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Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

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PUBLISHER: Sat guru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR: Paramacharya Bodhlnatha EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Acharya Palaniswami PUBLISHER'S ASSISTANT: Acharya Ceyonswami DEPUTY EDITOR: Acharya Kumarswami MANAGING EDITOR: Tyagi Arumugaswruni GRAPHICS DIRECTOR: '!Yagi Natarajaswami MAURITIUS EDITOR: 'JYagi Murugaswami MAURITIUS STAFF WRITER: Tyagi Dewswami PRDD. MANAGER/STAFF WRITER: 'JYagi Kathirswami DEPUTY MANAGING EDITDR: Yogi Kasinntha MANAGING EDITOR'S AIDE: Yogi Rishinatha ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sadhakn Jothinatha SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Sadhaka liaranandinatha EDITOR-IN-CHIEF'S ASSISTANT: $adhaka Yuganatha

.8EPTEMBE;R, 1997

INTEB,NATIONAL Sacred Art: Rajasthan's Marble Artists 17 Bali's Music: World Takes Note of the

Sophisticated. Gamelan 22 Cover Story: Thirty-Nine Die in Tragic

rue at Thanjavur's "Big Temple" 28 Italy: ''Who Can Be a Hindu?" 34 Controversy: Rationalists Attack Swami

'Nirmalanda's Death by Fasting 46 Triumph: First Malaysians Reach

the Summit of EV~l.est, Thank God 50

LIFE STYLE IlJsight: CUes and Clues, Unwritten

Rules -for Everyday Hindu Life 30 Interview: Ravi Shankar's Mantra CD 26 Devotion: One Man's Ganesha Temple 4Q. •

. OPINION I

Publisher's Desk: The Self God-Speaking of the Unspeakable Truth 6

Editorial: Painful Protocols 8 My Turn: Why Icon Should Replace Idol 9 Letters 14 Healing: Natural No-Calorie Sweetener 44 Minister's Message: Discover{;;'g Your

Luljllinous Essence 52

DIGESTS Quotes & Quips Diaspora

10 Evolutions 44 11 Digital Dharma 54

. Briefly 20

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PUBLISHER'S DESK

The Self God: . life's Ultimate Goal We are divine souls on a wondrous journey toward realizati~n of the timeless, formless, spaceless Self

B Y, SAT G U R U S I V A Y A SUB RAM U N I Y A S W A M I

N THE MIDST OF BUSY LIFE, IT

is sometimes difficult to ponder such lofty ideals as life's ultimate goal, but the quest for Truth comes to all eventually, and for

most it awakens for a time during . ,youth and old age. The great ones of tlie past have explained that our true nature is divine. We are not our body, mind or emotions. We are di­vine souls on a wonmous journey. We came from God, live in God and are evolving into oneness with God. We are, in truth, the Truth we seek. The name of that truth-the essence of our being-is the Self, with a capi-

realization of his True Being. They say you must step onto the spiritual path to realize the Self. You only step on the spiritual path when you and you alone are reamy. When what appears real to you loses its appearance of reality. Then and only then are you able to detach yourself enough to seek; to find a new and permanent reality.

tal S. In Sanskrit, it is called atman, Attaining the Ultimate, like carving '

Have you ever noticed that something yQU think is perma­nent, you and you alone give permanence to, through your protection of it? Have you ever stopped to even think and get a clear intellectual concept that the Self within you is the only

or paramatma. Today I want to share a temple, requires diligent effort with you an inspired talk about the Self that I gave in 1959 just before my first visit to Hawaii:

The Self: you can't explain it. You can sense its existence through the refined state of ypur senses, but you cannot explain it. To know it, you have to experience it. And the best you can say about it is that it is the depth of your Being. It is the core of you. It is you.

If you visualize above you-nothing; below you-nothing; to the right .of you-nothing; to the left of you-nothing; in front of you­nothing; in back of you-nothing; and dissolve yourself ~nto that nothingness, that would be the best way you could explain the realization of the Self. And yet that nothingness would not be the absence of something, like the nothingness inside an empty box, which would be a void. That nothingness is the fullness of every­thing: the power, the sustaining power, of the existence of what appears to be everything.

After you realize the Self, YQU see the mind for what it is-a self­created principle. That is the mind ever creating itself. The mind is form ever creating form, preservoihg form, creating new forms and destroying old forms. That is the mind, the illusion, the great unre­ality, the part of you that in your thinking mind you dare to think is real. What gives the mind that power? Does the mind have pow­er if it is unreal? What difference whether it has power or hasn't pow~r, or the very words that I am saying when the Self exists because of itself? You could livel.n the dream and become disturbed by it. Or you can seek and desire with a burning desire to cognize reality and be blissful because of it.

Malls destiny leads him back to himself. Man's destiny reads him into the cognition of his own Being; leads him further into the

6 HINPUISM TODAY. SEP EMBER, 1997

permanent thing? That everything else is changing; that everything else has a direct wire connecting it to the realms of joy and sorrow? That is the mind.

After the realization of the Self, your effulgent being comes to life as you. Joy and sorrow oecome a study to you. You do not have to think. to tell yourself that each in its own place is unreal. You know from the innermost depths of your being that form itself is not real. The subtlety· of the joys that you experience as you come into your effulgent being cannot be described. They can only be project­ed to you if you are refined enough to pick ~p the subtlety of vibration. If you are in haqilony enough, you can sense the great joy, the subtlety of the bliss that you will feel as you come closer and closer to your real Self. I

If you strive to find the Self by using your mind, you will strive and strive in vain, because the mind cannot give you the Truth; a lie cannot give you trutn. A lie can only entangle you in a web of deceit. But if you sensitize yourself, awaken your true, fine, beauti­ful qualities that all of you have, then you become a channel, a chalice in which your effulgent being will begin to shine. You will first think that a light is shining within you. You will seek to find that light. You will seek to hold it as you cherish and hold a beauti-

~u~ gem. You will later find that the light that you found within you IS m every pore, every cell of your body. You will later find that that light permeates every atom Of the universe. You will later find that you are that light and what it ~ermeates is the unreal illusion creatM by the mind.

How strong you must be to find this Truth. You must become very, very strong. How do you become strong? Exercise. You must e~ercise every muscle and sinew of your nature by obeying the dictates. of the law, of the spiritual laws. It will be very difficult. A

, The search is within: The Self God must be realized to be known, does not exist, yet seems to exist; yet existence itself and all states of mind, being and experiential patterns could not exist but for this ultimate redlity of God. Such is the great mystery that yogis, rishis, saints and sage$ have realized through the ages by going within .

