Hinduism Articles

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Friday, 25th July 2008 @ 10:57 AM

We normally refer to the events of the Srimad Bhagavatam when it comes to instructing ourselves about householder life. There are examples like Kardama Muni and Devahuti, Kashyapa and Aditi, the Pandavas and Draupadi and many more exemplary householders. This is what we call culture. They were successful in their lives. We learn from the way they lived and apply it to our present time, place and circumstance. Even in the Caitanya Caritamrta, Lord Caitanya never engaged in frivolous activi... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 10th March 2008 @ 6:50 PM

Vaastu is traditionally used in India for town planning and architecture. Vaastu comes from the Vedic literature and is found in the Atharvaveda. Vaastu is also known as Sthapathya Veda. It attracts good health conditions, happiness and prosperity. There are four categories of Vaastu 1. The earth/ site - Bhoomi, on which everything stands 2. Structures on the earth - Prasada 3. Movable objects - Yaana 4. Furniture - Sayana The Five Elements Vaastu is the sci... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 6th March 2008 @ 5:07 AM

Ratha yatra is the celebration of when Lord Krishna (Lord Jagannatha) left Dvaraka and attended a religious function in the holy pilgrimage site, Kuruksetra, around 5,000 years ago. He was traveling on a big opulent chariot along with His sister, Subhadra, and elder brother Balarama, to Vrindavan. In remembrance of that incident, Ratha Yatra, the Festival of the Chariots is celebrated every year at Puri, the temple town in Orissa, on the east coast of India, where Lord Jagannatha eternally resid... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 6th March 2008 @ 5:05 AM

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and an important part of the Hindu canon. The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos and tells the story of Rama, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravan. Like its epic cousin Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just an ordinary story. It contains the teachings of the very ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the philosophical and t... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Sherry Smith @ Thursday, 6th March 2008 @ 1:46 AM

In our modern age of computers and calculators, a lot of people have practically stopped developing skills of mental arithmetic and mental math. What school child hasn't asked, "Why do I need to learn that? I can do it on my calculator...blah blah" That really puts a teacher on the spot. And that is just the beginning; learning tables, multiplying and dividing by hand, are in danger of becoming a chore instead of a challenge. Who wants to wasted their time mastering a complex... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Sherry Smith @ Thursday, 6th March 2008 @ 1:39 AM

The latest research in Vedic Math suggests that there are sixteen ancient Vedic Sutras which have been expanded upon by an additional thirteen sub-Sutras or math corollaries. A brief discussion on each of these is in order. The 16 Vedic Math Sutras as applicable to mathematics: 1. "Ekadhikena Purvena" (By one more than the previous one) The working of the Sutra is quite simple. In the case of the vulgar fraction 1/19 whose denominator ends with 9, in the normal metho... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 4th March 2008 @ 1:16 AM

The Srimad Bhagavatam, or the Bhagavad Puran, is considered the main Puranic text of Vedic literature. Its main focus is on the process of bhakti yoga (loving devotion to the Supreme Lord) in which Krishna is understood as bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brief Scientific Overview: Known as 'the ripe fruit of the Vedic literatures', Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritative conclusion of Vedic knowledge. It covers vast subject matters from the... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 4th March 2008 @ 1:00 AM

The Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God, is a conversation from the Mahabharata, comprising of 700 verses and 18 chapters. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanisads, The Gitopanishad. Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as Bhagavan, or The Supreme Personality of Godhead. The verses themselves are written in a poetic form that is traditionally chanted; hence the title, which translates as "the Song of God". The Bhagavad Gita is... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Saturday, 1st March 2008 @ 9:43 PM

The Chaitanya Charitamrita is one of the three main biographies detailing the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Krishna as a devotee, and revivor of the Gaudiya Vaishnava culture. It was composed by Srila Krishna Das Kaviraja Goswami (1496), in Bengali language, but also includes some Sanskrit verses within the composition. Twining together with the pastimes of Mahaprabhu's life are deep philosophical teachings detailing the process of Bhakti Yoga, with focus given to... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Wednesday, 27th February 2008 @ 1:00 PM

Millions of people all over the world are finally taking interest in the Bhagavat Gita. In this article, we shall take a closer look at the recent, enlivened edition titled "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" with commentaries and translations by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Text 23 Nainam chindanti sastrani nainam dahati pavakah Na caiman kledayanty apo na sosayati marutah. Translation: The soul can never... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 26th February 2008 @ 3:07 AM

