MITA (F) No: 245/04196 PPS 120]J4I96 Canada...... .C$3.95 Fiji.. . . . .. . .. FJD2.00 Germany.... . .DM4.5 India. . . ...... Rs.50 Malaysia..... . . .RM5 Mauritius....... Rs.30 Sri Lanka. ... Rs.BOTrinidad.. ... TDlB.OOUK. . . .. . .. 2.50 Nepal....... Rs.BOSingapore. . .... . .S$4 South Africa. US$2.95 HINDUISM Tou:Where there's a will: As part of thesuitagainstMr.Kalyanam, Gandhi'swill,writtenin1940 and giving over his writings and possessions to the Navajivan Trust, surfaced.TheTrust,whichde-rives its major income frorp. copy-rightsitholdsof theMahatma's .' Bound forfame:Singvhi shows off the boxed papers works,hadkeptthewillinacabinetin Ahmedabad,forgottenuntilOctober.It wasfaxedtoHawaiionNovember7 from Chennai.As; oonasSubramuniyaswami sawtheprobatedwill,heconcludedthat Gandhiwouldhavewantedhispapersto remaininIndia.That faxchangedevery-thing.Hegatheredhis25monks,telling them that while SSCowned the papers, ti-tle was being,disputed, and Gahdhi's intent was more important than legal rights.From thisday, he said, they must "surrender our papers and work with Dr.Sihghvi to return them toIndia."He instructed them tofax thisdecisiontoDr. ,Singhvi,andtoldtwo monks to flytoLon'tion immediately. Acharya Veylanswami, the Orders senior-most sannyasin,54, and Sadhaka Thondu-natha, a Sri Lankan monk, arrived in Lon-don -Wovember10. JOinedbyEasanKatir, theymet with allpartiestotheentangle-ment and,within a week,the auction was cancelledandasettlementreached.Not only did SSC renounce proceeds of the auctionithalted,ithadtocoverPhillip's expenses tothe tune of US$32,000.Sympa-thetictoSSC'splight,anQIlymousUK donors arranged forhalf the sum to Be giv-en, by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, ,(or Phillip's catalog and special bookbinding costs. OnFriday,November22,Dr.Singhvi calledapresscopferenceatIndia House, theLondonembassy.The yellowed,post-card-sizedlette;-sintheindepeI)derrce sprawlinghandwritinghadbeen insertedintooversizedalbumsplacedin three brown boxes on a massive mahogany table.Before whirring cameras, the settle-ment was signed,payments made toPhil-lips and the papers, a gift from SSC, turned 28HINDUISMTODA.Y F E( BRUARY,1997 overtoHisExcellencybyPhillips.In the end, the NavajivanTrust bestowed the pa-pers on the government of India. {\. triumphantDIo Singhvispoke, of his joy in being able toreturn Gandhi's hand-writtenworkstoIndia,"wheretheywill ' form an important part of our national her-itage.ThelegacyofMahatmaGandhi shouldnotbecomeanarticleofcom-merce." Awareof tIleHindu Church's sac-rifice of the pFecious works, he gave thanks toall the parties fortheir high-minded ef-foitstobasethesettlementnotonlegal claimsbut"onreconciliati0nandmoral principles; idealsthat formthe essence of the Mahatmas message tomankind." Back in Hawaii,Subramuniyas'wami was gratified."It'sawin-winsituation.Our temple must.be built with funds that come f[il ll il ifilll ll ll : Gopuras are the towering stone gate-ways through which pilgrims en-ter the South Indi-an temple. Richly ornamented with myriad sculptures of the divine pantheon, their tiers symbol-ize the several planes of existence.Aum. 1JU1qif.o . Pranava Aum is the root mantra and soundless sound from which all cre-ation issues forth. It isassociated with Lord Ganesha. Its three syllables stand at the beginning and end of every sacred verse, every human act.Aum. Dhvaja,"flag," is the orange or red banner flown above temples, at festivals and in pro-cessions. It is a symbol of victory, signal to all that "Sanatana Dhar-ma shall prevail." Its color betokens the sun's life-giving glow. Aum.