.. ... . .......... . ............ "" u •••••• uu ............... . ........... . ............ . ........................... . .... . ..... . ..... .

weak muscle is very difficult to make strong, but if you exercise over a period of time and do what you should do, it will respond. Your nature will respond too. But you must work at it. You must try. You must try. You must try very, very harct Very diligently. How often? Ten minutes a day? No. Two hours a day? No. Twenty­four hours a day! EveJ;y day! You must try very, very hard.

Preparing you for the realization of the Self is like tuning up a violin, tightening up each string so it harmonizes with every other string. The more sensitive you are to tone, the better you can wne a violin, and the better the violin is tuned, the Detter the music. The stronger you are in YGur nature, the more you can bring through your real nature; the more you can enjoy the bliss of your true being. It is well worth working for. It is well worth craving for. It is well worth denying yourself many, many things for-to curb your nature. It is well worth struggling with your mind, to bring your mind under the dominion of your will.

Those of you who have experienced contemplation know the depth from which I am speaking. You have had a taste of your true Self. It has tasted like nothing that you have ever come in contact with before. It has filled and thrilled and permeated yoUr whole being, even if you have remained in that state of contemplation only sixty seconds. Out of it you have gained a great knowing, a knowing that you could refer back to, a knowing that will bear the fruit of wisdom if you relate future life experiences to that know­ing, a knowing greater than you could acquire at any university or institute of higher learning. Can you only try to gain a clear intel­lectual concept of realizing this Self that you felt permeating through you and through all form in your state of contemplation? That is your next step. Those of you who are wrestling with the mind iIi your many endeavors to try to, concentrate the mind, to try to meditate, to try to become quiet, to try to relax, keep trying. Every positive effort that you make is not in vain. Every single brick added to a temple made of brick brings that temple closer to completion. So keep trying and one day, all of a s~dden, you will pierce the inner realms of your mind and enter into contemplation. Then you will be able to say: "Yes, I know, I have seen. Now I know fully the path that I am on." Keep trying. You have to start somewhere.

The Self you cannot speak of. You can only try to think about it, if you care to, in one way: feel your mind, body, and emotions, and know that you are the effulgent Being permeating through mind, which is all form; body, which you inhabit; and emotions that you either control.or are controlled by. Think 0n that, ponder on that, , and you will fmd you are th~ light within your eyes. You are the feel within your fingers. You are more radiant than the sun, purer than the snow, more subtle than the ether. Keep trying. Each tiJIle you try you are one step closer to your true effulgent Being. ,

Subt~est ot the subtle, greatest of the great, the atman is hidden in the cav~ of the heart of all beings. He who, free frQm all urges, beholds Him overcomes sorrow, seeing, by grace of the Creator, the Lord and His glory.

YAJUR VEDA

Just as a light shines, diSpelling darkness, so also the Supreme Self shines, dispelling ignor;ance. Just as a lamp spontaneously goes out if not fed with oil, so also the ego becomes extinct if one meditates unceasingly and becomes merged in the Self. There is no higher gain than the Self.

SARVAJNANOTTARA AGAMA

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 7

i

EDITORIAL woit!t YOlk fay? ACCOrriiKg to ~ NarayaKP.£hm.rifki,te-xt aJUi, ako to ~ m.oft

I.nauspicious or Not? revered ShriJeyeitdr"" sarf.wo.iity of~ SIw.;tlcan.u:lJ.ry"" Ma:f:It., iIt-K~aJ4V, ""for tner Iw.£ every rijW to j~ kif ~Itt:er . away. SW1U1{iji-wrote- 1M tJr.d ''''"'jri!w.£tov (lwlMeJwtder) wIw Iw.£ Loft kif faMdJw.,y1f!.i.;ti (wifo) Iw.£ ~ rijW tp do ~ KtJ.J1.I'!.i.Ica D~ &~ away'"hM ~Itt:er)." Howev-el'j ~a.utlwriti.M ~ dec.idedeo play (joti aJUi, dut.ied 1M ~ rijW to perforl1V ~ wed-

Anjali was pained and perplexed when her dad coutd not give her sister~s hand in marriage

BY THE EDITOR

ULTUMLLY C],UELESS AS YOU CATCH A FLIGHT TO

Calcutta for your first visit to India? Doni: despair. This month our educational insight section focuses on cultural cues and clues for newcomers and travelers in India. While our staff originally developed these lists to help pilgrims

avoid those mortifying protocol pratfalls, they have also proven , helpful for many Hindus living in other nations and returning to their roots for the first time. Besides, it's fun reading.

But that doesn't mean it's ail fun stuff In fact, some of the is~;ues surrounding traditional cultural etiquette are painful and perplex­i~g to people, old-fashioned and worse. Sure, we ~an all understand that it's bad form to lick a stamp in India. Common sense tells us that hygiene is the reason. Not telling a mother how beautiful her new baby looks is harder to grapple with, but harmless enough. But what about not allowing women into temples during their peri­od or the social rule that divorces and widows/widowers cannot participate in rites of passage, including the weddings of their own children? Those are hard ones to face. As if the Cosmos wanted us to know so, our publisher received a heart­rending electronic letter while we were work­ing on the feature. It compellingly shows how painful such rules can be. Here it is:

SWay"" N~! (jreetUrj" fwa.Hdji-: I pray tJr.d YOlkwi/£ ha.h~to ~~ my

IuMtbreaK. My.fotlu<if ""widower: My m.otner d.id24 yearf P.j0' ~ tkree-cluid¥}Jf/iIt-~ CM~ of her YMPOl1£ib~ Jr.u,baJUi,. Like- "" tr~ HUv ~ ~ raUed~ faa~ ~ £u,xwyaJUi, fOcietat oblijatiol1£ to juid.e, aJUi, ~ 1M, fO M to ~ 1M jooti aJUi, ca.ril'fj ci.ti.JZuu of~ wortd. H~~wP.jedlMto par~ilt-ow _ cuLtun aJUi, b~ proud of it. W~ar~ IWW"~ ~ yowtj HiH.d.tv WOI4!el1/ witk fUCCMifrd

ca.reerr aJUi, P..I'(, ~xtrem.ely r~ cuLtund bac.kjroUJt.d,. W~ owe-~ we- tJ.{~ today to /Um,. W~ar~/Um,. •

My luM~arifu fol1V~fo«tJr.dmy for .; tit.u Iw.£ beur.,dut.iedkif r;ijWto j~away kif . fecoitd> ~Itt:er at her marriP.j~ cermwny ~ to kif widower ftatu£. I ~t b~ tIw..t if//tIrJ." day MtiP.j~ tner~ ar~ HiJ.r.du; wIw b~ tIwt widow> aJUi, widowerf ar~ hu.bil'fjerf of cruet fuck aJUi, tltuefor~ ~pi.ciolM at~f. W~ lw.uefoUJt.d, tJr.d IW wh.er~ iIt-~ fcriptwU if it fta.i:ed tJr.d ""

~or wo~hdut.ied~ rijWto ~ilt-cermw~ fucft,M ~" becMU~ tIt.ey ar~ fPOlMeiMf. TIt,U if ridic.u,l.b1M furermtiof//) .

