br />
students were sent to Nalanda University in Bihar.<br />
King Airlangga in 11 th Century was a great<br />
scholar. He got many shastras of India translated<br />
in ancient Kawai language. In Sumatra in<br />
12 th and 13 th centuries arose, the great king of<br />
Sri Vijay. However, it was during the reign of<br />
King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit kingdom that<br />
the Prime Minister Gajah Mada united entire<br />
Indonesia in to single state.<br />
The national symbol of Indonesia reflects influence<br />
of Hinduism. This symbol is “Garud Pan<br />
casil”. It is symbol of national emblem with<br />
Vishnu riding it. Below the symbol, there is an<br />
inscription “Bhineka Tunggal Ika” which means<br />
unity in diversity. The concept of unity in diversity<br />
was started during 8 th and 9 th century in<br />
central Java to creat an understanding between<br />
Hindus and Buddhists. Afterwards King Airlangga<br />
made use of it in 11 th century. However,<br />
it was Mpu Tanulkar, the court poet of Majapahit<br />
kingdom who during the reign<br />
of King Hayam Wuruk propagated<br />
this idea of unity in diversity<br />
in his poem<br />
“Sutajoma” in order to lay sold<br />
foundation for Majapahit kingdom.<br />
Agama Hindu Dharma<br />
Hinduism in Indonesia is<br />
called Agama Hindu Dharma.<br />
It is practiced in Java, Bali,<br />
Kalimantan, Lombok etc. In Bali almost 95% of<br />
the population identified themselves with Hindu<br />
Dharma. In Java, it is practiced by “Tenggerese”<br />
in east. In Java even Muslims follow a nonorthodox,<br />
Hindu influenced form of Islam known<br />
as “Islam Abangan” or Islam Kejawen.<br />
When Suharto came to power, every Indonesian<br />
citizen was required to be a registered<br />
member of one of five acknowledged religious<br />
communities. These communities were, Hinduism,<br />
Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism.<br />
Inspired by Hindu Javanese past, several<br />
hundred thousands Javanese converted to<br />
Hinduism in the 1960s and 1970s. The Ministry<br />
of Religion also classified ethnic religions such<br />
as Aluk To Dolo (Sadan Toraja) and Kaharingan<br />
(Ngaju, Luangan) as Hinduism.<br />
The Indonesian Hindus share many common<br />
beliefs, which includes;<br />
A belief in one supreme being called “Ida<br />
Sanghyang Widi Wasa”, “Sang Hyang Tunggal”,<br />
65
or “Sang Hyang Cintya”.<br />
A belief that all of the gods are manifestations of<br />
this supreme being. This belief is same which<br />
holds that different Gods are different aspects of<br />
the same supreme Being.<br />
A belief in Trimurti of Brahma (The Creator),<br />
Vishnu (The Preserver) and Shiv (The Destroyer).<br />
A belief in all of the other Hindu Gods and Goddesses.<br />
Only two Vedas reached Indonesia, which are<br />
the basis of Hinduism. Other sources of religious<br />
information include the Purans, Ramayan<br />
and Mahabharat. Hinduism was greatly modified<br />
when adopted by Indonesian society. For<br />
example, the caste system, although present in<br />
form, was never rigidly applied. The Ramayan<br />
and Mahabharat are adopted as traditions reflected<br />
in shadow puppet and dance performances.<br />
Furthermore, Indonesian nationalists<br />
have laid great stress on the achievements of<br />
the Majapahit empire ( Hindu State) which has<br />
helped Hinduism. These factors have led to a<br />
resurgence of Hinduism in Java and other islands.<br />
Hinduism in Bali<br />
Balinese Hinduism is deeply interwoven with art<br />
and ritual and is less closely preoccupied with<br />
scripture. Balinese Hinduism lacks the tradition<br />
Hindu emphasis on cycles of rebirth and reincarnation.<br />
Every Balinese belongs to a temple<br />
by virtue of descent, residence or some other<br />
affiliation. Some temples are associated with<br />
the family house compound, others are associated<br />
with rice fields and still others with key<br />
geographic sites. One key ceremony at a village<br />
temple is a dance drama, a battle between<br />
Rangda (Evil) and Barong the Lion (Good).<br />
Balinese Hinduism is hierarchically <strong>org</strong>anized<br />
with one small segment of aristocracy (The<br />
priestly class). A priest is not affiliated with any<br />
temple but acts as a spiritual leader and advisor<br />
to individual families in various villages scattered<br />
over the island.<br />
Hinduism in Java<br />
Both Java and Sumatra were subject to considerable<br />
influence from India. Many Hindu temples<br />
were built including Prambanan near<br />
Yogyakarta, which has been world heritage site.<br />
Several Hindu Kingdom flourished of which<br />
most important was Majapahit.<br />
In Sixth and Seventh centuries many maritime<br />
kingdoms arose in Sumatra and Java which<br />
controlled waters in straits of Malacca and flourished<br />
with the increasing sea trade between<br />
China and India. During this time, several scholars<br />
visited Indonesia and translated literary and<br />
religious texts.<br />
Majapahit was based in Central Java from<br />
where it ruled a large part of Indonesia. The<br />
remnants of the Majapahit kingdom shifted to<br />
Bali during sixteenth century as Muslim kingdom<br />
in Java gained influence. Hinduism has<br />
survived in varying degree and forms in Java. In<br />
recent years, conversion to Hinduism have<br />
been on the rise. Certain ethinic groups such as<br />
Tenggerese and Osings are also associated<br />
with Hindu religious traditions.<br />
Hinduism in Other Islands<br />
The Bodha sect of Sasak people on the island<br />
of Lombok are non-Muslim, there religion is a<br />
fusion of Hinduism and Buddism. Among the<br />
non_Bali coouminities considered to be Hindu<br />
are, the Dayak adherents of the Kaharingan<br />
Tengah where statics counted Hindus as 15.8%<br />
of the poupulation in 1995. Many Manushela<br />
and Nuaulu people follow a variant of Hinduism.<br />
Similarly the Tana Toraja of Sulawesi and Batak<br />
of Sumatra are identified as Hinduism.<br />
Hindu Revival in Indonesia<br />
The resurgence of Hinduism in Indonesia is occurring<br />
in all parts of country. In the early<br />
Seventies, the Toraja people of Sulawesi were<br />
the first to be identified under the umbrella of<br />
Hinduism, followed by the Karo Batak of Sumatra<br />
in 1977 and the Ngaju Dayak of Kalimantan<br />
in 1980. The growth of Hinduism has been derived<br />
also by the famous Javanese prophesies<br />
of Sabdapalon and Jayabaya. Many recent convert<br />
to Hinduism had been members of the<br />
families of Sukarno’s PNI. This return to the religion<br />
of Majapahit (Hinduism) is a matter of nationalist<br />
pride.<br />
66
The majority of Balinese consider themselves<br />
descendants of noble warriors from the Hindu<br />
Javanese empire Majapahit who conquered Bali<br />
in 14 th Century. A growing number of Balinese<br />
are conducting pilgrimages to Hindu temples in<br />
Java, most of which have been built in places<br />
identified as sacred sites in traditional Balinese<br />
text. Balinese have been heavily involved in the<br />
construction and ritual maintenance of these<br />
new Hindu temples in Java. Many Javanese<br />
Hindu priests have been trained in Bali.<br />
Though Java is center of Islam within the<br />
world’s most populous Muslim nation. On the<br />
other hand, a glance at one of the many ancient<br />
monuments scattered across its landscape<br />
would suffice to remind one of a very different<br />
Java, where a succession of smaller and larger<br />
Hindu kingdoms flourished for more than a millennium,<br />
producing a dynamic mixture of cultures.<br />
Islam first arrived in Indonesia along powerful<br />
trade networks, gaining a firm foothold<br />
in Java at northern coast. Hinduism lost its<br />
status as Java’s dominant state religion during<br />
the 15 th and 16 th century and great Hindu empire<br />
Majapahit collapsed. Even then some small<br />
Hindu kingdoms remain intact. The kingdom of<br />
Blambangan in eastern Java remained intact<br />
until the late 18 th century. While the majority of<br />
Javanese did become Muslims, following the<br />
example of their rulers, for many of them, this<br />
was change in name only. Earlier indigenous<br />
Javanese and Hindu traditions were retained by<br />
the population.<br />
There were some communities in Java who<br />
consistently upheld Hinduism as the primary<br />
mark of their public identity. One of these exceptions<br />
are the people of the remote Tengger<br />
highlands in Eastern Java. In a 1999 report, the<br />
national Indonesian Bureau of Statistics admits<br />
that nearly 100,000 Javanese have officially<br />
converted from Islam to Hinduism in last two<br />
decades. At the same time the east Javanese<br />
branch of the government Hindu <strong>org</strong>anization,<br />
PHDI, in an annual report claims that the Hindu<br />
congregation of this province to have grown by<br />
76000 souls in this year alone. However, there<br />
are problems in estimating the real number of<br />
Hindus which may be bigger. The rate of conversion<br />
accelerated dramatically during and after<br />
the collapse of former President Suharto’s<br />
regime in 1998. Despite their local minority<br />
status the total number of Hindus in Java exceeds<br />
that of Hindus in Bali.<br />
Religious identity became a life and death issue<br />
for many Indonesian around the same time in<br />
the wake of violent anti-communist purge of<br />
1965-66. Persons lacking affiliation with a state<br />
recognized religion tended to be classified as<br />
atheist and hence communist suspects. Despite<br />
the inherent disadvantages of joining a<br />
national religious minority, a deep concern for<br />
preservation of their traditional ancestor religions<br />
made Hinduism a more palatable option<br />
than Islam for several ethnic groups in the outer<br />
islands. In the early seventies, the Toraja people<br />
were the first to realize this opportunity by<br />
seeking shelter for their indigenous ancestor<br />
religion under the broad umbrella oh<br />
“Hinduism”, followed by Karo Batak of Sumatra<br />
in 1977.<br />
In central and southern Kalimantan, a large<br />
Hindu movement has grown among the local<br />
indigenous Dayak population which lead to a<br />
mass declaration of Hinduism on the island in<br />
1980. However this was different to the Javanese<br />
case, in that conversion followed a clear<br />
ethnic division. Indigenous Dayak were confronted<br />
with a mostly Muslim population and<br />
deeply resentful at the dispossession of their<br />
land and its natural resources.<br />
A common feature among new Hindu communities<br />
in Java is that they tend to rally around recently<br />
built temples (Pura) or around archaeological<br />
temple sites (Candi) which are reclaimed<br />
as places of Hindu worship. One of several new<br />
Hindu temples in eastern Java is Pura Mandargiri<br />
Sumeru Agung, located on the slope of<br />
Mount Sumery, Java’s highest mountain. When<br />
the temple was completed in July 1992, with the<br />
generous aid of wealthy donors from Bali, only a<br />
few local families formally confessed to Hinduism.<br />
In 1999, this community has grown to 5000<br />
households. Similar mass conversion have occurred<br />
in the region around Pura Agung blambangan,<br />
another new temple, built on a site with<br />
minor archaeological remnants attributed to the<br />
kingdom of Blambangan, the last polity in Java.<br />
A further important site is Pura Loka Moksa<br />
Jayabaya where Hindu King Jayabaya is said to<br />
have achieved spiritual liberation (Moksa).<br />
An example of resurgence around major ar-<br />
67
cheological remains of ancient Hindu temple<br />
sites was observed in Trowulan. The site may<br />
be location of the capital of the legendary Hindu<br />
empire Majapahit. A local Hindu movement is<br />
struggling to gain control of a newly excavated<br />
temple building which they wish to see restored<br />
as a site of active Hindu worship. The temple is<br />
dedicated to Gajah Mada, the man attributed<br />
with transforming the small Hindu kingdom of<br />
Majapahit into an empire. Hindu communities<br />
are also expanding in central Java.<br />
A further Hindu movement is developing near<br />
Pura Pucak Raung which is mentioned in Balinese<br />
literature as the place where Hindu saint<br />
Maharishi Markandeya gathered followers for<br />
an expedition to Bali where he is said to have<br />
brought Hinduism to the island in 5 th century<br />
AD. The sudden rise of Hindu movement can be<br />
attributed to well known prophecies of Sabdapalon<br />
and Jayabaya.<br />
Sabdapalon is said to have been a priest and<br />
an advisor to Brawijaya V, the last ruler of the<br />
Hindu empire Majapahit. He is said to have<br />
cursed his king upon the conversion of the latter<br />
to Islam in 1478. Sabdapalon then promised to<br />
return after 500 years and at a time of wide<br />
spread corruption, to sweep Islam from the island<br />
and restore Hindu-Javanese religion and<br />
civilization. A further prophesy, a well known<br />
throughout Java and Indonesia, is the Ramalan<br />
Jayabaya. Hindu Javanese emphasize with<br />
pride that their ancestors Sabdapalon and Jayabaya<br />
represent a golden Hindu past.<br />
Source: http://en.wikipedia.<strong>org</strong>/wiki Hinduism_in_Indonesia<br />
This article includes material from the 1995<br />
public domain Library of Congress Country<br />
Study on Indonesia.<br />
Courtesy : www.Hindunet.<strong>org</strong><br />
68
Welfare Society in a world of Brahmans<br />
- Can they reconcile?<br />
by Prabhu Shastry ( London)<br />
Our interests in the theme owes to the manifold<br />
meaning of the term Brahmana. The title, even<br />
while being a paradox is relevant today. There<br />
is no conclusive and definite meaning for the<br />
word Brahmana; owing to the changing role of a<br />
Brahman, many Smritikaras used different<br />
senses to it in every century - historically, religiously,<br />
literally and spiritually. For example,<br />
even within the Vedas, ‘Brahma’ primarily<br />
