Word document download: ART-1212 Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a secular programme for the development of consciousness that first gained popularity in the 1960s when introduced to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Now practised by 5 million people of all cultures and religions, TM has been the subject of over 600 scientific studies – findings […]
Word document download: ART-1208 Some 500 years ago Raja Ranjit Singh was a ruler of Kurkhi in Rajasthan. He was a good ruler and was loved by his people. He has a beautiful daughter called Mira. When Mira was about five years old, a wedding procession passed by the palace. The asked her mother “where […]
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-1206 Sahajanand Swami, also known as Swaminarayan, was born in April 1781 in the small village of Chapaiya north of Ayodhya in the State of Uttar Pradesh India. In accordance with Indian custom on the sixth day after birth he was given his name, Ghanshyam. The boy’s father was Dharmdeva and his […]
Word document download: ART-1205 Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born in Navadwip, situated on the bank of the holy Ganges River in Bengal, on February 18th 1486. The moon was eclipsed at the time, and the people were then engaged, as was usual on such occasions, in bathing in the River Bhagirathi with loud cheers of […]
Word document download: ART-1204 Madhva one of the three preeminent Vedantic theologians; the others are Shankara and Ramanuja. Madhva was born around 1239 in a village called Pajaka, situated near the coast on the southerm part of the sate now called Karnataka. He was originally called Vasudeva. There are many references to his being an […]
Word document download: ART-1203 Ramanuja is one of the three preeminent Vedantic theologians; the others are Madhva and Shankara. Shri Ramanuja is known as the greatest exponent of Vishishtadvaita Vedanta (qualified monism). He appeared around 1017 A.D in a pious brahmana family. His birthplace is a small village some 25 miles southwest of Madras (now […]
Word document download: ART-1202 Shankara was born to a brahmin couple, Shivaguru and Aryamba, in a little village called Kaladi in Kerala. The couple had remained childless for a long time, and prayed for children at the temple of Shiva in the nearby town of Trichur. Shiva is said to have appeared to the couple […]
Word document download: ART-1001 The Aryan Invasion Debate by Ravi M. Gupta (Radhika Ramana dasa) There are few issues in Indology which cause as much emotional excitement as the Aryan Invasion Theory. This theory about the roots of Hinduism is embroiled in a debate that spans many areas of study—linguistics, archeology, anthropology, history and religious […]
Word document download: ART-0529 Ujjain is one of the main Kumbha Mela sites. See the Teachers’ Book, pages 72, 78 (Sandipani Muni painting) and page 101 (Mathematics). See also STO-320, the story of the turtle incarnation. According to the Aranya Parva of the Mahabharata, Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities (dhamas) known as […]
Word document download: ART-0528 This town is central to the followers of Madhva (see Teachers’ Book, pages 137-138, 134). The main temple in Udupi is called the “Shri Krishna Matha”, where Lord Krishna in his baby form (Bala Krishna) is worshipped. This deity was made from a shalagram-shila (a deity self-manifested from stone) by Lord […]
Word document download: ART-0526 Somnath is particularly important for Shaivas, but related sites are closely connected to Krishna. For a picture of a linga, see the Teachers’ Book, page 135. Somnath near Veraval in Gujarat was once the most revered shrine in the country, for it had one of the twelve pre-eminent Jyotirlingas (the glowing […]
Word document download: ART-0525 Shri Rangam is closely connected with the Shri Vaishnava tradition and Ramanuja. See Teachers’ Books pages 134 (picture of Shri Rangam) and 138. Shri Rangam is on an island on the Kaveri River. This was the capital of Tipu Sultan, the famous ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799 C.E. There […]
Word document download: ART-0524 Rishikesh is largely connected with meditation and related groups. Refer to the Teachers’ Book, pages 44, 59 and 145. Rishikesh is a very peaceful town, and it is famous as a place to study yoga and meditation. The town got its name when Raibhya Rishi performed tapasya (austerities) there. Lord Hrishikesh, […]
Word document download: ART-0523 Rameshwaram is one of the four holy dhamas (Teachers’ Book, page 72). It is sacred to worshippers of both Shiva and Rama. Rameshwaram is one of the four dhamas or kingdoms of God. This holy place is known for one of the most venerated temples – Shri Ramanathaswamy Temple. This temple […]