8 HINDUISM TODAY - ' SEEf EMBER , 1997

riiKg cermwny. They ~~ tkrem.ned to ftO!,,~~. TItM~~~feepvtO

~~ it UPOf//~ei.ve£ to ~ certai.Jt,traditio~ frlibwUtj ~ bLbuiiy wiilwue 1t4;tiol"0 aJUi, t:Iw.. jWil1.J Hi;uU.d,11V "" bad • ~. Doit!t tIt.ey r~ tJr.d OfCb day, tIt.ey too wi/£ h percei.ved M Uv a,U£pi.ciolM w/wr., tkeir f['<JIMU ~ ~ m.aterid wortd?

Swa.Hdj0 I b~ yo~ lteip-I#.b to jeJdiy ~ tIu.~ bLUui fo~werf of traditiof//. Heip-~ fee- tJr.d (joti if iIt- everytlWtj, e.ve.i'C/ widow> aJUi, widowerf. lowe- tIrJ." to my juher. H~ if jOdly to I#.b. You,., fiKcer~ Anja./i [Not her rM.i ~J

e:=:;4Ee:!'I:I"=:==":O:I:I!J::I:""x:o=~e:):=":=:l 1e:::CI:IC=::O",::;:::::I::::=:t:X::I:,,=e:, :o=:::c:=:' =1:;::=:1 !e:~I:I: =:; 1

We responded: Namaste, Anjali! Your e-mail touched our hearts. Sivaya Subramuniyaswami asked me to share some insights with you. He hopes they help, though he also knows that you may not find all our thoughts consoling. As you know, we follow a strict and traditional monastic life here in Hawaii. So in asking our thoughts, you will naturally get a traditional view. Mqny would disagree.

Firstly, your father is obviously a worthy souL Of that there can be no doubt. His sacrifice for his daughters is expressive of the­

best virtues of Indian spirituality, and your ma­turity is but a reflection of the light he has shed on you and thus .the world. And who could wonder that he would yearn to give the hand of his daughter in marriage? Of course he would.

So, our heart must ache a).ong w.ith yours when we hear the story, especially knowing, as we do, that Hindu tradition is certain about its understanding in this matter. Any widow or widower is disallowed from j?articipation in the sacred samskaras. It is not that they ¥e impure, nor lesser beings or any such nonsense. No. Consider this: I am a sannyas·in. But I am disal­lowed from attending that same wedding. This

. is fOf esoteric reasons, not personal or supersti­tious reasons, not dogmatia. or creedal reasoJ}s, either., There are subtle spiritual laws at work in such matters. I spoke to the Sivacharya priests about your questions. They explained th~t the rishis of yore set certain rules in motion which reflected their sPiritual insights into wisdom's way and how humankind can follow it.

I understand the law which excludes me. I am a renunciate monk, one who has surrendered the family life, ' thrown down the world and taken refuge in God wholly and irrev­ocably. My presence at a wedding would be like water mixing with oiL A young couple about to embark on their wedded life would be confronted with the other possibility, with the opposite value, in a sense. The bride might won der, silently, whether her new groom would one day leave her to become a monk. By absenting myself, I give them their special celebration without thoughts of such things. They are embracing worldly life more powerfully than ever,

and they don't need my contrary example to confound their step.

Like me, your "'rather is counted different-1y. He has wed and lost his wife. It was a ~ad event for most, a tragedy for a few. His

-loss sti ll registers as samsk{Lras, subtle im­pressions in his heart of hearts. It vibrates in his nervous system. It willJive with him until his Grand Departure. His bereavement, the sages knew, is a force and a presence that is not conducive to the Kannika Dhanam, though he can other­wise join the celebration of the new couples vows.

The sages are cOIl,cerned wholly with forging the purest and strongest marital bonds, which are a power binding man­and wife, guiding the home and, by exten­sion, th~ whole of the social matrix. So these bonds, these sacred blending of forces and energies, must be protected, fostered and nurtured to the best of our capability. The sages judged that having the relationships of all present to sanctify the marriage be exemplary was impOI;tant. According to Swami Paramananda Bharati of Snngiri Mutt, India, our sacred texts, , shastras, ·say that a man's wife is integral to the living out of his karmas. She is needed to make him complete, and in her absence there are karmas he cannot f.ulfill. This is one. Proof of this lies in the fact that if your father remarried, he would be permitted to give his daughter's hand. To have a divorced person present, for instance, would br'ing that vibration (you

. coul~ call it that possibility or potentiality) of broken dreams and pFomises into the arena of the rite. People commonly say that the wedding would be "polluted." That is such a terrible apd untrue expres­sion, and it is not spoken of in our shastras. There is no pollution. Howev,er, there,is an effect, an impact. Every person present will add an energy. Wanting the union t~ begin in a most ideal manner, they asked sannyasins, divorcees and wid­owers to stay apart from certain rites.

The priests you approached in the tem­ples know the rules, but do not always have an esoteric understanding of the reasons behind them. They may therefore follow the principles a bit superstitiously. Still, the law ftself has merit, remaining part of OUlr heritage. -

Not all follow these ideals. You yourself have found leaders who feel these customs are outmoded. We would disagree, but Hinduism is so broad, so compas'sionate, so all-embracing, we can have within Gur spir­itual 'family both views and not fee1'threat­ened. What other faith can say that?

Gurudeva sends you his love and blessings for a long, rewarding life guided by God:s love and light. am shanti.

I

MY TU?RN

DisRense with th~~ Awful Word-Idol . Hindus can find a better term for Gods sacred image in our temples and homes

BY :OR. ANANTANAND RAMBACHAN

MONG THE MANY PROBLEMS

faced by Hindus is finding appropriate English termi­nology for Sanskrit terms.

This is important 'for those who seek to understand, practice and tran~it their tradition outside of India. This is not always an easy matter, and appropriate substi­tutes are often difficult to find. Sometimes one has to q,e content with selecting from a number of imperfect alternatives, and careful thought has to be exercised when all the choices are inade­quate. Some English terms are more advan­tageous than others. They becom.e the means by which our beliefs are represented to people outside our tradition as well as to a new gerteration of English-speaking Hindus.