meant the presiding deity of Yajna (sacrificial<br />
ritual), and the wise consciousness (wisdom) of<br />
Yajna; secondarily it meant a priest; but generally<br />
a Brahmana is any person born of such<br />
parentage (of those careers).<br />
Mankind has progressed to the present post<br />
modern times in successfully erasing the lines<br />
and still striving to remove the barriers between<br />
individuals, groups etc. Then, ‘do we Brahmans<br />
work against that’ is also a good thought. Brahman<br />
- is it a caste-related word? One may wonder<br />
if there is still any thing that specifically a<br />
Brahmana alone can do. When education, skills<br />
and training are openly available to all equally in<br />
our free society, are not our rights total ? They<br />
might be total but are they infinite? The question<br />
is not of the rights alone. What if we were to talk<br />
of responsibilities instead. Total freedom is not<br />
an obvious result of total rights; there is yet a<br />
total awareness to arise, which is essentially the<br />
task of Brahmanhood, no matter from which<br />
background (caste, community or colour) one<br />
hails from. Apartheid, slavery or any form of<br />
discrimination is a net situation of many subtle<br />
or inborn stigmas of animal level. Basically a<br />
twice-born, “Dvija”, is higher than the beastly<br />
level. Brahmanism is also an ever-evolving reality<br />
working towards perfection.<br />
In other words, we are talking of a Brahman not<br />
as a career nor a status nor caste. As already<br />
considered, education including of a Brahman’s<br />
is no more a privilege of some; knowledge was<br />
first flowing through the individuals in the Gurukulas;<br />
now it is as open as the Internet.<br />
We need to have an orientation on how do the<br />
Brahmans’ interests work - the good of oneself,<br />
or one’s community and the good of all? Whom<br />
are we addressing while focussing the Brahmanas<br />
- let us think globally and act locally. For<br />
this good engineering, we need to have both the<br />
points correct - the universal constants as well<br />
as well-adapted regional variations. To understand<br />
by comparison, let us examine how certain<br />
communities are winning and some are falling.<br />
What do we learn in the rules of the game?<br />
It moves in the order of microcosmic to macrocosmic<br />
progress. Every individual, every community<br />
of those individuals, and the whole society<br />
of all those communities should complete<br />
the harmony. For the sake of analysis, let us<br />
scan them through the following threefold matrix.<br />
INDIVIDUALLY: On an individual’s virtue of a<br />
Brahman, our scriptures emphasise upon an<br />
openness and frankness in our behaviour. That<br />
is ‘Arjava’ or a straightforward attitude, as Dharmaraja<br />
called it. As in the Mahabharata (in Yaksha-prashna<br />
episode), the obvious virtue of<br />
every Vipra is never to be a hypocrite. Brahmanism<br />
precisely concerns to the development<br />
of every individual to that spiritual goal, that virtue<br />
recognisable universally, which evidently<br />
underlines the dignity of mankind.<br />
How can the awareness of being a Brahman be<br />
a cutting edge? This question is quite interesting,<br />
perhaps even intriguing! Like ‘the cosmic<br />
man’ concept, “Vishva Manava” or the Upanishadic<br />
term “Virat”, could we invent a concept,<br />
“Vishwa Brahmana”? This is a pre-historic imagery<br />
as found in Vishwamitra who was competing<br />
for a Brahmarshi status of sage Vasishtha.<br />
In the Upanishdas, Janaka was a Rajarshi<br />
(Saint-king), one step below the total evolution<br />
or perfection from Brahmarshi, the status<br />
of the ultimate person. In such anecdotes, we<br />
notice that the attainment of the status of a<br />
Brahmana follows a tendency to go higher and<br />
higher in spiritual ladder. People of today are<br />
ascending a social ladder or in sports they aim<br />
69
to go for the Olympic gold. A Novel is popular in<br />
Kannada, “Maha Brahmana” by Devudu on the<br />
theme of rivalry, which the sage Vishvamitra<br />
had against Brahmarshi Vasishtha. It looks like<br />
a battle of the Titans. Individually every person<br />
is moving towards becoming a Brahman. In our<br />
Vedic literature we have lots of illustrations of<br />
such healthy race. It is always good to be in a<br />
good competition, with the academic, moral,<br />
performing and spiritual vigour. In fact every<br />
body should be encouraged to become Brahman<br />
by these standards.<br />
How is such a situation of a Brahman in India is<br />
different from one in the West is also question.<br />
The pitfalls of being an intellectual do exist even<br />
among the Brahmans. At the same time, for the<br />
expertise in the ritualistic knowledge of priesthood<br />
services, unfortunately and unnaturally, a<br />
Brahman does not have to be an intellectual!<br />
Literacy is different from scholarship; and Brahmanism<br />
is not related to scholarship as it is with<br />
spirituality and a sense of wisdom i.e. the attainment<br />
of happiness to all.<br />
BRAHMANS AS A COMMUNITY:<br />
NATIONALLY IN INDIA AND ELSEWHERE:<br />
Can Brahmanism not be congenial to a secular<br />
society? Should we abandon Brahmanism for<br />
the sake of a secular society? People are free<br />
not to become idealists but not to reject ideals.<br />
Brahmans! please play to your strength. Explore<br />
the potentialities of your community in your<br />
‘History of Brahmans’ to learn for future. This<br />
helps identify the weaknesses. Ask, “We would<br />
never achieve that - what?” – let the youngsters<br />
meet that challenge. We shall shed the complexes,<br />
– the superiority as well as inferiority –<br />
as both are bad equally.<br />
safeguard of our community; if so, what are<br />
those threats? Are we not basically in blame for<br />
infighting and dividing the Hindus? How far the<br />
Brahmans can be blamed for the evils in India?<br />
If people agree that they were wrong, alliances<br />
for peace would be easy for future.<br />
TODAY’S GLOBAL WORLD:<br />
The crux of spirituality is beyond any garb of a<br />
Hindu or Brahman, if we want to wear it, it refuses<br />
to confine itself. It is staying close to Reality<br />
– Upa Ni Sad. It is the end of all-knowing –<br />
Veda Anta. It is the Absolute state, of Brahma.<br />
There are of course, the issues of interfaith, diversity,<br />
inter-caste marriages, new gaps in the<br />
our generations with mounting fresh challenges<br />
regionally and global as well.<br />
We need to re-assess the success in education,<br />
academic, professional, career based lifestyle,<br />
in music, sports, international politics and determine<br />
how influential are we - the Brahmans?<br />
Let us have questionnaires and interviews with<br />
our intelligent youngsters, who embody the<br />
world’s future. We might need updating of Brahmans’<br />
Who is Who, Matrimonial, Directories of<br />
e-mail addresses. The powerful and useful<br />
Internet should be utilised fully.<br />
(The author can be reached at his email<br />
address - Londonprabhu@yahoo.co.uk )<br />
Our community leaders, who inspire us, such<br />
nobility and not political awareness should be<br />
grown. In India, for example, Brahman ministers<br />
‘never did any good for Brahmans’ has been an<br />
all-times’ blame – why? We require priorities<br />
among the several reforms to make; we need<br />
do patching works between gaps / different pigments<br />
within Brahmans, between Brahmans<br />
and others.<br />
The question of unity amongst Brahmans - Is<br />
their unity fruitful or dangerous and to whom?<br />
Do we sense any danger for the security and<br />
70
Sanatana Dharma and Caste-System<br />
by Vidyadhar Mishra (Mauritius)<br />
There is perhaps no other theme more misunderstood<br />
in Sanatan Dharma than the castesystem.<br />
When in fact the caste system can be<br />
regarded as one of the major pillars of Sanatan<br />
Dharma.<br />
The caste system finds its origin in the Vedas.<br />
In the days of Smritis it underwent some transformation.<br />
In the Srimad Bhagvad Gita, Sri<br />
Krishna, the Supreme Lord declares himself to<br />
be the author of the four castes, each having its<br />
own attributes and virtues. The Purush Sukta of<br />
the Rig Veda, clearly defines the four castes as<br />
the four important parts of the Cosmic Person.<br />
The Shrimad Bhagvad Maha Purana, Skandh 3,<br />
Chapter 6 Verses 30-31 substantiate the same<br />
idea. This analogy shows the interdependence<br />
of the four castes for the common good of society.<br />
According to Vedanta Philosophy 2/1/34, the<br />
basis of the Caste system is innate the personality<br />
of the individual, the physical, intellectual,<br />
material and spiritual are all pre-determined.<br />
Science, genetics to be precised today supports<br />
this view.<br />
Another fundamental pillar of Sanatan Dharma<br />
is the belief in re-birth. A person is born in a particular<br />
family, caste or creed according to his<br />
Karmas in previous life. The concept of accident<br />
of birth is alien to Sanatan Dharma. One’s birth<br />
is neither by accident nor by mistake. Very often<br />
we hear of couples talking about their newborn<br />
babe, that it was not planned. It just happened<br />
as a result of failure of the contraception. Thus<br />
we obtain the notion of birth by accident. When<br />
a person is born in a particular family his identity<br />
is pre-established. He is known by a particular<br />
surname, as the son of so and so etc. Just as<br />
he cannot change his father, in the same way<br />
he cannot change his caste.<br />
The caste system has nothing to do with inferiority<br />
or superiority. All the four castes have<br />
Rishis for their progenitors. In the Vedic period<br />
there was only one caste, the Brahmanas. The<br />
other three castes have been derived from the<br />
Brahmans. When a Brahman failed to live up to<br />
his caste conduct, he is demoted. Once demoted<br />
there is no expiation. A simple example,<br />
when a Brahman is known to be a consumer of<br />
flesh and alcohol and on top of that to be a<br />
womaniser. Who will respect him as a Brahman?<br />
Traditions other than Hinduism support similar<br />
divisions of society. Plato divided the State into<br />
three classes, Philosophers –rulers, warriors<br />
and the masses. Nietzche views every healthy<br />
society containing three mutually conditioned<br />
types of men: the mainly intellectuals those endowed<br />
with muscular strength, and the majority<br />
distinguished neither for the one or the other.<br />
Professions and way of life constitutes the differences<br />
among the castes. But spirituality is<br />
opened to all. Whenever a man becomes a<br />
scholar, or saint irrespective of his background,<br />
he is respected even by the learned Brahmans.<br />
Vidura of the Mahabharata fame was known to<br />
be a S’udra, but he was respected by<br />
Bheeshma Pitamaha, a Kshatrya and Guru Dronacarya,<br />
A Brahman for his intellectual wisdom<br />
and attachment to truth. Every one irrespective<br />
of his caste must strive for the four goals of life,<br />
viz Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. This<br />
without rescinding one’s respective castes and<br />
duties.<br />
The first and foremost among highly promoted<br />
Sudras was Acarya Mahidass. He was a great<br />
Vedic scholar, with infallible insight into the<br />
mysteries of the Universe and intrinsic value of<br />
sacrifices. He is the author of “Aitreya Brahmana”<br />
and he made great contributions to<br />
Karma Kanda. But he never claimed to be a<br />
‘Purohit’ or Karma Kandi.<br />
There have been many respected scholars like<br />
him who imparted their spritual knowledge to<br />
Brahmans who were officiating their sacrifices.<br />
All of them strongly supported the scriptural in-<br />
71
junctions that birth was the primary cause of<br />
Brahmanism.<br />
The Smritisara urges that the qualifications of a<br />
man have to be tested strictly before his appointment<br />
as a Priest. The designated priest must be<br />
a highly educated man, born of priestly family,<br />
who has undergone all the prescribed Sanskaars<br />
until Samavaartan. He must be studious,<br />
regular in the performance of his daily oblations<br />
and expiatory rites, and above all of an irreproachable<br />
character. Any shortcomings in any<br />
of the above disqualifies the person as a Priest.<br />
It is equally the responsibility of the Yajmaan<br />
(person requiring the religious ceremony to be<br />
performed) to ensure that his Priest is qualified<br />
and satisfies the enumerated criteria. Then only<br />
will the religious activity performed bear fruits.<br />
Once they are able to gather the true religious<br />
knowledge from the Sacred Texts, like the Vedas,<br />
Puranas, Ramayan and Mahabharata, they<br />
will return to the fold, albeit a bit defiled.<br />
These are the infallible injunctions of Sanatan<br />
Dharma based on Shrutis, Smritis and Puranas.<br />
Nothing can be altered or changed either by legislation,<br />
Court of Law or by debates. In the event<br />
of any doubt, learned Brahmans who are well<br />
versed in the scriptures should be consulted.<br />
People who did not approve of the rigidness of<br />
Sanatan Dharma have created their own sects<br />
with their own religious scriptures. Many attempts<br />
have also been made to interpret the<br />
scriptures to suit the whims and fancies of certain<br />
people for political gains.<br />
Difference of opinions has always existed. But<br />
such differences must be based on human wisdom<br />
and not on folly. Because of the difference<br />
of opinions we have several school of thoughts<br />
within the fold of Sanatan Dharma. Any attempt<br />
to misinterpret or change the fundamental principles<br />
of Sanatan Dharma cannot be entertained.<br />
We are living in a free country. People are free<br />
to choose their way of living and thinking. Should<br />
they not be compatible with the spirit of Sanatan<br />
