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STO-502 All summer long the cowherd boys took the calves to different places to graze. One day they were all feeling very hot and thirsty, so they went to the Yamuna River. Unknown to them, deep within the water lurked a huge and horrible snake called Kaliya. Kaliya had one hundred heads. He so polluted […]
Scriptural Verses D (secondary version) Section D – Verses Spoken on the Audio CD The following is a transcript of the verses on the Audio CD (Tracks 4-10), along with the accompanying narrative. There may be slight differences from the spoken version. Track 4 All but one of the following verses are from the Bhagavad […]
STO-504-sec To know the history of the Vaishno Devi temple we must go back to Treta Yuga when virtuous people were tormented by the Asuras (demons) Ravana, Kumbakarna, Khardushan and others. The demigods decided to create a divine personality, in the form of a girl, for their protection. To do this, they pooled the spiritual […]
STO-310-sec According to the Vedic, or Hindu, scriptures, time moves in cycles. If we study our clocks we can observe this. One full circle of the second hand takes one minute; one complete rotation of the minute hand takes an hour; one full sweep of the hour hand represents daytime, another sweep represents night. The […]
STO-212-sec This story is relevant to the notion of seeing God’s hand everywhere, and to ‘the problem of evil’. It could also be used to explore how we may not be able to determine the ultimate outcome of all situations, especially those that may appear to some to be negative. Once upon a time there […]
STO-103-sec King Bharata was a wise and experienced monarch, and his citizens expected him to rule for many years. However, in the prime of life he gave up everything – queen, children, and kingdom, to dedicate the rest of his life to self-realisation. He journeyed to a sacred place of pilgrimage called Pulaha-ashrama, at the […]
STO-310 According to the Vedic, or Hindu, scriptures, time moves in cycles. If we study our clocks we can observe this. One full circle of the second hand takes one minute; one complete rotation of the minute hand takes an hour; one full sweep of the hour hand represents daytime, another sweep represents night. The […]
STO-212 This story is relevant to the notion of seeing God’s hand everywhere, and to ‘the problem of evil’. It could also be used to explore how we may not be able to determine the ultimate outcome of all situations, especially those that may appear to some to be negative. Once upon a time there […]
STO-103 King Bharata was a wise and experienced monarch, and his citizens expected him to rule for many years. However, in the prime of life he gave up everything – queen, children, and kingdom, to dedicate the rest of his life to self-realisation. He journeyed to a sacred place of pilgrimage called Pulaha-ashrama, at the […]
Download PDF: PCT-305 Krishna is often considered the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. Many think him to be God himself, and the terms Vishnu and Krishna are often used synonymously. He is perhaps the most popular deity, especially in North India and within the UK. Krishna is depicted with two hands, usually playing his flute. He wears […]
Download PDF: PCT-304 Shakti or Devi (the goddess) is one of the three main focuses of worship. Shakti means energy and in one sense refers to all goddesses, the ‘energies’ of their respective husbands. Specifically, Shakti refers to the consort of Shiva. In other words, the Supreme Lord is represented as Shiva and his power […]
Word document download: ART-1207 Swami Vivekananda, possibly the most masterful personality of modern India “came, saw and conquered”. He lit the torch of resurgent Hinduism, particularly the Vedanta philosophy, in far-off America. He preached the gospel of his guru, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, throughout India and the world, reviving the faith of mankind in religion. With his […]
Word document download: ART-0517 Naimisharanya is perhaps the most famous of the sacred forests. It is connected with Lord Brahma (Teachers’ Book, pages 34,48). For information on circumambulation see page 59, and for information on Vyasa and the Vedas, see pages 30,124. Naimisharanya is the spot where the Bhagavat Purana was spoken by Suta Goswami […]
Word document download: ART-0503 Chidambaram is most closely related to Shiva in his form as Nataraja (See the Teachers’ Book, pages 48 and 52). Chidambaram Temple is in South India. ‘Cid’ means ‘consciousness’ and ‘ambaram’ means “expanding skies”. ‘Chidambaram’ can be translated as ‘expanding consciousness’. Chidambaram is a home of famous Nataraja, Shiva as the […]
Word document download: FCT-1102 Bhagavad Gita means “The Song of the Lord”. It was spoken by Lord Krishna who is considered Bhagavan (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) to his friend Arjuna just prior to the Battle of Kurukshetra. Present day Kurukshetra is located one hundred miles north-west of New Delhi. It is composed of seven […]