The term murti is familiar to all Hindus and is used to indicate the various repre­sentations of God in our temples and homes. Perhaps the most widely used Eng­lish term to translate murti is idol. I Often shudder when I hear a Hindu guide, giving a temple tour to, a visitor, describing the murtjs on the altar or in the sanctum as idols. The problem) s that this term is com­monly used today to indicate something which is false and untrue. In the West, still deeply influenced by the views of the Judea-Christian tradition, the term has a specific religious connotation. An idol is a false God, and idolatry is a term of rebuke and moral disapproval. We Call1].ot ignore that Hindus have been and continue,.to be condemned by many for so-called "idola­trous practices." How strange it is for us to appropriate a term to describe ourselves which others use to condemn us! Perhaps there should be a serious and concerted effort to avoid its use.

DR. R AMBACHAN, 45; is a professor of religion at St. Olaf College, Minnesota, USA, where he lives with his wife and three children.

The word statue is also frequently u.sed to refer tel a murti, but this has its own drawbacks. It describes a sculptured, cast or molded figure, human being or an ani­mal. Usually it approximates to the original size of the person or animal it represents.

The term image is also used in place of murti and is an

accurate indication of the form which it represents. Murtis are meant to focus our minds on God. Unlike the word image, the viewer is not asked to believe thaUhe mur­ti is actually how God appears.

The search fqr a suitable English render­ing of murti, however, is not fruitless. I recommend the adoption of the term icon. While there is some broad usage, it is em­ployed primarily to denot~ a religious rep­resentation or figure. Icons are treated with respect because they represent that which is sacred. In the popular culture of the West, the term does not resonate ne~ative­Iy. FFom icon is derived the term iconogra­phy, which literally means "writing with icons." Iconography describes one of the central purposes of mums in the Hindu tradition. Each mlwti is a onverbal state­ment about the nature of God. Like a scripture consisting of words, a murti com­municates knowledge about the Divine, and the viewer must be equipped with the necessary skirrs to "read" the meaning of the murti. For example, the symbolic ges­tures of the murti, among others, are a visual text or theology.

As Hindus continue to make the geo­graphical transition from East to West, we can'not be indifferent or heedless about the challeNges of making the linguistic transi­tion. tt is necessary to be spiritually cre­ative in finding new words and symbols to express ourselves confidently in order to transmit our tradition to new generations.

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 9

'I

.t "Let your motto be 'Forward, o'nward 8- upward.' Live lovingly 'and laughingly, leave peacefully and gracefully."

From a sacred mountaintop an enthused spiritual seeker with his arms raised to the sky shouted, "I want peace!" Peace echoed back from the valley. He was so pleased. Then he hollered, "I want love!" Love echoed acros~ the valley. Filled and thrilled he screeched "I want enlightenment now!" To his chagrin the response was, Then get back to your spiritual disciplines! I

"The pot is a God. The winnowing fan is a God. The stone in the street is a God. The

Swami Vlvekananda (1863-19°2)

comb is a God. The bowstring is a God. The bushel is a God and.the spouted cup is a God. Gods, Gods, there are so many, there's no place left for a foot! " Saint Basavanna, Virasaiva (1105-1167)

"Hinaus are among the most enthusiastic and energetic devotees. By no means could our worship be judged idle!" A swami re­sponding to a charge that Hindus are idol worshipers with too many Gods.

I

A farmer brought King Akbar a parrot. He had taught it to sing and talk. "0 King," he said, "this parrot can talk excellently. Please accept it as a gift." Delighted, Akbar or­dered two servants to "Look after it welL Whomever brings news of its death will, him~elf, be put to death." In spite of the servan~' care, the parrot died. They thought, "How can we tell the King? He will kill us immediately." They remem­bered Birbal and told him about their problem. He felt sorry and said, "Leave it to me." Birbal approached Akbar, "I have sad news. Your parrot does not eat, drink, talk. He just lies there with eyes closed. I think he has become a yogi and is ll1-editat­ing." Akbar was sad. "Let us go look." When seeing the bird he exclaimed, "What is this '

nonsense about yogis, Birbal? This parrot is not meditating. ItS dead!" "Only you can say such a thing, Your Majesty," said Birbal, reminding the King of his threat. ':.you said you would execute the man who brought you news of the parrot's death."

DID YOU KNOW?

Marvellous Mangoes! HE HISTORY OF MANGO

cultivation in India stretches over 6,000 years. With more than 500

varieties in many shapes and sizes, India is the world's largest producer of mangoes, both in quantity and variety. Its most prized and fmest genre, the Alphonso, with a taste resembling a combination of necta­rine, pineapple and rose flower, is exported to the Middle East, Singapore and Britain. Regrettably they are not yet available in the U.S., except for canned pulp. In the meantime, visit India to savor the real thing!

I EAT ALL KINDS OF VEGETA­BLES EXCEPT BROCCOLI AND

BRUSSEL SPROUTS.

MY FAVORITE FOOD IS TOFU. IT'S AMAZING WHAT

YOU CAN DO WITH IT.

WITH A LITTLE SEASONING, YOU CAN MAKE IT TASTE IKE ALMOST ANYTHIN

10 HI~DUISM TODNY SEPTEMBER , 1997

Mrs. K Ramasamy, second from /eft, surveys temple construction

SINGAPORE

Lady Leads Temple Funding "SINCE THE GODDESS WE ARE WORSHIPING IS A LADY,

we ladies also have a part to play," Mrs. Kalyani Ramasamy, 48, told a Straits Times reporter, explaining her work in fund raising for Singapore's new Sree Maha Mariamman Temple in Yishun. Her part went from proving to men that women can do it to captaincy of a nine men and five women committee that raised 3.2 million Singapore dollars in just three years. The men on the management committee-on which she was a founding member-"challenged me to raise funds from prayer events, and I did. Slowly, I won their confidence." Mr. S. Karuppiah, 59, says, "We have no problems with her at the helm. She has very good ideas, especially when it comes to raising funds."