Dharma, then we cannot call it Sanatan Dharma.<br />
In its ageless history, Sanatan Dharma has lived<br />
with challenges from time to time. The current<br />
futile debate on the caste system will in no way<br />
affect Sanatan Dharma. It will only lure a handful<br />
of man and woman from the orthodox fold of the<br />
Eternal Religion.<br />
72
Vedic Rituals - Samskaras<br />
by Athreya Balakrishna<br />
Dr.Balakrishna Murthy Ramaraju (71 years)<br />
athreya-balakrishna<br />
Rochester,Minnesota,Usa<br />
508-265-1124<br />
dr.balakrishnamurthy.ramaraju@gmail.com<br />
Vedic Rituals - Samskaras<br />
Vaishampayana Krishna Yajurveda<br />
Vedic Rituals - Samskaras - Spiritual , Scientific ,<br />
Scriptural from conception in mother's womb - beginning<br />
of life to end of Journey. Om Thath Sath.<br />
1. PUMSAVANAM - Welfare of the Baby and<br />
Mother for a successful and uneventful progression<br />
of pregnancy. All mothers including mother of<br />
All Mothers (ammala kanna amma mugurammala<br />
moolaputamma) to Bless the Mother to Be.<br />
Scientiic - Rh Typing , Necessary Vaccinations<br />
and adequate Folate to ward off Neural Tube<br />
Defects.<br />
2. SEEMANTHAM - Welfare of Mother for an uncomplicated<br />
delivery and birth of the baby at an<br />
auspicious time. Support group of experienced<br />
mother and blessings.<br />
3. PURITI SUDDHI- Ritual purification of mother,<br />
baby and surroundings for a healthy clean environment-for<br />
the protection of mother and baby from<br />
unwanted post puerperal infections.<br />
4. BAALASARE or BAARASAALA - Welcome to<br />
the Baby and an introduction of the new addition to<br />
relatives and friends.<br />
5. NAAMAKARANAM - Naming Ceremony - Baby<br />
to have its own Identity. Nakshathra Namam,<br />
Maasa Namam, Vyavahaarika Namam for official<br />
purposes.<br />
6. DOLAAROHANAM– Putting the Baby in the<br />
Cradle...beginning of a journey<br />
7. SIRO MUNDANAM - Birth-Hair Cutting - Puttina<br />
Ventrukalu removal. Let the Baby get rid of in-utero<br />
hair and have the pleasure growing new hairusually<br />
in a Temple- Thirupathi Balaji Sannidhanam.<br />
8. EARS PIERCING - For Boys ; Ears and Nosepiercing<br />
for Girls.<br />
9. ANNA PRAASANA - Beginning of normal and<br />
Healthy food<br />
10.AKSHARA ABHYAASAM - OM NAMHA<br />
SIVAAYA-SIDDHAM NAMHA - Start of a long<br />
educational Journey.<br />
11.UPANAYANAM FOR BOYS . ParikiNi and VoNi<br />
for Girls.Upanayanam used to be a four day affair.<br />
Gaayathri Upadesam.<br />
12.GURU KULA VIDYAABHYAASAM - For a period<br />
of 14 years - .Brahmacharya Ashramam.<br />
For Girls Sangeetham , Sahithyam , Arts- Transfo<br />
mation of an Young girl into a Maiden.<br />
13. Kaasi Yaathra - for the Teenage boy to<br />
broaden his horizon.<br />
14. PELLI CHOOPULU - A step towards marriage<br />
15. NISCHAYA THA<strong>MB</strong>OOLAM - An announcement<br />
of engagement before relatives, friends and a<br />
kind of a binding agreement between both parties.<br />
16. Vivaaham - MARRIAGE CEREMONY at an<br />
auspicious Subhamuhoortham at a KalyaaNa<br />
Mandapam (Vivaah Mandap) before a multitude.<br />
17. Honeymoon - Garbhaadanam - Consummation<br />
for a healthy progeny.<br />
18. GRUHASTTHA ASHRAMAM - ARTHA ,<br />
KAAMA , DHARMA AND MOKSHA. Earn Money<br />
Lawfully , Enjoy with your Family , Pray for good<br />
progeny . Share with Athithi, Abhyaagathi , Beeda<br />
(poor) and Bikki(needy). Strive for God Realization.<br />
19. 60 Years - Shashtti Abda Poorthi - Ugra<br />
Raddha Shanthi.Aayushya Homam. Halfway<br />
Stage in Kali Yuga expected Life Span of 120.<br />
Step Back .Completion of one full cycle of 60<br />
named years. Contentment , detachment , be a<br />
friend , philosopher and a guide . Don’t expect<br />
anything and there will be no disappointment.<br />
Vaanaprastham.Apabruddha Snaanam.<br />
73
Sahasra Chidra Snaana Suddhi over a period of<br />
days covering Birth Star , Birth Thithi and Birth<br />
wekday.<br />
20. 70 Years - SAPTHATHI POORTHI - count our<br />
Blessings . Everyday is a gift. Be Happy , Dont<br />
Worry , HAKUNAA MATAATA.<br />
21. 75 YEARS - BHEEMA RADDHA Shanthi.<br />
22. 84 YEARS - Sahasra Chandra Darshanam ,<br />
We have seen 1000 Full Moons -PaurNamis.<br />
We Have lived our full Life- if lucky 100 years a<br />
century in Life's Cricket Test , Why Not 120 years,<br />
The Expected Life Span in kali yuga.<br />
23. ANTHYESHTTI - THE END OF JOURNEY -<br />
NIRVAANA.<br />
OM SUBHAM BHOOYAATH.<br />
Summary compiled by<br />
Athreya Balakrishna<br />
of<br />
GARTHAPURI (GUNTUR)<br />
aham bho abhivadaye.<br />
Courtesy : www.Hindunet.<strong>org</strong><br />
74
Definitions of a Brahman<br />
by Anmol Tiwari<br />
Compiled By:<br />
Anmol Tiwari<br />
22-3380 South Millway<br />
Mississauga, ONT, Canada<br />
1.Brahman literally means one who is constantly<br />
immersed in Brahma (THE CREATOR).<br />
2. As per Yaksha Prasna, Yudhishtira declares<br />
that not learning of the Vedas, but CHARACTER<br />
alone is important for a Brahman. (Chapter 18,<br />
verse 42)<br />
3. Lord Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita defines clearly<br />
the qualities or duties of a Brahman as per the<br />
Gunas born of their own nature are: Serenity,<br />
self-restraint, austerity, purity, f<strong>org</strong>iveness, uprightness,<br />
knowledge, realization, belief in a<br />
hereafter.<br />
4. There are numerous other places where a<br />
Brahman is defined in the same tone as this.<br />
You may be surprised, even the Buddhist scripture<br />
Dhammapada has a whole chapter on definition<br />
of a Brahman. This is not different from<br />
what was already described in the Hindu works<br />
(perhaps f<strong>org</strong>otten! Buddha had to reinforce)<br />
5. A member of the priestly class in Hinduism --<br />
the highest caste in India.<br />
6. A caste of Hindu society whose members are<br />
by tradition priests and scholars.<br />
7. As the first caste of Hindu society, Brahmans<br />
have the responsibility for maintaining and communicating<br />
cultural tradition. From among their<br />
members come priests, scholars and teachers.<br />
8. The first caste in the ancient Vedic social system<br />
of priests and teachers; metaphorically<br />
those who are on the spiritual path; to be in God<br />
(Brahman).<br />
9. The priestly class, highest of the four divisions<br />
in ancient Hindu society; strictly speaking, one<br />
who knows and repeats Vedas.<br />
75<br />
10. The words starting with 'Brahma' has the<br />
following meanings according to the context it is<br />
used in. It might refer to Brahma - The God of<br />
creation belonging to the trinity (3 Gods) of creation,<br />
preservation and destruction in Hinduism.<br />
Brahman, Brahman or Brahman - God in general<br />
or a God realized soul or the specific caste (subdivision)<br />
in Hindu society whose duty is to learn,<br />
teach sacred texts and look after the temples.<br />
Brahmic - the state of Brahman. ...<br />
11. A Brahman is a priest from the Hindu religion<br />
(ie) a seeker who serves God by offering his<br />
mind and intellect to study Spirituality and impart<br />
spiritual knowledge.<br />
12. One who knows Brahma or the Absolute.<br />
13. Now identified as the priestly caste among<br />
the Hindus. Originally a Brahman was someone<br />
who mystically attained wisdom of the laws of<br />
life which made him a leader.<br />
14. The Brahmans of India have long maintained<br />
that they, by their birth, are worthy of the highest<br />
respect. Buddhists borrowed the term<br />
"Brahman" to apply to arahants to show that respect<br />
is earned not by birth, race, or caste, but<br />
by spiritual attainment through following the right<br />
path of practice. Most of the verses in the Dhammapada<br />
use the word Brahman in this special<br />
sense.<br />
15. The priestly caste in Hinduism. The word<br />
Brahman seems to derive from a word meaning<br />
magic force or spell, and probably refers to special<br />
words or actions that were used to ensure<br />
the rituals were done correctly so the spirits<br />
could be controlled.<br />
• Brahman: a member of a social and cultural<br />
elite (especially a descendant of an old<br />
New England family); "a Boston Brahman"<br />
• Brahman: a member of the highest of<br />
the four Hindu varnas; "originally all Brahmans<br />
were priests"<br />
• Brahman: the highest of the four varnas:<br />
the priestly or sacerdotal category
16. A Brahman (anglicized from the Sanskrit adjective<br />
brahman "belonging to Brahma", also<br />
known as Brahman brahmán "belonging to bráhman";<br />
Vipra, Dvija "twice-born", Dvijottama "best<br />
of the twice born" or Bhūsura "earth-god") is<br />
considered to be the highest class (varna) in the<br />
Indian caste system of Hindu society.<br />
17. "Brahman" in early history was a title given<br />
to an individual who was learned in the Holy<br />
Scriptures and had demonstrated a high level of<br />
knowledge in the Vedas. This in turn manifested<br />
itself in the role often assumed by the Brahman<br />
class as the traditional teachers, advisers and<br />
custodian of matters spiritual for the ruling aristocratic<br />
Rajputs or Kshatriyas.<br />
18. The word "Brahman" means "knower of God"<br />
is more definitive of knowledge and spiritual<br />
learning than clan or caste. The alternative definition<br />
according to earliest Vedic Sruti sources,<br />
is that the Brahmans constitute a distinct clan<br />
coming from one of the bloodlines of seven<br />
major gotras or lineages from seven Rishis (later<br />
eight, then ten, then twelve) from which the<br />
original Brahman community carry their spiritual<br />
power.<br />
19. The Nirukta (Etymology) of sage Yaska says<br />
Brahmam Jānati iti Brāhmaṇam — A Brahman is<br />
a person who knows Brahman or Brahman, the<br />
ultimate reality; the energy which pervades all or<br />
God or supreme knowledge. Hence Brahman<br />
means, "Knower of God".<br />
20. "Mature or evolved soul." The class of pious<br />
souls of exceptional learning. From Brahman,<br />
"growth, expansion, evolution, development,<br />
swelling of the spirit or soul." The mature soul is<br />
the exemplar of wisdom, tolerance, forbearance<br />
and humility.<br />
21. "The wisdom of the ancients has been<br />
taught by the philosophers of Greece, but<br />
also by people called Jews in Syria, and by<br />
Brahmans in India."<br />
-Megasthenes, Greek Ambassador to Gupta<br />
Empire of India (now Afghanistan, Pakistan and<br />
Northern India), writing around 300 BC.<br />
Courtesy : www.Hindunet.<strong>org</strong><br />
76
Agenda suggested for Hindus in 2007 and beyond<br />
by M.G Prasad<br />
( At the suggestion of Mr. Arish Sahani, host of Bharat Darshan, a program of RBC Radio on Sunday mornings,10 am<br />
to 12 noon, this agenda was prepared and presented on Sunday December 31, 2006 by M. G. Prasad. The agenda<br />
has four areas namely Spiritual, Religious, Cultural and Social. Any additional suggestions are welcome to<br />
mgprasad@comcast.net )<br />
Spiritual<br />
1. Memorize few verses from Bhagavad-Gita<br />
2. Focus and understand few verses from Bhagavad-Gita’s<br />
3. Collect important Hindu books (scriptures) to have own library.<br />
4. Learn and practice at the least few yoga-postures.<br />
5. Carry out discussions related to Hinduism with other Hindu friends.<br />
6. Carry out discussions about Hinduism related topics with family members.<br />
7. If you are parent and have young children, tell them the stories of great Hindus in all fields.<br />
8. Understand and educate others about the important basics of Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma).<br />
9. Obtain sufficient depth and breadth about the various Hindu scriptures from Vedas<br />
to philosophies.<br />
10. Participate in the meetings and programs arranged during the visit of Hindu scholars.<br />
Religious<br />
1. Do prayer daily in the prayer room or a place at home (create one, if you don’t have one)<br />
2. Learn, perform and teach simple (at least) Pooja at home to children and grandchildren<br />
3. Visit Hindu temple regularly and during festivals<br />
4. Read about other religions and know the differences between Hinduism and them.<br />
Cultural<br />
1. Celebrate Hindu festivals at home and invite friends.<br />
2. Represent Hindu culture in the work environment.<br />
3. Practice and educate others about some of the important cultural aspects of Hinduism.<br />
4. Support the <strong>org</strong>anizations working for the correct representation of Hinduism in school text<br />
books and other materials.<br />
5. Watch with family, the videos of the Hindu themes and discuss with family members.<br />
(such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Chankya, etc)<br />
6. Participate in the community celebrations of Hindu festivals.<br />
7. Learn and/or Support classical and folk music and dance.<br />
Social<br />
1. Contribute donation (to your best) to Hindu <strong>org</strong>anizations<br />
2. Offer volunteer services (to your best ability) to Hindu <strong>org</strong>anizations.<br />
3. Participate as a Hindu representative in inter-faith forums.<br />
4. Understand and support the Hinduism related issues in national and international affairs.<br />
5. Support the cause of correct representation of Hinduism in media.<br />
6. Obtain a good understanding of the contributions Hinduism to science<br />
and technology from ancient to present.<br />
77
VedAntic Learning in Gurukulam style in NJ<br />
by Dr. M. R. Dwarakanath and Dr. S. S. Iyer<br />
Sree Gurubhyo Namaha<br />
SanAtana Dharma Yajna MaNDali –<br />
Reflections on the scriptural and vedAntic learning<br />
in a ‘gurukulam’ style in NJ.<br />
Dr. M. R. Dwarakanath and Dr. S. S. Iyer.<br />
Since its inception in 1989 it has grown in<br />
strength and more than 100 students have completed<br />
various items of studies (an attachment<br />
presents the topics taught both for its content<br />
and depth). This happens to be the 18 th year. It<br />
is a great achievement by itself. It is a continuous<br />
process as new students join it every year<br />
during the Vijay Dasmi day. The class is conducted<br />