Reincarnation is the belief that when one dies, one's body decomposes, but the soul travels to another body. It is a belief that one has lived before and will live again in another body after death. The bodies one passes through need not be human. One may have been a Doberman (dog of German origin) in a past life, and may probably be a little rat in a future life. From a philosophical point of view, what is it that reincarnates? Presumably, it is the Soul. As per Hinduism, a lifespan... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Paul Warren @ Friday, 20th July 2007 @ 10:57 AM

The law of attraction has been around for centuries, however, only recently has it come into the eye oif the world through the book and DVD 'The Secret'. Once known only ny successful business men and women of our time, and times before us, the law of attraction has become a wide-spread phenomenon, allowing just about anyone to benefit from the vast powers of the universe. The secret law of attraction works by you believing in something so strongly that it manifests itself into ... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 25th June 2007 @ 2:19 PM

When Krishna was there in Vrindavan as a child he killed many demons. Then he went to Mathura and killed many demons. When he was in Dwaraka he killed many demons and then in the Kurukshetra war many demons were killed by the Pandavas. Now Krishna thought that it was the time for him to disappear but if he would just disappear then his family members could not live without him and they may even destroy the Earth. Thus he thought of sending of sending his family members before he goes as HIS FAMI... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Sunday, 3rd December 2006 @ 7:07 PM

Some acquaintances of mine recently told me about how wonderful it was to go to what is known as the "Israeli folk dance" at the local synagogue where people of all ages get involved with this style of dancing. Since I was always shy and not really a dancer and also because I am not Jewish, I was reluctant to attend. They told me anyone could go. So I finally decided to take a peek one Sunday evening (after the local ISKCON temple program, ironically) to see what it was all about,... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Thursday, 30th November 2006 @ 1:37 AM

Two recent articles posted on Dandavats, "Tory Leader to visit Hindu temple" and "20,000 to celebrate Diwali in a blaze of lights," highlight the urgent need for a revival of preaching. The United Kingdom, especially London, needs innovative methods in preaching to the masses. I appreciate the effort of the present leadership, and their intentions are commendable. Many Hindus are taking to Krsna consciousness, and this is great. However, there is a misconception that polit... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 14th November 2006 @ 9:19 PM

"I don't think people realize just how gentle, considerate, and intelligent these huge beasts are. They need our protection and our love and in return, they will give their very life, their total dedication in service to us. Can anyone say that about a tractor? Does a tractor soften our hearts or teach us lessons of life? Can a tractor show us the interconnectedness of all living creatures on the deepest spiritual and emotional level? From these great animals we can learn all there is t... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Victor Epand @ Saturday, 11th November 2006 @ 10:35 PM

Saturday evening Vaibhavi and I attended the second annual Diwali celebration and dinner (vegetarian) in the Governor's mansion. This year Dinesh was present with Kalpana, Governor Jon Huntsman and First Lady Mary Kaye (radiant in a sari), Congressman Chris Cannon, and Scott Anderson (CEO of Zion's Bank). Others present were Lalit and Bobby Kumar, Bhaskar and Sanchaita, Jagdish Gil, Jayaraman and Rukmini, Joe and Panna Goff, Srinivasan, Sneha Kasera, Jaya Prakash and Satya, Ran... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Saleem Rana @ Thursday, 6th July 2006 @ 2:07 PM

Meditation is not well understood. If it were, it would be practiced with the same regularity with which people take care of the other elements of their lives. In this brief article, I hope to explain the value of this Eastern idea of doing nothing as a way to experience inner depth and wisdom. The inner person has often been called the soul. This is like a seed. This seed carries the power of life. It also has potentiality that is not known. Sometimes we glimpse this po... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Swami Satchidanand @ Thursday, 23rd February 2006 @ 2:03 AM

Bhagavad Gita CH11 V53. The study of Sacred Scriptures, Practise of Austerities, Gifts of Charity and even Self Sacrifice will not earn anyone the power of Psychic Vision. No, already you are perfect. Yet it is only those negative energy blockages which are corrupting your system which are preventing your psychic powers and your ability to perform. All the therapies and spiritual techniques, some of which are named above and used successfully for thousands of years are only used to... more...

Religion and Spirituality » Hinduism | By Swami Satchidanand @

An enlightened being is sometimes given the title Paramahamsa. This refers to an ancient Hindu myth of when the world was young, the whole of the surface was covered with water. The mischievous Gods mixed milk and poison in the water and stirred it all together. Paramahamsa was the name meaning the Great White Swan. This enormous Swan, is said to have had the ability to put its beak deep down into the water and draw out pure milk. It had the capacity to discriminate and draw in only the ... more...