MAURITIUS

Elderly Home on 'Sacred Soil

M EEiNATCHEE HOME WILL be a warm, idyllic refuge

in the winter years for 48 poor men and women (eventually 96) who have no family. Mainly for Hindus, the home complex

Spacious rooms house 12 pe'ople each. A dining hall, recreation­al!fV room and a large outdoor sitting area each contribute to a comfortable lifestyle. Wheel­chair paths cross to the temple,

lies on the 13-acre grounds of the Sockalingum Meenatchee Am­men Temple in Port Louis. With a backdrop of chis­eled volcanic mountains and its architecture lying along a green river, the home is de­signed for peace­ful occupation. Welcoming a refUge

which is being re­fitted for the dis­abled. Guest Hin­du spiritual teachers will pro­vide instruction and inspiration to the residents. A building commit­tee of five men, co­ordinated by Dr. GM. Pillay, raised US$100,000 tor the project.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: COURTESY LAU FOOK KONG/THE STRAITS TIMES, SANKAR MUTT STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT STONYBROOK. ELDERLY HOME IN MAURITIUS

I

Mutt's Cosmic Gita Push

S

ERVING UP THE BHAGAVAD

Gita's lofty message to the estimated one million Hindus visiting a famous shrine of Sitakunda on a hill in south­eastern Bangladesh is Swami Tapanananda Giri Maharaj's mindful mission. The elderly swami, still robust in health and speech, is head of the Sankara Mutt (monastery), built near the holy site. Pilgrims who so­journ at the mutt can listen to "the perpetual recitation of the Gita" and receive f00d and medical supplies. Its grounds extend for many acres, much of it wild and untouched. There is now a dairy farm, vegetable gardens and orphanage. Swami Tapanananda is seeking inter­national architectural help to develop "the Sankar Mutt and Mission, which will take over the social activities." The swa­mi told HT correspondent

Shyamal Chandra Debnath, "The mutt works for integrated yoga for mankind, revealing cosmic cbnsciousness." The mutt presently has 13 branches in Banglad~sh and abroad. Swa­mi continues to draw new young renunciates onto the path of God Realizaton and service, "The Mutt will fly its flag forev­er. We welcome disciples who have an aim to sacrifice tneir lives for mankind."

Swqmiji initiates a sannyasin

TRENDS & TRADITIONS

EDUCATION

India Studies at Stony, US

IN 1995,700 STUDENTS AT ST0NY BROOK STA'FE UNIVERSITY OF New York petitioned for more Indian studies. In 1996 the fac­

ulty and Indian community raised over $100,000 for a center which opened in April 1997 under the leadership of Prof S. N. Sridhar, Director of the Center. University president Shirley Strum Kenny called it an "extraordinary" synergy of student, activism, faculty dedication and community support. In cash­barren university budget land, SUNY administrators were de­lighted and respond­ed, providing teaching faculty and a fully equiped facility on the fifth floor of the li­brary. Courses include Indian Civilization, Religions, Languages, Social Sciences and more. Prof Kamal Sridhar says, "Courses are full, including half non-Indians."

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 11

• I

New.UN head Kofi Annan (at left) received by Sri Chinmoy

UNITED NATIONS

Multi-Faiths Bless UN Head '7\ UNITED FAITH RITE CALL­Red a "Solemn Interfaith Service of Commitment to the Work of the United Nations" welcomed the new United Na­tions Secretary-General, Kofi Annan in April. Hindu, Bud­dhist, Islamic, Jewish, Christ­ian, Jain, Sikh and Native American clergy offering prayers at st. Bartholomew's

Church in New York. The event .opened with the empowering conch shell caJI ofl07-year-old Swami Bua. Kofi Annan was given a peace award and said, 'J\s Secretary-General, I look to religious leaders for help and in­spiration in my work, to help me not lose sight of our long-term goals of peace, development, justice and human rights."

THE VEDAS

God's Word, Sages'Voices

There are five great sacri­fices, namely, the great ritual services: the saerifice to al1 beings, sacrifice to men, sacrifice to the ances­tors, sacrifice to the Gods, sacrifice to Brahman.

SHUKLA YAJUR VEDA,

SHATAPATA BRAHMANA liS.6.1

N0nviolence is ail he offerings. Renunciation is the priestly honorarium. The final purification is death. Thus all the Divinities are established in this body.

KRISHNA "Y'AJUR VEDA, FRANA UPANISHAD 46--8

Ail that God does shall win em, praise. We magnify His name with hymns, seeking boons from the Mighty.

RlG VEDA 1.42.10

12 H1l:"DUISM TODA>Y SEP~EMBER, 1997

True Thomas? ,

.,..-rIE CHRISTIAN LEGEND OF I Saint 'F&omas carrying

Christianity to India's south­western shores and dying there a martyr is being downsized and rewritten in the Ency­clopaedia Britannica. Ishwar S~aran, author of The Myth of Saint Tk,omas and the Myla­pore Shiva Temple, successful­ly demonstrated to the eaitors of the illustrious reference that the st. Thomas-in-IndHi legend is highly suspect. Sharan point­ed out that the legend was cre­ated by three Christian schol­ars with no historical evidence, relying solely on "Thomas ro­mances." Sharan cited another Christian researcher-Bishop Stephen Neill-as a prime de­'bunker of the apocryphal theo­ry. Agreeing to a future revi­sion, an EB representative stated in a letter to Sharan that the Britannica's entry on st. Thomas did indeed "place too much emphasis on the unlikely scenario of his traveling to, and being martyred in India."

USA

China's Rama .

T HE 14TH INTERNATIONAL

Ramayana Conference, May 23-25, was held in Hous­ton in the rodeo state of Texas, USA. Scholars from five conti­nents participated. Star scholar Professor Jin Ding Han of Chi­na has translated Tulsidas' Ra­machritmanas into Chinese. Braiding Indian and Chinese ethicists, Jin compared Confu­cian teachings to the Ra­mayana. Many non-Hindu countries of South East Asia boast a strong tradition of.Ra­mayana scholarship.

The rites of oblation, 0 lovers of truth, which the sages divined from the sacred verses, were variously expounded in the threefold Veda. Perform them with eonstant care. This is your path to the world of holy action.

ATHARVA VEDA, MANDUKYA UPANISHlID un

Pursuit of the duties of the stage of life to whioh each one belongs-that, verily, is the rule! Others are like branches of a stem. With this, one tends upwards; otherwise, downwards.

KRlSHNA YAJUR VEElA, MAl'l'REYA UPANISHAD 4.3

Keen of mind and keen of sight, free from sickness, free from sin, rich in children, may we see you rise as a friend, o Sun, till a long life's end!

RIG VEDA '10.37.7

He is the never-created creator of all: He knows all. He is pure consciousness, the creator of time, all-powerful, all­knowing. He is the Lord of the soul and of nature and of the three conditions of nature. From Him comes the trans­migration of life and liberation, bondage in time and freedom in eternity.

KRISHNA YAJUR VEDA, SVETASVATARA UPANISHAD 6.16

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Transformed I WAS INSPIRED BY YOUR ARTICLE, "SOTH­by's Caught Smuggling" in the June edition of HINDUISM TODAY. I have a BUddha statue that has been in my family for just over 37 years. After reading the article, I began to search from where and when it came. As it turns out, the statue is from Tibet, and was probably looted from there in UJ59. It is a statue of the Bodhisattva Manjushri, teacher of wisdom an.d compassion, anti is 600 years old. My husband and I will be taking him to the Tibetan Government in exile in Dhar­masala, India.