Word document download: FCT-1101 The term ‘Hinduism‘ is somewhat arbitrary but broadly refers to the tradition whose members follow the sacred texts called the Vedas or the Vedic scriptures. There are two main categories of Vedic literature: – the shruti (that which is heard) – the smriti (that which is remembered). All traditions accept the […]
Word document download: FCT-1001 3000 B.C. The end of Dvarapa-yuga, (the copper age), and beginning of Kali-yuga (the iron age, the age of quarrel); the advent of Lord Krishna; the compilation of Vedic literature by Vyasadeva. These writings include the Bhagavad Gita, spoken originally by Lord Krishna and the Bhagavat Purana, describing His pastimes. Both […]
Word document download: FCT-0403 Diwali is the most widely celebrated festival in India and continues over a five-day period at the conjunction of the months of Ashwin and Kartik. In the Gregorian (Western) calendar this falls in October/November. As the pleasant, mild winter climate sets in, it is generally a time for feasting, visiting relatives, […]
Word document download: FCT-0102 The conscious living entity (jiva or atman) is distinct from the body made of inert matter (Prakriti). The Jivas are the eternally subordinate fragmental parts of God (Ishvara). Both the soul and the Supreme are spirit (Brahman). Prakriti, consisting of the three qualities (gunas), is completely subordinate to the will of […]
Word document download: FCT-0002 WHAT IS HINDUISM? Hinduism does not refer to one religion with a single set of beliefs and practices, but is an umbrella term that embraces the religious and cultural life of the Indian sub-continent The name Hindu was given by the Persian invaders to refer to the various beliefs and practices […]
Vaishno Devi: The Holy Cave Shrine This site is one of the most important for Shaktas, worshippers of the Goddess. This is a cave temple where three major goddesses are worshipped. It is dedicated to the goddesses Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati. This is the only temple in India where all three goddesses are worshipped together. […]
THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER (An overview and history) Kindly supplied by the Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre whose details appear at the end of this material. Download ‘THE RAMAKRISHNA ORDER’ as word document here The foundations of the Ramakrishna Order (Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission) associated with the hallowed name of Sri Ramakrishna, were laid in India by […]
Incarnation 10 Kalki – The Slayer According to the Vedic, or Hindu, scriptures, time moves in cycles. If we study our clocks we can observe this. One full circle of the second hand takes one minute; one complete rotation of the minute hand takes an hour; one full sweep of the hour hand represents daytime, […]
13. RESTORING THE FORESTS OF VRINDAVAN “Krishna brought forward the cows and played on His flute through the forest of Vrindavan, which was full of flowers, vegetables and pasturing grass. The Vrindavan forest was as sanctified as the clear mind of a devotee and was full of bees, flowers and fruits. There were chirping birds […]
11. HUGGING THE TREES What does the forest bear? Soil, water and pure air. Soil, water and pure air Are the basis of our life. Chipko folk song Sunderlal Bahugana is a small, bright-eyed man with a laughing voice. His unassuming exterior conceals a strength and determination which has been a driving force behind Chipko […]
9. LIFE OF SACRIFICE Everything within this world is possessed by God. He pervades both the animate and the inanimate. Therefore one should only take one’s fair share, and leave the rest to the Supreme. Isa Upanishad 1 Although Gandhi’s ideas were never put into practice by the rulers of India after independence, they are […]
7. KRISHNA, THE FOREST COWHERD When Krishna played his flute to call the cows, the river stopped flowing, her waters stunned with ecstasy. Instead of swimming or flying, the cranes, swans, ducks and other birds closed their eyes and entered a trance. The cows and deer stopped chewing, their ears raised. They became motionless like […]
6. THE TEN AVATARS The ten incarnations of Vishnu are a recurrent theme in Vedic history. Vishnu exists outside the material realm as the creator, and he exists within every being as the Supersoul. He also enters this world as avatar, ‘one who descends’, to restore balance whenever his presence is needed. His descent is […]
Download article ‘ART-1211. Pushti Marg’ as word document About the Pushti Marg Sampradaya “Pushtimarg” translates as ‘the path of nourishment, and refers to a five hundred year old tradition founded by Vallabha (or Vallabhacharya). This tradition is well represented in the UK, although it is somewhat inconspicuous as there are few (if any) temples solely […]
Glossary Many proper names are listed under this glossary with the link reference. These include names of places, people, festivals, organisations, and sacred texts. A Adi Shankara – well-known theologian and founder of the advaita school. Also called Adi Shankaracharya. Advaita – non-dualism, the name of the theology equating the soul with God. Advaitin – […]