in the traditional “Veda PAthashAlA” concept,<br />
including rigorous dress and other codes of<br />
conduct. It may not be called a Gurukulam in the<br />
true sense although it is a learning center with<br />
the teacher, without the residential aspect associated<br />
with it. Thus, was born the “sanAtana<br />
dharma yajna maNDalI”.<br />
The Vedas are the very life-blood of sanAtana<br />
dharma, also known as Hinduism. Indeed, it is<br />
the wellspring of Hindu culture and for that<br />
matter, mother India herself. Almost every<br />
aspect of traditional Indian life is rooted in the<br />
Vedas; our rituals, our culture and our philosophy.<br />
The glory of the Vedas is of immeasurable<br />
value as much for their sound as for their verbal<br />
content. While energizing sound has its own<br />
creative power, the words are notable for their<br />
exalted character of the meaning they convey.<br />
Vedas are ever existing property handed to<br />
mankind. We are all direct heirs to enjoy the<br />
fruits of this property. However, knowing this did<br />
not help until a sudden meeting with our Guru<br />
Dr S.Yegnasubramanian (affectionately called<br />
Sri Mani) during a NavarAtri event in 1989. He<br />
was bestowed with a title of “dharma rakshA<br />
mani” by the celebrated sankarAcAryas of the<br />
Kanchi Mutt, in light of his activities to bring<br />
Veda mantras to the aspirants in the USA, and<br />
for supporting the Veda pAThashAlas and Vedic<br />
scholars in India. The desire to learn was<br />
intense and by God’s Grace, we identified a<br />
great teacher of this oral tradition and thus<br />
started the Veda class (krishNa-yajurveda) with<br />
a handful of students in October 1989. He is a<br />
very learned individual who, while being at the<br />
peak of his professional career as a scientist, is<br />
extremely well versed in the scriptures and<br />
VedAnta, and an erudite scholar of the<br />
ShAstras.<br />
78<br />
The classes meet once a week with the most<br />
basic of the Veda mantras – the sUktas. The<br />
number of students grew year over year, as<br />
word of mouth spread through the aspirant Indian<br />
community about the brilliance of Sri Mani,<br />
his knowledge, his teaching skills and his ability<br />
to motivate students. To keep up with the everincreasing<br />
demand, the number of classes increased<br />
year over year and it now consumes the<br />
whole weekend, starting from Friday evening<br />
through the day Sunday. At the same time the<br />
repertoire also has grown and it is perhaps reasonable<br />
to say it takes 10 years to complete the<br />
syllabus set by our guru. We have graduates<br />
numbering in the low hundreds. More students<br />
graduate each year. It would not be an exaggeration<br />
to say some students have transferred<br />
their work location to New Jersey just to take<br />
advantage of Sri Mani’s classes. These classes<br />
come closest to being a Gurukula in the U.S.<br />
where we still have to earn a living. The Gurukula<br />
aspect lies in how the families are knit into<br />
the class though not residing with the guru.<br />
These classes have logically extended from<br />
chanting in its own rite to chanting in the context<br />
of Poojas and Havans. Finally, there are classes<br />
to learn the meaning of the Veda mantras and<br />
other ShAstras with the full recognition that the<br />
Vedas and the ShAstras form a unitary whole;<br />
our scriptures.<br />
The Vedas are believed to be authorless and<br />
exist as vibrations in space. These vibrations<br />
were perceived by our ancient seers, by divine<br />
inspiration, who gave utterance to them. The
Mantras contained therein are a potent force that<br />
can bestow great merit on the chanter when recited<br />
properly. If one is to succeed with the mantras<br />
and get the full benefit from them, there is a<br />
prescribed method of chanting it. One has to<br />
learn it from a good teacher or Guru. We fellow<br />
class members have been very fortunate and<br />
blessed with the opportunity to learn "Vedas"<br />
and listen to other lectures on our Hindu scriptures<br />
from our esteemed and learned scholar<br />
Guru Dr S.Yegnasubramanian.<br />
As mentioned by him in the classes there are six<br />
aspects of wrong recitation. One who chants in a<br />
sing-song fashion; one who chants with a quick<br />
tempo, the Vedic words should be intoned adhering<br />
to the prescribed time limits; one who<br />
shakes his head needlessly, without actually<br />
intonating the syllables; one who reads from the<br />
written script -it should be learnt by ear through<br />
the chanting of the teacher; one who does not<br />
understand the meaning -knowing the meaning<br />
of the words has greater benefits; one who<br />
recites with a feeble voice. Even though our guru<br />
stresses these points, many of the students cannot<br />
adhere to these aspects at the learning<br />
stage. These mantras are used throughout one’s<br />
79<br />
life on an everyday basis as well as on special<br />
occasions such as various pujas, upanayana,<br />
marriage, and final rites.<br />
Like the veda pAThashAla, strict code of conduct<br />
are prescribed prior to entrance of a student<br />
to the classes. It is absolute necessity that the<br />
student performs the daily routine of rituals<br />
prescribed in our scriptures (doing “sandhya<br />
vandana” three times in a day), wear the traditional<br />
dress, sit on the ground cross-legged for<br />
the duration of the class etc. The class is divided<br />
in to groups depending on the level of learning<br />
achieved. Further, the classes have young<br />
children who have just got their<br />
“Brahmoupadesam” completed; married individuals<br />
as well as retired personnel. This gives a<br />
cross section of the people who are keen to<br />
learn. Each class is about 11/2 hours long held<br />
every Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The<br />
guru ensures that each person recites individually<br />
a topic taught previously and recites it in a<br />
perfect manner before the class proceeds to the<br />
next topic. Like the Veda pAThashAla there is a<br />
set of topics to be completed.<br />
The veda mantra got transferred orally from the<br />
rishis to his disciples. This process is continued
even today, in spite of the advent of the Sanskrit<br />
writing and the birth of the electronic age. The<br />
veda mantras have three elements- Rishi (sage),<br />
Chandas (metre) and Devata (divinity). Thus,<br />
mantras can be perceived as vedic statements<br />
with certain sound features, the correct repetition<br />
provides strength to the mind during weak<br />
stages and elevates the mind towards divinity<br />
and knowledge. Seeds are essential for the successful<br />
growth of a tree in terms of yielding<br />
leaves, flowers and fruits. We nurture the roots<br />
with water, fertilizer etc. to make it strong and<br />
big. Similarly, the Vedas are the roots of knowledge<br />
that is essential for our growth in this universe.<br />
Our guru has provided that essential element<br />
for our spiritual growth. We ourselves and<br />
the other hundreds of students, rededicate our<br />
efforts to support and subscribe to the views of<br />
our esteemed Guru. He has uplifted the spiritual<br />
discipline of the community. It should be<br />
stressed that there is nothing greater than spiritual<br />
wisdom for a human being and learning the<br />
scriptures with their meaning, and vedAnta, is<br />
the step in the right direction to achieve that<br />
goal.<br />
According to the Hindu tradition, there are four<br />
main purposes (purushArthas) of life and one<br />
can acquire this in association with one’s guru<br />
and we fellow students of SanAtana Dharma<br />
Yajna ManDalI are fortunate to have such a<br />
guru.<br />
Every year on “Vijay Dasami” day, the students<br />
and their families, take the opportunity to offer<br />
their sincere thanks and respects to the Guru. It<br />
is an unique event to hear the Guru’s yearly<br />
message in addition to obtaining the “blessed<br />
prasadas” from the Acharayas from India. This<br />
practice has been continuing every year, since<br />
its inception in 1990.<br />
VEDA CHANTING<br />
• ShAnti Mantras<br />
• Various Suktams (purusha, nArAyaNa,<br />
durgA, SrI, medhA, nakshatra, Vishnu, navagraha,<br />
neelA, bhU, bhAgya, pavamAna<br />
sUktAni)<br />
• taittireeya upanishat<br />
• mahAnArAyaNa upanishat<br />
• nArAyaNa Upanishat<br />
• gaNapati AtharvashIrsha Upanishat<br />
• SrI Rudra PraSna - namakam & Camakam<br />
• SrI Rudra/Camaka krama<br />
• laghunyAsam and MahanyAsam<br />
• aruNa praSna<br />
• udakashaAnti mantras<br />
• acchidra praSna<br />
• aSvamedha praSna<br />
• kATaka praSna<br />
• pada, krama, jaThA, Ghana pATha of<br />
selected texts.<br />
DISCOURSE TOPICS<br />
• sandhyAvandana<br />
• Various Suktams<br />
• taittireeya upanishat<br />
• kaThopanishat<br />
• SrI rudram and Camakam<br />
• tattvabodha of Sri Adi ShankarAcArya<br />
• lalitAsahasranama<br />
• vishnusahasranAma<br />
• soundarya Lahari<br />
• SrI dakshiNAmUrti stotra<br />
• vaidika SamskAras<br />
• devI MAhAtmyam<br />
• SrI Uddhava GeetA – Hamsa GeetA<br />
• SrImad Bhagavad GeetA<br />
80
Rishis the devine,<br />
the pure,<br />
the pious,<br />
the true souls,<br />
While meditating,<br />
on Him, the supreme soul,<br />
Heard Him, saw Him, realised Him,<br />
experienced Him and the words<br />
so heard, passed to<br />
disciples and collected as Shruti,<br />
at the beginning of time.<br />
The word of God<br />
The words of Parmatma<br />
contained in Vedas.<br />
The Vedas are the words of God.<br />
So do not bear the name of an<br />
author.<br />
These Mantras begin with OM<br />
and ends with OM. OM is another<br />
name of Parmatma (supreme<br />
soul).The holiest, the purest, the<br />
best, the brightest,most beautiful word OM is<br />
the greatest Mantra of all. Mantras, is made of<br />
three syllables A.U.M.and pronounced as AUM<br />
or OM.The word Mantra is made of two words,<br />
Manah means mind, Tra means liberator. The<br />
liberator of mind. This liberation is from the attachments<br />
of all kinds.<br />
Om is supreme, which gives peace, creates harmony,<br />
uplifts spiritually and chanting of OM, OM,<br />
OM ultimately leads to MOKSHA or MUKTI or<br />
NIRVANA uniting soul with super Soul<br />
(parmatma) . When you detach totally from<br />
wordly things yourself only then you become<br />
free. How many can do this is another matter.When<br />
you are retired how relaxed and free<br />
you become similarly when you detach slowly<br />
from other attachments how free you would be?<br />
Apart from physical detachment in spiritual<br />
world you must give up ego, anger , greed,<br />
temptations, hatred etc[ MOH,MAYA,<br />
MAMATA].Thus liberating the individual from<br />
cycle of birth, death and rebearth.<br />
Na tasya pratima asti, yashya naam mahadyasah<br />
means that there is no image of Him<br />
who is the greatest glory. Eko Brahmah dwitiyo<br />
OM OM OM<br />
by Dr. Shriharsha Sharma<br />
Dr. S. Sharma is a general<br />
practitioner in Nottingham,<br />
England. He is married<br />
and has two children.<br />
He hails from Rajasthan,<br />
India and his interests include<br />
Hindi poetry, social<br />
activities and lectures on<br />
Hinduism.<br />
81<br />
nasti means that He is one and there is no parellel<br />
to Him.<br />
Ekam sadhavipra bahudha vadanti means that<br />
He is one but sages call Him by various names.<br />
Chanting of OM is all you need and start now<br />
and do it when you can daily and see the beneficial<br />
effects in yourself. This is the Master key<br />
which will open the doors to supreme bliss<br />
Parmanand.<br />
Aum often spelled as<br />
Om.Pronaunced aw[ as in law], oo<br />
[as in zoo],mm.Associated with Ganesh<br />
for initial sound ‘aa’ vibrates<br />
within Mooldhara Chakra at the<br />
base of spine where Bhagwan sits.<br />
OO vibrates within throat and chest<br />
Chakras realm of Bhagwan Murugan<br />
or Kumar.The third sound ‘mm’ vibrates<br />
within the cranial Chakra<br />
Ajna and Sahasrara where Paramatma<br />
reigns.The dot above<br />
called anusvar, represents soundless<br />
sound, Om is explained in Upanishad as<br />
standing for the whole and its parts, including<br />
past, present and future.It is the ‘moolmantra’.<br />
Three worlds the power of creation, preservation<br />
and destruction.<br />
The whole world has evolved from Om.<br />
The whole world is sustained by Om.<br />
The whole world will merge into Om.<br />
In Om resides my strength.<br />
--Yogaswami.<br />
Pranav means humming. The sound of one’s<br />
own nerve system. This sound is like a swarms<br />
of bees, or a thousand Vinas playing in the distance.<br />
It is strong , inner experience. The meditator<br />
is taught to inwardly transform the sound<br />
into inner light which lights up one’s thoughts<br />
and bask in blissful consciousness of light.<br />
Pranav is also known as the sound of nadnadi<br />
sakti.<br />
OM OM OM
I feel honored to be a part of this gathering once<br />
again. I bring best wishes from many Indian<br />
Brahman <strong>org</strong>anizations and I hope that like the<br />
preceding events, WBC 2007of World Brahman<br />
Federation U.S.A., will also be a great success.<br />
This will remain a distinct and successful means<br />
of getting Brahmans from across the world together<br />
and deliberate on common issues.<br />
The Brahmans, considered to be created from<br />
the mouth of Brahma - the creator of human<br />
beings, have been believers of the Santana<br />
Dharma and have maintained distinct traditions,<br />
culture and have followed certain rituals<br />
from time immemorial.<br />
Brahmans have been held in high esteem<br />
across the society because of their deep sense<br />
of knowledge of the Vedas and the holy scriptures,<br />
therefore they are respectfully known as<br />
custodians of spirituals knowledge. It is quoted<br />
in the Ramayana at the time of lord Rama’s Raj<br />
tilak, Rama insisted worship to Brahman first<br />
before proceeding with the Raj Tilak ceremony.<br />