TAMARA LEA BAKER "mermaid@poi.net

Why Call Our Scriptures Myth? I HAVE READ THE BHAGAVAD GTTA AND parts of the Bhagavata Purana. I am won­dering why these stories are referred to as myths nowadays. I looked up the word myth in the dictionary. One of the many defini­tions in the Webster's Encyclopedic Un­abridged Dictionary of the English Lan­guage is "a traditional or legendary story that is concerned with deities or demigods and the creation of the world and its inhab­itants." In Sanskrit the word purana is de­fined as history or myth. I have read in the Uddhava Cita of the Bhagavata Purana about the curse of the sages on the Yadavas and the submerging of the city of Dwaraka as a result. I have heard about recent exca­vations in Dwaraka which revealed the rem­nants 0f a submerged city. In other contem­porary world religions the scriptural stories are not referred to as myths. For example, in Christianity the Biblical story of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is considered true even today. I do not understand this glaring anomaly in Hinduism referring to the Pu­ranas as myths.

HAIMAVATHI BHAT NEWARK, DELAWARE, USA

Tell It to the Judge I THINK JUDGE MOORE SHOULD ENROLL IN a comparative religious studies course be­fore he makes comments about the beliefs of others (That Old-time Religion, CHURCH AND STATE, July '97). The main historical fig­ure we think about when discussing the for­mation of the United States is a man named Thomas Jefferson. In one of Jefferson's let­ters, which are detailed irt'a book, he corre­sponded with a Unitarian Universalist. Thomas Jefferson, wheh hearing the tenets of the Unitarian Universalist path, was de­lighted, that he (Jefferson) had finally been able to apply a label to his own personal be-liefs. ,.

SHAKTI G ANAPA1TI SUBRAMANIAM CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA, USA

14 H W DUISM TODAY SEPTEMBER , 1997

LETTERS IT IS A SHAME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE prejudiced against other peoples' beliefs when they haven't even studied the others' scriptures. And if Judge Roy Moore would speak the truth, this country wasn't founded by Christians, because Native Americans were here long before Christians were. By the constitution everyone has equal rights, so it is obvious this judge is arbitrarily inter­preting the laws for his own purposes.

PHILIPS T AYLOR MINERAL POINT, MISSOURI, USA

Addresses Are Helpful! I ENJOY RECEIVING AND READING HIN­DUISM TODAY. After each issue, I want to contact different people and Hindu organi­zations. However, the articles almost never­provide the addresses and as a result it is impossible to send any contributioii' or ex­tend help.

GREESH C. SHARMA YARDLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, USA

Educating the Kids SEX EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT FOR CHIL­dren not only at school but also at home. The first phase is teaching it at school and the sec0nd is one-on-one question and an­swer sessions at home. As a father, I myself didn't know how to handle the situation at home when my children were young. I ap­proached my pediatrician who is an Indian and the local school physician. He said it is important that the parents should be aware of this two-step approach. He asked me to attend the session at their school on how to tackle this subject at home. Most Indians feel that our children need not learn f-rom us, and it is enough what they have been ex­posed to at the schooL But the reality is that children are inadequately exposed about their body differences early on in their life. Their inquisitiveness increases as they ma­ture. Children need early preparation and adeqt;.ate training because we live in the electronic world and unwanted, harmful in­for'mation abounds in the media.

BALA SUBRAMANIAN ALABAMA, USA

"aum@mindspring.cdm

Time to Pay Back I JUST M.TURNED FROM THREE MONTHS OF travel in India, on a pilgrimage to Her most Holy sites, including Arunachala, Kanchi and Bhubahaneswar. I also went to Banaras, the city of Siva, and. though. the spiritual vi­bration of the centre is still palatable-the pollution and garbage around the ghats is disgraceful. We should find some money here in the West to contribute to a fund that would be directed to clean up the garbage. It could provide jobs while making a positive

contribution. I believe that the Varanasi Ghjtts should be recognized as a world her­itage site by the United Nations. Hinduism J;1as nurtured many the world over, and I think it would be appropriate for the "out­side" world to contribute toward this good work.

OLIVER HOCKE NHULL VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

"oliverh@intergate.bc.ca

Ananda Marga: No Doomsday Cult I APP:(I.ECIATED YOUR ARTICLE ON MASS suicide (The Spaceship Suicide, CULTS, July '97) and the false connections drawn ' re­garding the influence of Eastern spiritual traditions upon the Heaven's Gate cult. The article correctly referred to the flimsy con­nections drawn in a prominent Newsweek article. I am surprised, though, that an even more overt allegation in the very same arti­cle was overlooked. Newsweek gave a "top ten doomsday cult" list, In which Ananda Marga was cited as one such cult. Ananda Margiis are the followers of Sri Sri Anan­damurti, and are sincere practitioners of morality (yama and niyama), tantra yoga, and the intuitional science of the Vedas. Nu­merous Ananda Margiis in the USA wrote letters of protest to Newsweek for their gross inaccuracy in this matter. However, News­week failed to print any of the articulate and respectful letters presented to them. Not only did they offer a slander upon Ananda Marga and hence all tantric and yogic tradi­tions, but they failed to correct themselves when presented with compelling evidence of the inaccuracy of their rep<?rt.

SHRAVAN KUMAR WASHINGTON D.C. USA

"proutwdc@prout.org

THERE WAS AN ERROR IN THE ARTICLE ON the Heaven's Gate Group. It says, ''There are no Catholic gurus, no Protestant gurus, no Muslim gurus, no Buddhist gurus." But of

-course there are Buddhist gurus. The teacher in a Vajrayana Buddhi~t context is considered to be a guru. Other words also usea for such a person are lama and vajra master.

ROBERT WALKER BIG RAPIDS , MICHIGAN, USA

'Ilctd@thenewage.com

Letters with writers nam'e, address and daytime phone number, should be sent to:

Letter.s, HINDUISM TODAY 107 Kaholalele Road KAPAA, HI, 96746-9304 USA or faxed to: (808) 822-4351 or e-mailed to: letters@HinduismToday.ka~ai.hi.us

Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY.

" INDICATES LETTERS RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL

WORLD MUSIC INSTITUTE an d ASIA SOCIETY pres en t .