Word document download: ART-0519 Nathdhwar is intimately related to the Pushti Marg tradition. Refer to the Teachers’ Book pages 75, 134, 144 and to the Audio CD, Track 18. This small town is famous as the home for Shri Nathji, one of the most popular deities of Lord Krishna in India. The name of the […]
Word document download: ART-0518 Nasik is one of the four main Kumbha Mela sites (see Teacher’s Book page 72). Lord Rama stayed here with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman for some time during his fourteen year exile in the forest. Lakshman cut off the nose of Surpanaka, the younger sister of Ravana – […]
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-0514 Madurai is intimately connected to the Shivaite and Shakta traditions (See Teachers’ Pack pages 72, 135, 136). Madurai is the second largest city in the state of Tamil Nadu, and is situated on the banks of the Vaigai River. The Seventeenth Century Meenakshi Temple is in the centre of the town. […]
Word document download: ART-0512 This site is important to the Vaishnava traditions (especially the Shri Vaishnavas and the Gaudiya Vaishnavas). The story of Lord Kurma can be found on the CD-Rom, code number STO-302. There is a temple here dedicated to Lord Kurma, the tortoise incarnation of the Lord. This temple is said to be […]
Word document download: ART-0510 This site is closely connected to the Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya and their main theologian, Ramanuja (Teachers’ Book, page 138). It is one of the seven ancient holy towns. Kanchipuram has over a thousand temples. It is said that Brahma (“Ka”) worshipped (“anchi”) Lord Vishnu at this place (“puram”). It was the […]
Word document download: ART-0509 Jaipur is a holy place for worshippers of Krishna. Jaipur Deities and Temple The great-grandson of Krishna, Vajranabha, had three deities of Krishna carved. He never saw Krishna, so the deities were carved according to the description given by Uttara, the mother of Maharaja Pariksit, who succeeded Maharaja Yudhisthira. However none […]
Word document download: ART-0508 Haridwar is connected with Krishna (Hari) and is one of the four Maha Kumbha Mela sites (See Teachers’ Book, page 72). Haridwar is on the west bank of the Ganges River at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains. Haridwar means “The gateway to Hari (Lord Vishnu)”. The Bhagavat Purana, written 5000 […]
Word document download: ART-0507 Guruvayor is a small but important centre of Krishna worship in South India. Guruvayor is a peaceful city with a spiritual atmosphere and is considered to be “The Dwarka of the South”. The Guruvayurappan Temple is one of the most important and oldest temples in all of South India. This temple […]
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 […]
Download article ‘ART-0001 Hinduism, how we see it’ as word document The Western Educationalists’ Perspective on the Vedic Tradition Rasamandala Das Rasamandala dasa has offered us this article to help clarify some of the concerns and reservations that many of us may have with educational approaches to Vedanta and Hinduism. He reassures us with his […]
Download article ‘ART-0101 God, Hindu Concepts of’ as word document Hindu Concepts of God Introduction Hinduism has no single founder, no common creed nor a unified code of practice. It boasts many founders of diverse denominations, many spiritual leaders and many sacred books. It has no traceable beginning and its past recedes into uncertainty. Yet […]
Download article ‘ART-0102 Time, Hindu Ideas of’ as word document ‘Hindu Notions of Time’ I have always been fascinated by the infinite. My twin brother and I, as children of seven or eight, used to stand in our back garden gazing at the clear night sky. On those balmy autumn evenings, we’d pose the perennial […]
Download article ‘ART-0501 Ayodhya’ as word document Ayodhya: The Place of Lord Ramachandra This site is especially sacred to devotees of Rama, but has been more recently the focus of political unrest. For more information, see the Teachers’ Book, pages 50-52, 129, 142. According to tradition, Lord Ramachandra appeared in Ayodhya many thousands – some […]
Download article ‘ART-0502 Source of Ganges’ as word document Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri All these sites are in the Himalayas. The Ganges and Yamuna are often considered the two most sacred rivers. Badrinath Badrinath is the abode of the Nara-Narayana sages and is one of he eight self-manifested holy tirthas (places), as well as […]