Looking back in history I see my association with<br />
Brahmans in North America, which is about 11<br />
years old now . I first visited US in 1997 for the<br />
Michigan event of Brahman Convention. Since<br />
then, I attended the convention 10 times, every<br />
year continuously. I have seen the bonding between<br />
the delegates grow. I have also seen the<br />
agenda of these meetings which is focused on<br />
identification and remedy of social issues and<br />
development of Brahman community of the<br />
world as a whole.<br />
WBF (World Brahman Federation) was formed<br />
in year 2000 at Pennsylvania World Brahman<br />
Convention, under the president ship of Shri<br />
Nirmal Choubey, who has been spearheading its<br />
growth. The <strong>org</strong>anization’s policies, activities<br />
and agenda are constantly reviewed and revised<br />
based on discussions from fellow-brahmans and<br />
interested community members. Eko’Hum, the<br />
newsletter magazine, has served as an excellent<br />
communication channel. The articles and updates<br />
posted on WBF website and internet<br />
yahoo group - WBFWorld have made sharing of<br />
Global Unity of Brahmans<br />
by R.D Dixit<br />
82<br />
view points very convenient for all brahmans.<br />
The world has changed a lot over the past few<br />
years. We have seen India awakening and growing.<br />
The corporate leaders from India are leading<br />
in exemplary ways using cooperation as a<br />
strength, bringing to fore our capability to mitigate<br />
issues and succeed through collaboration<br />
and capability.<br />
Latest in this series is the success of BSP in UP.<br />
This is being looked upon as paradigm shift in<br />
Indian politics because BSP decided to become<br />
Sarva Samaj party, means party of all, not of any<br />
one group. BSP garnered absolute majority in<br />
UP. This is first single party government after<br />
1993 in UP<br />
We, within the Brahman social network, have<br />
failed to stay together among ourselves. We<br />
have battled each other over petty issues and on<br />
personal agenda. We have made the mockery of<br />
all the objectives we have adopted in conventions.<br />
Today we are divided at every leadership<br />
level and at <strong>org</strong>anization levels.<br />
We, in India, are seeing further deep down<br />
polarization of our respective associations. This<br />
is not helping in any of the agreed objectives or<br />
on focusing efforts on social problem or bringing<br />
more people from our community to join us. In<br />
fact a lot of people have started avoiding contact<br />
and event attendance has been affected because<br />
of losing interest. I will stop here and comment<br />
no further on this state of affairs since I<br />
know the mature audience will take note of our<br />
concern and help us to close this issue.<br />
It is important that we settle our differences, convince<br />
or be convinced. We must f<strong>org</strong>et our bad<br />
experiences like bad dreams and be focused<br />
on the common causes. This needs to be done<br />
in the next 3-6 months because even though it is<br />
not a battle of survival, still there are chances<br />
that we will be redundant soon if efforts for<br />
global unity of Brahmans are not taken soon<br />
enough. There should be one Brahman <strong>org</strong>anization<br />
on international level .
The structure and by-laws, of WBF can be expanded<br />
so it can play the role of a global umbrella<br />
<strong>org</strong>anization . Organizing the next convention<br />
should be transferred to the next host<br />
automatically where there is a large interest in<br />
hosting a Brahman convention.<br />
I would like to mention that our heritage is in<br />
danger, especially among the new generation<br />
brought up and living in westernized world. We<br />
still have to transform our customs to adopt and<br />
to face the realities and pass the test of coming<br />
generation because they do not accept any thing<br />
that is not backed by a logical reason. It is a<br />
choice we have to make as to how we want our<br />
next generation to remember us. With this question<br />
on your conscience, I thank one and all<br />
once again for giving me this opportunity to join<br />
in this event. I wish you all the best.<br />
Thank you very much.<br />
R.D.Dixit<br />
Working president<br />
World Brahman Federation India<br />
June 15, 2007<br />
Ayoddhya, Holy Ayoddhya<br />
Ayoddhya, Holy Ayoddhya,<br />
Birth place of my RAAM, your Raam, our Raam,<br />
Raja Raam, Patitpavan Raam,<br />
Let us build a home for Shri Raam<br />
Our hero, our ideal, our prince,<br />
Our life begins with His name and<br />
Ends with His name on lips.<br />
Putting right for the future<br />
the Temples of the past,<br />
Putting right for the future<br />
the blunders of the past.<br />
Is by building<br />
The greatest temple<br />
The most magnificent<br />
and the largest<br />
The most beautiful<br />
That must be the Temple<br />
of Shri Raam at Ayoddhya.<br />
This is right decision<br />
Have no doubts,<br />
No ifs and buts<br />
Go ahead and be bold and fearless<br />
Raam ka ghar banvana hai.<br />
Mandir yahin banana hai.<br />
This is our moral duty<br />
this is a debt on all of us<br />
So let us join together<br />
to build it now.<br />
We can do it<br />
let us do it NOW,<br />
Putting right for the future<br />
the blunders of the past.<br />
83<br />
Let us build a home for shri RAAM<br />
Ayoddhya, Holy Ayoddhya<br />
On the bank of river Sarayu.<br />
Only then a new Hindustan will rise,<br />
To dominate to rule,<br />
And rule to dominate.<br />
On the path of righteousness.<br />
For justice, equality, peace, progress, prosperity.<br />
Let us all build a home<br />
For our Raam.<br />
Ayoddhya, Holy Ayoddhya.<br />
(Dr. S. Sharma,<br />
Nottingham, England)
Brahmans and Secularism : Myth & Reality<br />
by Vasan Iyer, Chennai (India)<br />
There are certain things in the world, shown and<br />
seen in a different angle from its originality. The<br />
inborn and unshakeable faith in secularism of<br />
Brahmans is one among them. Most people,<br />
particularly in India, think that a Brahman may<br />
be anybody but a secular man. He is cursed by<br />
many on that account. The strong and stubborn<br />
belief that a true Brahman can not be secular is<br />
deep rooted in their mind to an extent, that Brahmans<br />
are considered enemy of secularism.<br />
our youth has some background and origin. To<br />
know what it is, we should spare a few moments<br />
and peep into some pages of western History.<br />
The rise of Christianity in Europe saw a new<br />
phenomenon namely the growth of Church and<br />
the influence it could have on political affairs.<br />
The pope and other Christian religious leaders<br />
had direct and deep access in the rule of Law<br />
and voices of society.<br />
Is it true? Is it real? Is it not a Myth?<br />
These are some of the questions that<br />
have to be answered to bring out a<br />
clear picture in this matter. Before we<br />
proceed, discuss the subject, and pass<br />
on a judgment whether Brahmans are<br />
secular or not, we should have some<br />
basic understanding of terminology.<br />
Before we answer the question<br />
whether Brahmans are the enemy of<br />
secularism we should understand what<br />
is secularism?<br />
The meaning” secular “is unfortunately<br />
more misunderstood than understood<br />
by many. It is one of the few words<br />
for which the meaning will vary according<br />
to time and place. It is pathetic and<br />
painful to see people lecturing on secularism,<br />
unfolding and outpouring all their fancy<br />
theories, unrelated and irrelevant to true meaning<br />
of secularism.<br />
The dictionary meaning of secularism is non<br />
religious, not allowing religion to decide the<br />
matters of the State. It is not being unreligious<br />
or being atheist.<br />
Not letting any particular faith or cult to dominate<br />
the social and political matters does not warrant<br />
a position to be against religion. It is restricting<br />
your religion to your Pooja room rather taking to<br />
the center of your office.<br />
The importance this word derived in modern<br />
vocabulary, the inevitable place it gained in today’s<br />
society, and irrevocable power it implies in<br />
84<br />
This feature of Europe and Christianity<br />
is a contrast to the long prevailed<br />
customs of India and Hindu<br />
religion. Hindu religious leaders<br />
were all Brahmans and their role<br />
was limited to giving advice on religious<br />
matters- more specifically<br />
fixing auspicious dates for royal<br />
events.<br />
But western society was different<br />
in nature and deviated in composition.<br />
The frequent interferences<br />
and interruptions from religious<br />
leaders were too much to bear. A<br />
check and balance in this matter<br />
had to be invented and implemented.<br />
Secularism did fit the bill.<br />
In the guise of secularism religion<br />
was kept at bay, left to believers to<br />
do whatever they wanted but within the four<br />
walls of the church. Gradually “non-religious” got<br />
transformed and became “un-religious”.<br />
Vasan Iyer is an Editor of<br />
Brahmin Today, a popular<br />
bilingual magazine for<br />
Brahmans published in<br />
Chennai, India<br />
This kind of evolution and elution had neither<br />
relevance nor any need in India. Here, the kings<br />
and queens knew to keep distance from religion<br />
for long. Even the most revered shankaracharyas<br />
and swamys never crossed the limits<br />
and said what the state should do or not. The<br />
reason and logic for this “Lotus, leaf and water<br />
relation ‘’ is not any mystery<br />
All religious leaders of Hindu religion and some<br />
of the Jain and Buddha religion were Brahmans.<br />
The teachings from the beginning, the practices
of their training and the preaching they delivered,<br />
all made them so humble and rational that<br />
it was not simply possible for them to indulge in<br />
any unwanted dealings, that would be resented<br />
by state.<br />
When democracy was introduced and republic<br />
was followed in India, this vital difference from<br />
western society was over-looked. Our first prime<br />
minister, a Brahman himself, was anxious and in<br />
his eagerness, gave a new twist to the meaning<br />
of secularism. He believed and made others believe<br />
that secularism is unreligious. Instead of<br />
keeping religion separate from state, he kept<br />
religion as a matter of wishful following of the<br />
heart.<br />
Brahmans did not approve and started practicing<br />
true secularism. They were mature enough to<br />
distinguish and diffract. Being non-religious is<br />
not being unreligious. To be a true Brahman you<br />
need not wear dhothi and put tilak always. Like<br />
wise keeping office matters from religious purview<br />
does not dilute your Brahmanism. One can<br />
be a true Brahman and at the same time perform<br />
his duties without any favor or bias.<br />
There were many Brahman leaders who led their<br />
life as an example to this principle. A Brahman is<br />
supposed to only worship knowledge. He is<br />
bound to oblige Vedas only. He only has the capacity<br />
to use religion to the welfare of mankind.<br />
His teachings only cover the whole world as one<br />
unites. He only prays for the entire universe including<br />
trees and birds. If he is not secular, no<br />
other people can appear to be more secular.<br />
Modern culture may demand some changes in<br />
attire, some addition in vocabulary and some<br />
deletion in customs. Brahmans may cling to<br />
their culture and beliefs to overcome this kind<br />
of assaults. This kind of clinging and caring<br />
should not be mistaken and make them unsecular.<br />
He can never lose the true credentials<br />
of secularism with which he was born and built.<br />
Hope we Brahmans shed the guilt complex and<br />
false allegations from other corners of the society<br />
and feel proud about what we are--A true<br />
secular man in non-secular world.<br />
Iyer Vasan<br />
Poetry Corner<br />
Memories<br />
Like pen on a paper,<br />
Printed across your heart<br />
Never erased, just smudged<br />
In hopes of f<strong>org</strong>etting<br />
Memories hidden by layers of ink<br />
Yet still lying underneath<br />
As the old ink crumbles away,<br />
Memories still lay unable to change<br />
And the paper can never be free from ink<br />
again.<br />
Kanupriya Bhargava<br />
Secularism is being used as one more weapon<br />
in the battle of Brahman hatred these days. A<br />
Brahman hater uses this word against Brahmans<br />
without any clear understanding. He is nether<br />
secular nor knows what it is to be secular. A<br />
Brahman, on the other hand, is completely secular<br />
but does not realize himself his liberalism and<br />
not allowed by others to realize it, even when he<br />
attempts to do so.<br />
85
These are a few reasons why I not only like, but<br />
really love my mom.<br />
Young World<br />
Anisha Choubey<br />
Age 13<br />
Lord Ganesh, the<br />
obstacle remover<br />
and the first one<br />
worshipped in<br />
prayer, is my favorite<br />
god. I feel that<br />
Ganesh is a unique<br />
god. Even though<br />
he looks the most<br />
different he is respected<br />
the most,<br />
and I feel that that<br />
alone teaches you something. Lord Ganesh is<br />
expressed in what he looks like. For example,<br />
the trunk representing Om, Stomach representing<br />
luck and prosperity, head representing intelligence<br />
and strength, and more. The stories of<br />
Ganesh also make him my favorite. The stories<br />
of his cleverness and wisdom are interesting and<br />
inspiring. Showing that his parents are his world<br />
and ego should never overcome one. I feel that<br />
these points along with many others will express<br />
my opinion on why Ganesh is my favorite god.<br />
Garima Choubey<br />
Age 7<br />
My mom, Prakashy Choubey, means the world<br />
to me. She does so much for me and helps me a<br />
lot. She helps me with learning things in and out<br />
of school. She teaches me what is right from<br />