.(: THE MUSIC fESTIVAL OF INDIA

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of India's Independence

Father-Son duo

VILAYAT KHAN*

ZAKIR HUSSAIN* SHUJAAT KHAN*

Gala Evening at

CARNEGIE HALL 154 West 57th Street at Sev.enth Avenue, New York City

Saturday September 13, 1997

8pm

The most highly acclaimed performers of classical Indian music to appear on one stage for the first time

AMJAD ALI KHAN AJOY CHAKRABORTY

PI. lASRAJ

For tickets, please call 212.545.7536 TICKET PRICES fOR CARNEGIE HALL ONLY

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December 19

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November

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PREMSAHAI

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A MELWANI , NEW YORK

--"'" HERE WOULD YOU FIND ' Siva lost in samadhi, Kr-

, ishna playing His' flute and Ganesha feasting on

sweets? In Jaipur's Khajanewalon ka Rasta-The Lane of Treasures. It is the alternative Vaikunta (heaven-), the ' Gods' earthly abode. This winding lane of thousands of marble shops has every deity from the Hindu pan­theon and more Gods gIld God­desses per square meter than any place in the world.

I got a chance to visit this sur­real marketplace quite by seren­dipity. My younger sister was setting up a temple,in the garden of her Delhi home and on earli­er visits to Jaipur had scoured the lanes and bylanes of Kha­janewalon ka Rasta for ·the most loving images of her favorite Gods. As she was leaving, she came across a rare st~tue of Ardhanariswara-half Siva, half Shakti, which combines the po-

• . tent ~nergies of both. This mar­ble idol has both male and Te­male aspects- Sivas matted locks, serpent necklace and hermit's clothing merging with the sari and jewels on the female side.

, dye textiles, and lac items can be found in Maniharon ka Rasta. .

Marble craft drives the economy of Kha­zanewalon ka Rasta. Here are hundreds of show['00ms and workshops spread like a pat~hwork quilt along the narrow lane. Every showroom is bursting with hundreds of Gods. Next to them, the humans look small and puny as they chisel on the gigantic statues, coaxing Godly graces out of the

white stone. The marble comes fro~ the mines of Markana which also provided the materi­al for the Taj Mahal.

In the back rooms one can see -" packing materials and boxes, for a great many of these icons are part of a-thriving export trade to foreign lands. As the immigrant population with Indian roots has grown in many parts of the world, a demand has been creat­ed for marble deities in the tem­ples which are opening in many parts of the Far/East, the u.s. and Europe.

As the hour's ticked away in the heat of the Khazonwalon ka Rasta, we still had not found the God we were hunting for. We had to take off our shoes every time we entered a shop with Gods, Goddesses and holy men; every shop had Ganeshas, Krish­nas and even Guru Nanak-but no Ardhanariswara. Toward day's end we reached one of the last shops with very little hope. There sat the Ardhanarishwara in a corne~. Partially. painted, it was waiting for my sister. The shopkeepers smiled. They knew my sister would find them- or Ardhanariswara would find her.

Since the statue had not yet been p¢nted, my sister had de­cided she would buy it on a later visit. The only problem now was that she had misplaced the ad­dress. How could she find it in the maze of thousands of shops?

Marble marvel: Ratan Chand paints statues which become Gods

The tourist guide book advises one "to bargain every step and not to put on a defeatist atti­tude." But my sister, an avid ne­gotiator, just could not bring her- . self to hagglt in this hallowed store. She asked, "How carll bar­gain for God?"

She was, however, confident that she would find Him- or He would find her.

Rajasthan is studded with cities, towns and villages excelling in arts and crafts, and Jaipur is certainly its crown jewel. Rajasthan has had skilled artisans wo king in brass, stone, clay, wood, ivory, silver, gold, marble, leather and textiles for hundreds of years.

The kings and noblemen of Rajasthan were avid patrons of the arts and had always encouraged their craftspeople, and the pe0-pIe of this dusty,CIesert kingdom seemed to thirst for art. Everything from their homes to the howdahs of their elephants were elab-

orately decorated. The Govind Dev'ji temple was built in such a fashion that the king CQuid see the God from the Chandra Mahal (Moon Hall). which is exactly opposite to it.

The talents of the traditional marble -carvers dill be seen in the newly-built Lax­mi Naraih temple just outside the Pink City in Moodi Doongri. Having seen m~y of these marvels, we returned to the Lane of Treasures to find our own marble treasure.

We ~ollowed Jaipur's bustling tributary of lanes, each specializing in a certain craft. In Ramganj Bazaar, one can see workers creat­ing leather shoes. Kishanpol Bazar has tie

My sister was delighted, immediately bonding with the figurine. The shop's icons painter, former muncipal worker Ratan Chand, a lean man witJ;!. a white beard, is to­day court artist to the Gods. As is the cus­tom here, the face are not painted until the piece is sold. He immediately started the fin­ishing touches asking, us to return after some time. When we came back, he put the tradi­tional final touch on the eyes and there be­fore us Ardhanariswara's stony face was transformed into mystic, be'atific glow. The peerless He/She was ready to return with us to our garden temple ho~e. :~,

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TOD AY 17

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'" AI!STRALlA'S PRIME MINISTER, Mr. John Howard, opened consecration cE;remonies at the Mandir Society of Australia's Maha Kumbhabhishekain for the Sri Vishnu Siva Mandir on June first. Foundation stones for the mandir in Canberra had been laid four years earlier. An estimated 10,000 Hindus attended the event.

SRI VIDYANANDAGIRI SWAMIJI, Peethadhipati of Sri Vyasasramam in Andhra Pradesh, is on a USA tour until September. He IS the successor of Sri Malayalaswami, who founaed Sri Vyasas­ramam in 1926. The progressive ashram's schools teach San­skrit to women and ...­members of all castes. It has 45 celi­bate men and women in separate Sri Vidyanandagiri residences and runs medical facilities and orphanages for pver 400. USA contact: Mahipal Karkaralal, phone 810-879-4685.

SIVA IS NOW WORSHIP.PED IN OMAN, in what is reportedly the first temple of its kind in any Islamic country. Hindus have also been given cremation grouhds. Omans Sultan, Al-Khubus, has even granted citizenship to a Mr. Khimji, a Hindu businessman. Oman's first non-Muslim citizen. He was also honored with the Arab honorific title . for headman or senior clan leader and is now "Sheik Bhairamji Khimji."

SCORES OF SACRED TEMPLE TANKS have fall­en into disuse and are now dry or dilapidat­ed wesores at too many Hindu temples in Chennai. "While some of them lost their scenic appeal years ago, a few are on the verge of losing their ground, too, due to rapid urbanization and encroachments," re­ports The Hindu. Multi-story buildings now hide many lovely tanks from view and have even cut off the flow of natural rainfall that keeps them full and clean.