Swastika isthe symbol of auspi-ciousness and good fortune-lit-erally "It is well." The right-angled arms of this ancient sun sign denote the indirect way that Divinity is apprehended: by intuition and not by intellect. Aum.

Sri Chakra yantra iscentral to Shakta worship and medi-tation.Often ren-dered in three di-mensions in stone or metal, its nine interlocking trian-gles represent Siva-ShaktH; multidimen-sional manifestations.Aum. Gaja is the ele-phant, king of beasts and sign of royalty and power. He is Indra's mount, denoting the do-minion of Heaven's King. In larger Hin-du temples and elaborate festivepageantry there is always a noble elephant. Aum. Padma is the lotus flower, Nelumbo nu-cifera, perfection of beauty, associated with Deities and the chakras, especially the 1,000-petaled sahasrara. Rooted in the mud, its blossom is a promise of purity and unfoldment.Aum. Nandi isLord Siva'smount, or vahana. This huge white bull with a black tail, whose name means "joyful," isdiSciplined animali-ty kneeling at Siva's feet, the ideal devotee, the pure joy and strength of Saiva Dharma. Aum. C Vata, the banyan tree, Ficus indicus, symbolizes Hindu-ism, which branches out in all directions, draws frommany roots, spreads shade far and wide, yet stems from one great trunk. Siva as Silent Sage sits beneath it.Aum. ar;('51T:4itJKalachakra, "wheel, or circle, of time," is the symbol of perfect creation, of the cycles of ex-istence. Time and space are inter-woven, and eight spokes mark the directions, each ruled by a Deity and having a unique quality.Aum. Shikhara is the massive stone su-perstructure which rises above the cave-like sacred sanctuaries of tem-ples in North India. It is a living model of Mount Meru, the center of the universe where the Gods themselves reside.Aum. FEBRUARY,1997HINDUISMTODAY315W Mudras are hand gestures employed in sacred dance and puja to focus the mind on abstract matters and to charge the body with spiritual pow-er.This is chinmudra, the gesture of real-ization, reflection and silent teaching. Aum.

Trishula, Siva's tri-dent carried by Hi-malayan yogis, is the royal scepter of the Saiva Dharma. Its triple prongs be-token desire, action and wisdom; ida, pingala' and sushumna; and the gunas-sattva, rajas and tamas. Aum.

Thlsi is the holy basilplant,Ocimum sanctum, sacred to Vaishnavites.Prayer beads are made from its wood or smooth seeds, and the shrub is wor-shiped in the home as Lakshmi, bringing prosperity, protection and long life. Aum. 32HINDUI SMTODAYFEBRUARY,1997 "1e,(113INataraja is Siva as "King of Darice." Carved in stone or caste in bronze, His ananda tandava, the fierce ballet of bliss, dances the cosmos into and out of exis-tence within the fiery arch of flames denot-ing consciousness. Aum. Sivalinga is the an-cient mark or sym-bol of God.This el-liptical stone is a formless form beto-kening Parasiva, IThat which can never be described or portrayed. The pitha, pedestal, repre-sents Siva's manifest Parashakti. Aum. is the no-ble red rooster who heralds each dawn, calling all to awake and arise. He is a sym-bol of the im-minence of spiritual unfoldment and wisdom. As a fighting cock, he crows from Lord Skanda's battIe flag.Aum. Shatkona, "six-pointed star," is two interlocking trian-gles; the upper stands for Siva, pu-rusha and fire,the lower for Shakti, prakriti and water. Their union gives birth to.Sanatkumara, whose sacred number is six. Aum.

Dipastambha, the standing oil lamp, symbolizes the dis-pelling of ignorance and awakening of the divine light within us.Its soft glow illumines the temple or shrine room, keeping the atmos-phere pure and serene. Aum. Amra, the pleasing paisley design, is modeled after a mango and associ-ated with Lord Ganesha. Mangos are the sweetest of fruits, symbolizing auspiciousness and the happy fulfillment of legitimate worldly desires. Aum. Shankha,the wa-ter-born conch, symbolizes the ori-gin of existence, which evolves in spiraling spheres. In ancient days it signaled battle's vic-tory.In the Lords hands it is our protection from evil, sounding the sacred "Aum."