wrong, and what is good and bad, like to never<br />
let someone else<br />
spoil my day. She<br />
tucks me in my bed<br />
at night and reads<br />
me great stories.<br />
Sometimes she is<br />
really funny and<br />
makes me laugh,<br />
but she is always<br />
so nice. She<br />
makes me warm<br />
when I’m cold and<br />
gives me the right<br />
medicine when I’m<br />
sick. I know whatever she does will help me in<br />
the future and that she really cares for me.<br />
86<br />
Neha Choubey<br />
Age 14<br />
Learning Hinduism and<br />
Hindi is a very complicated<br />
process, but<br />
should be encouraged<br />
to everyone. Local<br />
natives and citizens of<br />
India even find the language<br />
very hard to understand<br />
due to the<br />
ample amounts of cultural<br />
knowledge. For<br />
another person to learn the language outside of<br />
the country is even a harder challenge, but with<br />
hard work and dedication, can be successfully<br />
achieved. For instance, an American born Indian<br />
child living in a very advanced and modern world<br />
can easily be out of touch with his native roots,<br />
leaving him an inept understanding of his own<br />
culture. It is not right for the child to be blamed,<br />
rather the social setting and even to some extent<br />
parental influence should be looked upon this<br />
increasing trend. Still, one could live in a house<br />
where Hindi is spoken, but it is still difficult to<br />
completely grasp because they spend more time<br />
in school with no Hindi at all. Hinduism is also a<br />
religion that is perceived in many different ways.<br />
People native to India do not recall that there is<br />
even a meaning to the word Ram. Although<br />
things like time spent on learning, living out of<br />
country, and being a very broad subject are reasons<br />
that make learning difficult, Hinduism should<br />
be tried to be stressed to everyone in what ever<br />
little way is possible.
Annamaya Kosha (Food according to Yoga)<br />
by Dr. Krishna Bhat<br />
Annamaya kosha and the concept of food<br />
according to Yoga.<br />
Dr.Krishna Bhat, K., Vidwat, M.Sc., Ph.D., M.A.A.N. (U.S.A.)<br />
Professor and Chairman<br />
Department of Human Consciousness and Yogic Sciences<br />
Mangalore University, Mangalagangothri – 574 199.<br />
There are concepts in science whose communication<br />
demands the use of specific terminology. To<br />
measure something in physical world, for example,<br />
you should know the parameter to be used. Thus<br />
while referring to length we employ the terms<br />
‘yard’, ‘mile’ ; ‘meter’, ‘kilometer’, etc. If we speak<br />
of quantity we use pound, kilogram; for liquids<br />
‘Gallon’, ‘litre’ etc. This facilitates the communication<br />
of basic concepts among different persons.<br />
Similarly in yoga too, many terminologies are used<br />
without which the understanding of yoga is difficult.<br />
We will examine – SHEATHS OF THE BODY. I am<br />
convinced this concept definitely helps to understand<br />
yogic philosophy, its theories, its practical<br />
part – asana (s) and the results we get, as well as<br />
the benefits.<br />
It is a very interesting concept. Mostly we know<br />
that “WE’ means “WE’, but who are we ? You<br />
could say : ‘I and the others’. ‘I’ ? what or where is<br />
that ‘I’ ? the outer look ? Is that ‘I’ ? up here ? ……<br />
in the body? …. Where ? It is a perplexing question.<br />
There is no immediate apt answer. Let us<br />
look at the solution Yoga can offer.<br />
Annamaya Sharira:<br />
The first sheath of the body is called<br />
Annmaya sharira. I will explain this word because<br />
I am afraid no other word in English would mean<br />
the same thing.<br />
87<br />
The word ‘Sharira’ means, the body ‘which<br />
covers’. It is a cover, a sheath. This cover is<br />
formed by ‘Annam’. ‘Annam’ is ‘food’. So this first<br />
sheath of the body is called ‘annamaya sharira’.<br />
Annamaya ; means ‘which is covered with food’<br />
and ‘which is made up of food’, it is a modification<br />
of food’. All these meanings suit ‘Annamaya’. The<br />
first sheath of the body is then Annamaya sharira,<br />
the body that we can see, the outer look. When<br />
we were born we were very small; weren’t we ?<br />
then, by taking food we grew up to sixty, seventy,<br />
eighty, kilos …. Therefore this physical body has<br />
developed from food, there is no doubt.<br />
We find a beautiful dialogue in ‘Taittariya Upanishad<br />
in which Bhrugu tells his father Varuna; I want<br />
to know the eternal truth. His father answers ;<br />
Well, go and meditate. If you meditate you will<br />
come to know. I can give you a clue; see, what<br />
they call you, is food, you know’. ‘Meditate on this<br />
and then come back’. When Bhrugu returns, He<br />
says.<br />
Annam brahmeti vyajanat<br />
Annadhyena khalvimani bhutani jayante<br />
Annena jatani jivanti<br />
Annam prayantyabhisamvisantiti”<br />
Let me explain: We are food. Food makes us grow<br />
day by day. We live because of food and afterwards,<br />
when death comes, we become food for<br />
others viz. worms, bacteria, etc. There is nothing<br />
in this world which is not food for something else.<br />
Everything is food, if not for us, for some other kind<br />
of living creatures. We are made up of food; we<br />
grow because of food; we living creature. We are<br />
made up of food; we grow because of food; we live<br />
because of food. Even after dying we produce
food. This whole universe is food. The whole universe<br />
is covered by food, which is Anna, therefore<br />
Annamaya.<br />
In the field of yoga we worry about sharira<br />
because it is what everyone sees. In order to realize<br />
other sheaths we have to cross this gate; only<br />
then we will have access to the others. So, let us<br />
see how this Annamaya sharira grows, how we can<br />
purify it, how we can develop it.<br />
Classification of food:<br />
If our body grows because of food, it can<br />
definitely be bad or good or get better according to<br />
the kind of food it gets. This is logic. Therefore, a<br />
lot of importance has been given to food. They<br />
classify the food by which our body grows, into<br />
three categories.<br />
1. Satvik<br />
2. Rajasik<br />
3. Tamasik<br />
Satvik food is purely for the mind, Rajasik<br />
food is for the mind and body, and Tamasik food is<br />
mainly for the body. Of course, in the first group<br />
something will go to the body also. In the second<br />
group to the mind and body equally. In the third<br />
group some portion will also go to the mind. Satvik’<br />
means sathwa, the potentiality. ‘Rajasik actually<br />
gives energy, the movement. ‘Tamasik’ is the<br />
mass.<br />
If you take tamasik food you will be dull;<br />
the whole body becomes a mass and you will not<br />
be active, you will feel lazy; you will not feel like<br />
doing anything; you will feel sleepy as in a lethargic<br />
state.<br />
If you eat the second category of food –<br />
rajasik – you will be energetic; A kind of energy<br />
that will not allow you to stay still. You will have to<br />
be working, running, jumping, quarrelling, etc. All<br />
this if you take rajasik food.<br />
88<br />
The first category – satvik – is different.<br />
You will not feel lazy and at the same time you will<br />
not move much, but you will be fully enlightened. If<br />
some foolish fellow does nasty things, an enlightened<br />
person would just keep quiet and laugh. That<br />
is the satvik natue; by eating satvik food you will be<br />
higher in your level of consciousness.<br />
Now I will ask you a question, can you give<br />
my example of tamasik food. ; This is something<br />
that you have not read anywhere.<br />
Answers : Meat, pasta…….<br />
Yes, And Heroine, Marijuana, heavy drinks<br />
…… If you take these you just become a mass.<br />
‘Tamas’ means ‘dark’. If you eat this food you will<br />
be in darkness, and what I mean by ‘darkness’ is<br />
total ignorance !<br />
Now; onion, coffee, the chocolates, cigarettes,<br />
are example of rajasik food.<br />
Milk, honey, fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals,<br />
ghee are satvik category. Ghee is especially<br />
mentioned in this category.<br />
In short, ghee is mentioned as an example<br />
of satvik food; coffee as rajasik; and heroine, alcohol<br />
or other drugs are examples of tamasik substances.<br />
Ideal food for the practice of yoga:<br />
It is a custom in Yogic tradition to start a<br />
meal with a little ghee, so that the whole meal becomes<br />
satvik (provided it does not include rajasik<br />
or tamasik substances, of course). Satvik food is<br />
the best for Yogic practices. This is obvious. But<br />
before starting yoga since we do not know about<br />
the matter, we were eating all kinds of food. What<br />
will happen now? Well, if you are not taking much<br />
satvik food, if most of the food you take is, say,<br />
rajasik, you will have loose motions in the beginning,<br />
due to that. After a practice for a week or so,<br />
instead of going to the bathroom once or twice a<br />
day, you will be going three or four times. It is not<br />
diarrhea. It is an excrete of fat. It is a sticky mixture.<br />
In the same way, if you had been taking a<br />
lot of tamasik food earlier, when you start yogic<br />
practice your body will slowly begin to get rid of<br />
toxic materials and due to this some people may<br />
start trembling, some others may not be able to<br />
open their eyes, but of course, all these troubles<br />
will eventually disappear and you will tend to move<br />
towards satvik food while practicing yoga. Satvik
food will suit you body and it is only a question of<br />
commonsense that your eat the type of food that<br />
suits you.<br />
According to yogic tradition, food is not<br />
classified as vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Food is<br />
classified in these three categories. Some of the<br />
vegetarian products will be considered tamasik,<br />
(garlic, etc.) Let me tell you a short story. It will<br />
explain nicely how satvik food can become rajasik<br />
and rajasik food can become satvik.<br />
In India there were two famous rsi (s)<br />
called Viswamitra and Vasistha. Viswamitra<br />
was born a rajasik man and Vasistha a<br />
satvik man. Viswamitra wanted to obtain<br />
the highest satvic status which is called<br />
Brahmarsi – pada ( a higher realization<br />
state) so he struggles for several years<br />
until all – except Vasistha – agrees he had<br />
gained the Brahmarsi state. But Viswamitra<br />
was very particular that Vasistha accepts<br />
him as a Brahmarsi; so he decides to<br />
continue to strive to achieve that.<br />
Viswamitra’s struggle caused effects upon<br />
the whole universe. The temperature shot up; everything<br />
began to get hot; till finally, people from all<br />
around came and urged Vasistha to accept that<br />
Viswamitra had really become a Brahmarsi, thus<br />
bringing things back to normality. Vasistha agreed<br />
but with one condition that, he would have to pass<br />
a final test. Viswamitra accepted that.<br />
The two great men who differed on this<br />
point, otherwise they were friends. Therefore, as<br />
Vasistha arrived at Viswamitra’s hermitage he welcomed<br />
him warmly and asked ; “what is it that I<br />
must do”? and Vasistha said; ‘Well, we will eat<br />
together today, shall we ? Will you prepare<br />
‘Payasa’? he requested. Viswamitra agreed and<br />
got ready to start cooking. Vasistha said that he<br />
would go to the river to bathe and meditate and<br />
then he would come back. ‘You prepare the meal.<br />
I’ll be back soon’. So saying he went to the river.<br />
Viswamitra prepared the payasa; he boiled<br />
the rice with the milk and everything that was<br />
needed and even when it was ready, Vasistha<br />
89<br />
had not returned. Twelve O’ clock … one O’<br />
clock…. Two O’ clock and Vasistha was not seen.<br />
The payasa was getting colder and colder till finally<br />
it was below body temperature.<br />
According to yogic concepts if any boiled<br />
food gets colder than the body temperature, it will,<br />
subtly, pass from satvic level to rajasik level. Vasistha<br />
would not eat anything rajasik so, he had to<br />
try to keep it in satvik level.<br />
Anything can be re-cooked, but it will never<br />
stand in the same appropriate sanitary condition,<br />
once it cools, bacteria and other<br />
<strong>org</strong>anisms can grow in there. Food<br />
cooked, should always be hotter<br />
than the body temperature to be<br />
considered Satvic. That is why<br />
Viswamitra was very particular<br />
about it. His payasa should not get<br />
cold; but Vasistha was not coming…..<br />
what to do? Well, of course,<br />
I will finish the story, but this is the<br />
bare fact I wanted to point out; any satvic food will<br />
become rajasic if it gets cold after being cooked.<br />
Just the temperature will cause this change from<br />
satvic to rajasic. This is the naked truth. There are<br />
various rules for one kind of food and also for the<br />
other. And here is the end of the story: When<br />
Viswamitra saw that the food was cooling down, he<br />
ran to the river, thinking – what has happened to<br />
Vasistha. ? Let me see. On arriving there he saw<br />
Vasistha, sitting in meditation. During meditation<br />
time does not count. One, two, three days may<br />
pass and the meditator is not aware of time. So<br />
there was no way out.<br />
Viswamitra went back home, took the pot,<br />
sat in padmasana put the pot on his head and he<br />
concentrated in order to raise all body temperature<br />
to his head so that the pot temperature remained at<br />
the body temperature. Then he went into meditation.<br />
After three days Vasistha, recovered consciousness,<br />
went to Viswamitra thinking – ‘Now I’ll<br />
teach Viswamitra a lesson. But when he reached<br />
his house and saw what he had done, he realized<br />
...According to yogic<br />
concepts if any<br />
boiled food gets<br />
colder than the body<br />
temperature, it will,<br />
subtly, pass from<br />
satvic level to rajasik<br />
level...
Viswamitra attained realization. He knew how to<br />
categorise and control food; he became a Brahmarsi.<br />
These categories of food influence annamaya<br />
sarira. If you want to enter further sheaths of<br />
the body, you should take satvic food and purify<br />
your annamaya sarira. Then you will be ready to<br />
enter the second sheath which is called :<br />
‘Pranamaya’.<br />
I remember one more short story. It is also<br />
a way of learning a lesson about satvik, rajasik and<br />
tamasik food. Once, a Sanyasi – yogi (who are<br />
what he begged) entered a house and begged for<br />
food, so the lady of the house gave him some food;<br />
rice and curried vegetables – some curried leaves.<br />
He took the container with the food, ate everything<br />
and then he put the container in his bag and retuned<br />
to his ashram. But once there, he began to<br />
think and asked himself why he had done such a<br />
thing. Why? why did temptation came to him at<br />
all? How was it that he felt compelled to keep the<br />
container ? Unable to understand, he decided that<br />
there had to be a cause for that, decides to go<br />
back and ask the lady.<br />
- Madam, what did you give me to eat?<br />
-I gave you some curried leaves and some rice.<br />
- Rice and curried leaves.<br />
-There is nothing wrong with that.<br />
- What kind of leaves<br />
- Where they?<br />
-Well, some leaves which I took from<br />
my neighbor’s orchard.<br />
-Did you let him know?<br />
-No, I stole them.<br />
Stolen food consumed, actually influences<br />
one’s mind after entering the body and causes in<br />
him the temptation to steal. That’s why the Sanyasi<br />
carried the container. He told her, ‘madam, if<br />
someone comes and asks you for food you can<br />
give him whatever you have cooked provided it<br />
belongs to you; not something that you have stolen<br />
from another person.’ As you see, food can affect<br />
the mind in this way too. There are several stories<br />
like this.<br />
Quotable Quotes<br />
“We are Hindus .It has been one of my principles<br />
of life not to be ashamed of my ancestors. When<br />
a man has begun to be ashamed of his ancestors,<br />
the end has come.<br />
Here am I - one of the least of Hindu race, yet<br />
proud of my race, proud of my ancestors, I am<br />
proud to call myself a Hindu.<br />
Why should you feel ashamed to take the name<br />
of Hindu, which is your greatest and most glorious<br />
possession. Taking country by country, there<br />
is no race on earth to which the world owes so<br />
much as to the peaceful Hindu”<br />
Swami Vivekanand<br />
“ India was the motherland of races, and Sanskrit<br />
the mother of all Europe’s languages. She was<br />
the mother of our philosophy: mother through the<br />
Arabs , of much of our mathematics, mother<br />
through the Buddha of ideals embodied in Christianity:<br />
mother through the village community of<br />
self-government and democracy. Mother India is<br />
in many ways the mother of us all. “<br />
Will Durant<br />
I have travelled across the length and breadth<br />
of Hindusthan [India] and I have not seen one<br />
person who is a beggar, who is a thief, . Such<br />
wealth I have seen in this country, such high<br />
moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not<br />
think we would ever conquer this country,<br />
unless we break the very backbone of this nation,<br />
which is her spiritual and cultural heritage,<br />
and, therefore , I propose that we replace her<br />
old and ancient education system , her culture,<br />
for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and<br />
English is good and greater than their own , they<br />
will lose their self-esteem, their native self- culture<br />
and they will become what we want them, a<br />
truly a dominated nation.<br />
Lord Macaulay<br />
(Speech given in British Parliament in 1835 as a<br />
part of the strategy devised to conquer India )<br />
90
The Feeling of Brahmanism is Incomplete...<br />
by Sailesh Mishra<br />
As long as we are far away from "Brahm-Gyaan"<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as there is ignorance in our Samskaras<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as Paapa-Karmas pollute the holy Ganga<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as desire continues to burn in our hearts<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as we believe in "pomp-and-show"<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as we do not respect ourself and others<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as lust and luxury haunt our minds<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as our tolerance continues to be exploited<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as modernity replaces brahman traditions<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as "Sastras" are ignored and disrespected<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as the knowledge of vedas keeps fading<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as the roots of Brahman vansha melt<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as truth is eclipsed by lies and treachery<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as meditation is marred by distractions<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as we don't learn the art of f<strong>org</strong>iveness<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as the purity of thoughts gets diluted<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as Pujas and Practices continue as a trade<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as there is missing faith and devotion<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as the Pujari-Devotee maintain distance<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as "Mandir-Masjid" continue to be debated<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as "caste reservation" silences the talented<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as the society keeps sinners on a pedestal<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as Brahman conditions remain pathetic<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as we continue to fight our kith and kin<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as brahman culture continues to fall apart<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete<br />
As long as Brahmans fight among themselves<br />
The feeling of Brahmanism will be incomplete !!!!<br />
91
WBF – Initiatives<br />
INITIATIVES:<br />
Adopted at the Joint Executive Committee & President’s Counsel Meeting<br />
February 25, 2006 & Revised on June 24, 2007<br />
EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVE<br />
Committee Chairs: Dr. M G Prasad/ Dr. Ravi Chandrasekhara<br />
Objective:<br />
• Build on learning and teaching, the two most important characteristics of Brahmans.<br />
Brahmans are custodians of knowledge, and they should impart knowledge through several<br />
means amongst them being journals and newsletters.<br />
• In their conduct, Brahmans need to show humility and culture. They should dispel<br />
the myth of caste system which was never an issue in ancient India.<br />
• Support the education of Hinduism in schools and colleges. WBF should also offer<br />
endowments in support of teaching of Sanskrit in various universities that it is currently being<br />
offered.<br />
• Work towards simplification of rituals which are very important in Hinduism.<br />
PRIEST STATUS IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE<br />
Committee Chair: Dr. M. G. Prasad<br />
Objective:<br />
• Improve upon the status of priests as they are now the face of not only Brahmanism<br />
but also Hinduism. They are also the only Brahman group that is constantly in<br />
contact with non- Brahmans.<br />
• Work towards improving their education so that they can easily interact with the<br />
community around them.<br />
• Work to improve the standard of living so that priesthood becomes financially<br />
rewarding profession.<br />
MATRIMONIAL FACILITATION INITIATIVE<br />
Committee Chair: Ms. Radha Iyenger,<br />
Objective:<br />
• Address the matrimonial concerns of Brahmans in North America and all over the world<br />
and facilitate matrimonial matches.<br />
• Create a website to facilitate search within the Brahman community worldwide.<br />
92
GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA RELATIONS INITIATIVE<br />
Committee Chair: Dr. Rajesh Shukla<br />
Objective: Fight discrimination against Brahmans<br />
• Play a leading role to fight discrimination against Brahmans that affects the health and<br />
well being of the community.<br />
• Address discriminatory practices against the Hindu society throughout the world.<br />
KASHMIRI PUNDIT INITIATIVE<br />
Committee Chair: Dr. Rabinder Koul<br />
Objective: Address the Issues of Kashmiri Pundits<br />
• Play a leading role to address the problems that Kashmiri Hindus face in and outside<br />
Kashmir<br />
• Work towards restoring the dignity of Kashmiri Hindus and safe return to their homes.<br />
• Ensure safety and health of Kashmiri Hindus living inside Kashmir, and also outside.<br />
CHARITABLE CAUSES INITIATIVE<br />
Committee Chair: Ms. Ranjana Pathak<br />
Objective: Educate community about natural disasters or government policies that create<br />
misery of humankind<br />
• Provide support for children and their families in Kashmiri Pundit refugee camps.<br />
• Provide support for students involved in Vedic Chanting.<br />
• Provide support for cleanup of holy rivers in India.<br />
• Provide support for victims of natural disasters and other needy individuals caught<br />
in the cycle of misery<br />
93
World Brahman Federation – Organization Chart<br />
18 Fitzgerald Lane, Columbus, NJ 08022<br />
www.brahmanworld.<strong>org</strong>; Phone/ Fax: 609-324-1010; nirmal_choubey@yahoo.com<br />
Title Name Location Phone No.<br />
Members Executive Committee:<br />
President<br />
Mr. Nirmalendu Columbus, NJ (609) 792-5927<br />
Choubey<br />
Executive Vice President<br />
Mr. Aswath N. Hanasoge<br />
Tabernacle, NJ (609) 268-7414<br />
Vice President Dr. Rajesh Shukla Cliffside, NJ (201) 941-7704<br />
Vice President Mr. Bharat Bhargava Walnut, CA (909) 594-3283<br />
General Secretary Ms. Ramaa Srineevasan Marlboro, NJ (732) 332-1390<br />
Asstt. General Secretary Mr. Sanjay Tripathi Edison, NJ (732) 635-0049<br />
Treasurer Mr. Manoranjan Mishra Hoffman Estate,<br />
IL<br />
(847) 560-1390<br />
Country Presidents:<br />
WBF Canada Dr. Azad Kaushik Ontario (519) 821-5733<br />
WBF India Pt. Mange Ram Sharma Haryana (98) 10025267<br />
WBF Mauritius Pt. Vidyadhar Mishra Port Louis (230) 466-4909<br />
WBF Nepal<br />
Mr. Ramagya<br />
Chaturbedi<br />
Kathmandu (977) 14483716<br />
Members President’s Counsel:<br />
Dr. Ravi Chandrasekhara<br />
Dallas, TX (972) 296-0845<br />
Mr. Abhaya N Maharaj Fair Oaks, CA (916) 967-6276<br />
Dr. Sen Pathak Houston, TX (281) 859-3234<br />
Dr. M. G. Prasad Maplewood, NJ (973) 762-3720<br />
Dr. Ramanath Sharma Honolulu, HI (808) 395-2400<br />
Dr. B V K Sastry Orlando, FL (407) 275-0616<br />
Dr. Vinod Tewary Boulder, CO (303) 499-5952<br />
Dr. Hitendra Upadhyaya Parsippany, NJ (973) 575-5231<br />
Editor, Eko’hum & Home Page Dr. Vinod K. Tewary Boulder, CO (303) 499-5952<br />
Managing Editor, <strong>Brahmodaya</strong> Mr. Sailesh Mishra Dallas, TX (972) 948-0996<br />
Global Director, Cultural Programs Dr. Anita Dubey Potomac, MD (301) 947-3366<br />
Director, Charitable Causes Ms. Ranjana Pathak Medford, NY (631)-730-5868<br />
Director, KP Issue Program Dr. Rabinder Koul Jersey City, NJ (201)434-5894<br />
94
WBF – Life Memberships<br />
World Brahman Federation—Life Memberships<br />
18 Fitzgerald Lane, Columbus, NJ 08022<br />
(July 24, 2007)<br />
Last Name First Name State Year<br />
Bhargava Bharat CA 2005<br />
Bhargava Rakesh NJ 2006<br />
Chandrasekhara Ravi TX 2005<br />
Choubey Nirmalendu NJ 2005<br />