Chandra is the moon, ruler of the watery realms and of emotion, testing place of migrating souls.Surya is the sun, ruler of intel-lect, source of truth. One is pingala and lights the day; the other is ida and lights the night. Aum. ..

Rudraksha seeds, Eleocarpus gani-trus,are prized as the compassionate tears Lord Siva shed for mankinds suffering. Saivites wear malas of them always as a symbol of Gods love, chanting on each bead,Namah Sivaya." Urdhoopundra is the royal mark upon the forehead of Vaishnavites. 1Wo white lines are VIshnus foot print resting upon a lotus base.The red rep-resents Lakshmi. Thus, the Lords lowest part is worshiped on our highest. Aum. Shula,Lord Muru-ganS holy lance, is His protective pow-er, our safeguard in adversity. Its tip is wide, long and sharp, signifying in-cisive discrimina-tion and spiritualwhich must be broad, deep and penetrating. Aum. lHkona, the trian-gle, is a symbol of God Siva which, like the Sivalinga, denotes His Ab-solute Being. It represents the ele-ment fire and por-trays the process of spiritual ascent and Liberation spoken of in scripture. Aum. cpsor Lord Krishna is one of the most beloved Gods of the Hindu pantheon. The em-bodiment of loving closeness, shown here as a playful child, he is best known as the Supreme Personage of the epic Maha-bharata.Aum. Shri paduka, the sacred sandals worn by saints, sages and satgurus, symbolize the pre-ceptors holy feet, which are the source of his grace. Prostrating before him, we humbly touch his feet for release from worldliness. Aum. Go, the cow, is a symbol of the earth, the nourisher, the ever-giving, unde-manding provider. Th the Hindu, all animals are sacred, and we acknowl-edge this reverence of life in our special affection for the gentle cow. Aum. i?#'I 0 1S(i5-...0Kamandalu,the water vessel, is car-ried by the Hindu monastic. It sym-bolizes his Simple, self-contained life, his freedom from worldly needs, his constant sadhana and tapas,and his oath to seek God everywhere. Aum. "'11lTNaga,the cobra, is a symbol of kun-dalini power, cos-mic energy coiled and slumbering within man. It in-spires seekers to overcome misdeeds and suffering by lifting the serpent power up the spine into God Realization. Aum. Kalasha,a husked coconut circled by five mango leaves on a pot, is used in puja to represent any God, especially Lord Ganesha. Breaking a coconut before His shrine is the ego's shattering to reveal the sweet fruit inside. Aum. BiZva is the bael tree.Its fruit, flow-ers and leaves are all sacred to Siva, Liberation's sum-mit.Planting ABglemarmelos trees around home or temple is sanctifying, as is worshiping a Linga with bilva leaves and water.Aum. Ankusha, the goad held in Lord Gane-sha's right hand, is used to remove obstacles from dharma's path. It is the force by which all wrongful things are repelled from us, the sharp prod which spurs the dullards onward. Aum. Mushika is Lord Ganesha's mount, the mouse, tradi-tionally associated with abundance in family life. Under cover of darkness, seldom visible yet always at work, Mushika is like Gods un-seen grace in our lives.Aum. F E BRUAR Y ,1 997HINDUI SMTODAY33 EUROPE' Hin,dus' Colonize Lisbon Majorcenter nears completion in Portugal 'IxKILOMETERSFROMTHELISBON citycenter sitsPacoduLumiar.Once hometoPortugal'skings,itisnowa smallenclaveofmodesthousesnear the airport.Yet, the Comunidade Hindu de Portugal, an organization founded in 1982, is restoring someof the region'sgrandeur, In-dian style, by forging a temple complex tout"-eaamorigthe, largestoutsideIndialThe massivegraycolumnsoftheunfinished colossusnowheraldwhatistobecomea cultural citadei forPortugal'sHindus and a center of social service fOf all. Gandhi'sway: A tribute unveiled by MarioSoares (right),preSident of Portugal in 1993 History reyeals a hidd'enironyhere. Cen-turiesago,thePortuguesewereimperious conquerors.TheirforaysintoIp.diaandSri Lanka 'focusedsignificantlyondestroying Hindu edifices [see sidebar beLow]' But Hin-dvismsurvived, andHindusarerebuilding their temples around the world-even in Por-tugal, the land of their would-be conqueror. LikemanyEuropeannations,Portugalis adjusting tothearrivalof immigrantsfrom former colonies. In 1974, after ilie Portuguese Revolution,theAfriQancolonyofMozam-biquebecameanip.dependentnatipn.Be-tween 1977 and 1980, much of the large Hin-du communitythere emigrated toPortugal. Mostlyof Indiandescent,theyjOinedwith fromother former Portuguese terri-tories, 'SuchasDaman andDiuinWestern India. Sharing the languages' Portuguese and Gujarati,they bandedtogethertopreserve their Indian and Hindu inheritance. HiteshRamniklal,amanage-ment consultant,recalls,"Myfathe;helped startthe withonlyfiveorsix other frunilies." Nowit's8,000strong.Ram-niklal still feels closeness to India, despite the fact it was his great-grandfather who long agoleft ,BharatforMo:z;ambique,and hiswho emigrated toLisbon in 1975.Ramniklal was just 11 years old then.He regrets that his generationhasfailedtostudyGujarati, though he himself is fluent.However, he hap-pilythatrecentlytheComunidade convinced the Lisbon education ministry toteach Gujarati in three public schools on Sat-urdays.Theprogram;;ervesapproximately 120 children. Portugal's FailedAssault onHinduism dominance by the rulers of the rebel state of Sitawaka, the Portuguese effectively con-trolled the southwest ooastal region.They a1so managed tosnuff out the last Tamil king-dom ever to rule Jaffua as an independent state. The fur-tuguese' Roman Cath.olicism enjoyed a special relationship with the ruling p@wers. Con-'Verts to Catiho1icism under the Portuguese gained a privileged status." The effects of this dom-ination still linger in SriLanka and India, especially in Goa. OSITIONED ON THE southwestern rim of the European continent, Portugal is a small country, 34,170 square miles, roughJy equivalent in size toUSA's In-diana, but its influence in Asian histery has been dramat-ic and, in some eases, devastat-ing.One of the oldest nations in Europe, it began its colonial, Catholic-inspired crusade in 1297.Its many conquests in-cluded India and Sri Lanka. The Portuguese promulgated Catholicism wherever they landed, largely by denigrating the beliefs and desecrating and destroying tihe buildings and icons of the "heathens." Hindu devotees suffered painfully, asthe Por-tuguese methodically ravaged their temples in India and Sri Lan-kaand undermined the faith of many through coercive, cal-cuated conversion. An Insight Guides book on Sri Lanka Gritiquesthe impact of Portugal's presence Algeriathere, "European ambi- Southwest Europe: POrlfugal is at left tions arrived with the Portuguese early in the 16th century. They were more inter-ested in controlling the islands commerce than in absorbing its territory.In the process, fuey intruded in the affairs of the coastal regions.By 1600, after converting some of the Sin-halese royalty toCatholicism and breaking a strong bid for34HINDUISMTODAY1997 In succeeding centuries, PortugaJ:s powers steadily diminished. Now, though a member of the European Free Trade Association and NATO,it remains one of the poorest countries in Western Europe. Religionand culture are paramount con- CINEM K..cerns,butpresentconditionsalsorequire contendingwithsociety'smoremundane difficulties.K!).ntilql Jamnadas, president of the Audio- 'o/i' eo l esources inHindu philosophy, PR O O: C TlO'.G RO'"develop,religiaiJ:, p.ractice(including concepts thr,2 videoi :' n performing home