Choubey Sudhendu VA 2005<br />
Dwivedi Chandra Mohan CA 2006<br />
Hanasoge Aswath N. NJ 2005<br />
Jha Amar Nath AZ 2007<br />
Jha Purnima CA 2006<br />
Kaushik Azad ON 2005<br />
Koul Rabinder NJ 2006<br />
Krishna Janani K NJ 2006<br />
Maharaj Abhaya N. CA 2006<br />
Mishra Manoranjan IL 2005<br />
Pathak Sen TX 2006<br />
Prasad Marehalli NJ 2006<br />
Ramakrishna Krishnamurthy MD 2006<br />
Sharma Madan Lal CA 2006<br />
Sharma Ramanath HI 2006<br />
Sharma Vinod CA 2007<br />
Shukla Bhaw/ Uma NY 2005<br />
Shukla Parveen CA 2007<br />
Shukla Rajesh NJ 2006<br />
Thakur Manikant CA 2007<br />
Tripathi Kaushal GA 2006<br />
Tripathi Sanjay NJ 2005<br />
Upadhyaya Hitendra NJ 2005<br />
Yegnasubramunian Srinivasa NJ 2006<br />
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WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
Shri Santan Dharmiya Brahman Maha Sabha<br />
( Republic of Mauritius)<br />
The President and Members of Shri Sanatan Dharmiya Brahman<br />
Maha Sabha of the Republic of Mauritius is pleased to be associated<br />
with the World Brahman Federation Convention that is being<br />
held in the United States of America on 6, 7 and 8 June 2007.<br />
We wish the President Shri N Choubeyji, the delegates and all the<br />
other members who are associated with this Convention plenty of<br />
success in their enterprise.<br />
Shri. Vidyadhar Mishra<br />
(Message from Mauritius)<br />
96
Brahmin Today<br />
by Vasan Iyer, Chennai (India)<br />
BRAHMIN TODAY -<br />
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE<br />
Priya Brahmana Bandhus:<br />
We are glad to submit this small preface<br />
"a wall paper", "a-la-carte" or whatever<br />
it is called of our monthly magazine<br />
- "Brahman Today".<br />
We Brahmans, wherever we<br />
live, whatever we do and whichever<br />
language we speak - rich or poor,<br />
male or female are all woven by a<br />
common thread and born under one<br />
community - "The Brahman ". As we<br />
are not born Tamil, Telugu or Indian<br />
out of our choice, we are also not<br />
born Brahman out of our choice or<br />
wish. As we have a duty or obligation to do<br />
as Hindu or Indian, we also certainly have a<br />
duty or obligation to do as a Brahman towards<br />
our own community. The duty and obliga-tion<br />
should be fully understood first.<br />
Such things as what is Brahmanism, what<br />
makes it to be our duty, all these should be<br />
discussed and explained through a medium.<br />
lectures, advice or admonishment. They<br />
should be addressed in their own tongue. With<br />
no more delay, this should be answered to all<br />
of their queries, questions, doubts to their fullest<br />
satisfaction.<br />
To attain and achieve the abhilasha,<br />
we, by the grace of God and with the blessing<br />
of everybody of our community, bringing<br />
a monthly bilingual magazine<br />
(Tamil & English to start<br />
with) by the name "Brahman<br />
Today". We wish you also participate<br />
in this nishkamya seva,<br />
aimed apart from the magazine,<br />
to serve the underprivileged section<br />
of our community. Please<br />
contribute generously by way of<br />
subscription, donation and advertisement<br />
as deemed uchitham.<br />
(Contact us at BrahminToday@Gmail.com)<br />
VACHA PUBLICATIONS<br />
More particularly to our boys and<br />
girls, young gentlemen and ladies, who excel<br />
in education and employment, but unfortunately<br />
and unintentionally lack a basic inference<br />
of our community and live a dangerously<br />
un-brahmanical life. The unfounded<br />
guilty of being a Brahman, the uncalled revolt<br />
to defy its customs are the benchmark of our<br />
youth, be it male or female. This urgent and<br />
serious problem cannot he solved by mere<br />
97
WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
Brahman Mahasabha of Holland<br />
DEAR FELLOW BRAHMANS,<br />
The Brahman Mahasabha of Holland congratulates not only<br />
the World BrahmanFederation (WBF) but also the whole<br />
World Brahman Community at the annual World Brahman<br />
Convention (WBC 2007).<br />
Our <strong>org</strong>anisation will always give, as far as possible, full<br />
support to the activities of the WBF. We have the full belief<br />
in the president of WBF, Mr. Nirmal Choubey, who is with his<br />
“whole ATMA” on a realistic way and with a high energy<br />
level busy to bring the world<br />
Brahmans together.<br />
Finally, we are sure that this convention will be a great<br />
success and will bring the Brahmans a step further.<br />
Pandit Vishnu Mahadew Panday<br />
President of Brahman Mahasabha of Holland<br />
Gaesbeekstraat 27<br />
3081 GR Rotterdam<br />
0031-010-4857336<br />
vishnu_32@hotmail.com<br />
Drs. Akielanand Baldew<br />
Secretary of Brahman Mahasabha of Holland<br />
Snellinckstraat 96<br />
3021 WK Rotterdam<br />
Holland<br />
0031-010-2763668<br />
baldew6@hotmail.com<br />
98
WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
99
WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
February 20, 2007<br />
Dear World Brahman Federation,<br />
On behalf of the Indo-American Kashmir Forum (IAKF), I wish you<br />
much success on your upcoming annual convention to be held from July<br />
6 through July 8, 2007, at the Crowne Plaza in Secaucus, NJ.<br />
The Indo-American Kashmir Forum appreciates the efforts of your<br />
<strong>org</strong>anization to highlight the effects of terrorism against the minority<br />
Hindu community of Kashmir, the Kashmiri Pandits. We also<br />
acknowledge your fundraising efforts to support charitable causes for<br />
the displaced Pandits, including supporting the educational and medical<br />
funds for the needy Pandit children in makeshift refugee camps in<br />
Jammu, India.<br />
We look forward to your continued support in raising awareness of the<br />
plight of the Kashmiri Pandit community. In that regard, we are happy to<br />
co-sponsor the World Brahman Convention 2007.<br />
Regards,<br />
Rahul Pandit, M.D.<br />
President, IAKF<br />
www.iakf.<strong>org</strong><br />
pandit@iakf.<strong>org</strong><br />
100
WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
Kashmiri Overseas Association, Inc. (KOA) wishes you great<br />
success on your upcoming annual convention of World Brahman<br />
Federation (WBF) to be held from July 6 through July 8,<br />
2007, in Secaucus, New Jersey.<br />
We appreciate your efforts in raising funds for medical and<br />
educational needs of our refugee brethren back at home in India.<br />
Kashmiri Overseas Association appeals all its members to attend<br />
your annual convention and support WBF in its social missions.<br />
We look forward to your continued support.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Sunil Fotedar<br />
President, KOA<br />
March 11, 2007<br />
Office of the President, 24427 Flint Creek, San Antonio, Texas - 78255<br />
Tel: 210-568-7726 (Res), 210-383-7184 (Cell)<br />
http://wwwkoausa.<strong>org</strong>, Email : koaexecutive@yahoo.com, sunilfotedar@yahoo.com<br />
101
WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
P A N U N K A S H M I R<br />
www.panunkashmir.<strong>org</strong><br />
February 28, 2007<br />
Dear Shri Nirmal Choubey Ji,<br />
On behalf of the Panun Kashmir, I wish you great success on your<br />
upcoming annual convention of World Brahman Federation (WBF)<br />
to be held from July 6 through July 8, 2007, at the Crowne Plaza in<br />
Secaucus, New Jersey.<br />
The Panun Kashmir appreciates the efforts of your <strong>org</strong>anization in highlighting<br />
the effects of ethnic cleansing that our community of Kashmiri<br />
Pandits has gone through at the hands of global terrorism. We also<br />
appreciate your efforts in raising funds for medical and educational<br />
needs of the Kashmiri Pandit refugees staying at various refugee camps<br />
in India.<br />
The Panun Kashmir appeals all Kashmiri Pandits to attend the upcoming<br />
WBF annual convention and strengthen the hands of our<br />
fellow Brahman Samaj members.<br />
We look forward to your continued support.<br />
Regards,<br />
Lalit Koul<br />
LALIT KOUL Organizing Secretary,<br />
Panun Kashmir<br />
www.panunkashmir.<strong>org</strong><br />
102
WBF is thankful for this message of support<br />
Give the Light and Power of Knowledge To Help Create a Better Tomorrow<br />
Only One and a Half Percent of Women Have College Education in India<br />
*<br />
Welcome and Most Respectful Salutations to Dr. Girija Vyas<br />
We Need Many More Women Leaders Like Girija Ji<br />
Support Women’s Education:<br />
At<br />
Mrs. Helena Kaushik Women’s P.G. College<br />
www.helenakaushik.<strong>org</strong><br />
(Est. in 1999, a Residential P.G. College accredited and listed by the<br />
Govt. of Rajasthan & UGC.)<br />
Village & P.O. Malsisar, Dist. Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India 331 028<br />
Ph.: 91 (01595) 276593, 276818, and 276561;<br />
e-mail:helenakaushikpgcollege@yahoo.com<br />
*<br />
(A Not-for-Profit, Day & Residential Institution of Higher Education in a Rural Setting Offering B.A.,<br />
B.Sc., M.A., & M.Sc. degrees of the University of Rajasthan.<br />
New programs are added each year.)<br />
SIX CLASSES (300 students from all social, economic and religious groups in the area<br />
without a need for reservation) HAVE GRADUATED WITH B.A., B.Sc. and M.A. degrees so<br />
far.<br />
*<br />
Contact: Dr. Surendra K. Kaushik, Phone: (914) 762-6168; Fax: (914) 762-8038<br />
E-mail: skaushik@pace.edu, helenakaushikpgcollege@yahoo.com<br />
Make your generous tax-deductible charitable contribution to:<br />
Helena Kaushik Education Foundation<br />
kaushikfoundation.<strong>org</strong><br />
(A 501 C (3) tax-exempt New York Corporation)<br />
221 Macy Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510-1017<br />
A contemporaneous receipt will be issued promptly. All of your contribution will go to the College.<br />
Visitors, volunteer consultants, executives, study abroad students, visiting professors, researchers,<br />
policy gurus, performers in all arts, music and creative skills, health and other professionals,<br />
business and industry, NGOs, and foundations are welcome to give their expertise and support to<br />
this and other colleges for India to achieve its potential that began with Brahman, Brahma and<br />
Brahmans.<br />
103
Messages of Goodwill<br />
Welcome and thanks<br />
to everyone attending the<br />
World Brahman Convention<br />
(WBC 2007)<br />
With best wishes<br />
Kaushal Tripathi & Family<br />
Kamalendu Choubey & Family<br />
Virendra Nath Ojha & Family<br />
Swaminandan Ojha & Family<br />
Atul Mishra & Family<br />
104
Messages of Goodwill<br />
Best wishes to WBF for a very<br />
fruitful and successful<br />
Convention<br />
With compliments<br />
From<br />
Bharat Bhargava & Family<br />
Best wishes to the WBF<br />
for a very successful<br />
Convention<br />
From<br />
Abhaya Maharaj & Family<br />
105
Messages of Goodwill<br />
Welcome and thanks<br />
to everyone attending the<br />
World Brahman Convention<br />
(WBC 2007)<br />
With best wishes<br />
Manoranjan Mishra & family<br />
Chicago<br />
Best wishes to WBF<br />
for a very successful<br />
Convention<br />
from<br />
Ranjana Pathak<br />
Shivaji Pathak<br />
106
Messages of Goodwill<br />
Best wishes to WBF<br />
for a very fruitful and successful<br />
Convention<br />
With compliments<br />
from<br />
Sudhendu, Prakashy, Neha,<br />
Anisha and Garima Choubey<br />
Best wishes to the WBF<br />
for a very successful<br />
Convention<br />
From<br />
Best wishes from the Chandrasekhara Family:<br />
Ravi, Darshna, and Krishna<br />
107
<strong>Brahmodaya</strong> 2007<br />
Mrs & Mr Sudhendu Choubey & Family<br />
Welcome the Delegates of the<br />
World Brahman Convention (WBC) 2007, New Jersey<br />
Smt. Shanta Choubey & Family<br />
Invite The<br />
Brahman Community Worldwide<br />
To Join Us On This Occasion<br />
108