THE TAMIL EXODUS from Sri Lanka continues unabated. Over 1,500 refugees have settled· in or near Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram district. In Europe, Lithuanian officials re­port unrest at a camp housing over 600 ille­gal immigrants, including Sri Lankans. Italy continues to intercept refugee-laden boats off its Calabnan Coast. Paris, with its long­established Tamil community, is now home

to over 60,000 Sri Lankan Tamils. "Because Pondicherry was a French protectorate, the earlier arriving Indian Tamils didn't need visas to travel to France," sources told HIN­DUISM TODAY. The Refugee Council in Lon­don is urging a United Nations review of the Sri Lankan situation. ,/

FIJI'S CONSTITUTION will be "altered to re­move discriminatory provisions that bar In­dians from political power," reports The Economist. With hundreds of amendments recommended to Parliament and approved by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, Fiji could one day h'ave an Indian PM. By Octo­ber, Rabuka hopes Fiji will return to mem- . bership in tlie Commonwealth, from which it was barred pending the return of'F>olitical freedoms.

THE OZONE HOLE over the North Pole is growing-or more accurately, thinning. The World Meteorological Organization report­ed Earth's protective ozone layer was 15 to 25% thinner in March of 1997 than in 1996. It predicts that internationa!.ly-agr~ed-upon cutbacks could mean the ozone loss will peak between 2001 and 2005. Chemical propellants and refrigerants such as chlo­rine and bromine are blamed.

BROTHER MARVIN IS WORLD MUSIC incarnate. The Trinidadian of African descent wears akurta and Nehru hat, speaks of "Mother India" and sings Hindi and English lyrics in a hit song called "Jahaagi Bhai," or "brother­hood of the boat." Trinidadian "loves India It's about the ,,-common experience of African slaves and indentured East Indian workers with "mu­si~ of distinctly Indian origin," writes Anil Mahabir, who says Brother Marvin's follow­ing in Trinidad and Tobago is "massive."

MEDIA'S FOCUS ON BRIDE BURNING paints In­dia as a dangerous place. But if statistics can be u;usted, a study by Hindus Against the Abuse of Women presented at the Sec­ond International Conference on Bride Burning and Dowry Deaths in India puts USA in the lead of familial femicide. It says USA murders of women committeCl by "in­timate relations" are 15 per year per million population. The rate in Pakistan'is 6.44 per million. India's is 6.25 per million. The study says excessive need for control and

20 HINDUISM TODAY SEPTEMBER , 1997

,,-greed may be the underlying causes, not ~ultural or religious factors. India recently passed a law making husbands and in-laws guilty until proven otherwise if a bride dies within the first year of marriage. Since , then, the rate of women killed by intimate relations dropped by more than 50%.

CHINA IS POISED to impose its own rules on the "search for and selection of young chil­dren considered to be the reincarnated ...­souls of the 'living Buddhas' who reside in Tibet's temples and menasteries," report's Reuters. Attributed to a religious affairs of­ficial in Beijing, the report stated "such rules would help to combat the influence of the Dalai Lama, Beijing's greatest rival for Tibetan loyalties."

HIRE A PUJARI ... or press the "play" button? Temple priests in Madhya Pradesh say "they are being edged out of business by the electronic media. Their services are in­creasingly replaced by tape recorders, videos and televisions," reports the Times of India. Lamenting that their children are choosing other professions, pujaris are now asking the government to help preserve their priestly training and job security at the 12,000 state-managed temples.

SUBJECTS OF THE WORLD'S ONLY HINDU king­dom are well served by Diyalo, North America's Nepalese Community News Magazine. The quarterly publication from Toronto has news, ~ssays, trekking, enter­tainment and children's features. Contact: Mr. Sharad Subba, 3-9251, 15 Avenue, St. Michel, Montreal, PQ HIZ 3P4, Canada.

AUSPICIOUS TIMING ISN'T JUST FOR HINDUS ... France's best-known astrologer, Elisabeth Teissier, reveals in her book, Under the Sign of Mitterrand,

.... how the late French president (just like ,,­Ronald Reagan) " ... re­alised astrology was a useful instrument of power," and relied on her for the timing of referendums, ad- ,,­dresses to the na- ' Teissier tells the time tibn, even readings on when Saddam Hussein would pull back his troops during the Gulf War.

BRIEFLY is compiled from press, TV and wire-service reports and, edited by RAVI PERUMAN, award-winning radio journalist at KGO in San Francisco.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SRI VYASASRAM, ANIL MAHABIR, NO CREDIT

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The complex rhythmic orchestral music of Bali rivals the best of classical traditions East or West. Played jn tem­ples for the Gods or at concerts for people, it is enjoying a sudden worldwide apprecia­tion. A special report by Wayne Vitale.

22 HINDUISM TOD AY SE;PTEMBER, 199 7

ious er ussionis Gamelan: (left ) Gamelan groap at a house ceremony in Blangsinga Village. (center) Forging a metallophone key. (right) The sa­cred Gamelan Semar Pegulingan ("Game­Ian of the Love God") at Ketewel Village is played only for religiOUS ceremonies and has not left the temple in four centuries.

Balinese performing arts. Although the academy is giving birth to a new generation of professionals, music remains by and large a nonprofessional, village endeavor.

N ALMOST ANY EVENING IN BALI,

one can hear the bell-like tones of the gamelan-from the high, shimmering melodies of the met-

Hi:tJlIU~I11Ullt:O to the deep, resonant tones of the gongs and drums­

drifting across the rice fields as vil­lagers prepare for yet another temRle cere­mony. I firs~ encountered gamelan not in Bali but in California when I sat in on a re­hearsal of Gam~lan Sekar Jaya, the Ameri­can music group I later jOined and now di­rect. Their Balinese teacher, Wayan Suweca, requested I play the kajar, the beat-keeping instrument. At the time, I was a music stu­dent at the University of California and fan­cied myself a pretty sophisticated musician. I thought keeping the beat ~hould be easy. Everything went well until the npddle of a complex composition when the whole piece turned on its head metrically, as if the downbeats were suddenly upbeats. I had no idea what was going on around me-this was something outside my musical experi­ence. At that moment I was captured.

The first real Balinese gamelan (pro­nounced gha-meh-Ion) I saw was in the vil­lage of Pe1iatan. From the first note they started to pla¥ the stage exploded with ener­gy, made all the more amazing by the fact

that the lead metallophone player was close to 70 years old. It was in great contrast with the other music which had ~egun to fascinate me at that time, Indian classical where there is a gradual build-up of tempo and complexity.

Even the structure of Balinese music seems unique. Over the centuries, Balinese musicians have developed a musical lan­guage in which layers of melody and com­plex figurations are interwoven to produce a dense tapestry of sound. The music is re­hearsed to perfect synchrony by musicians in a typical village gamelan percussion, or­chestra. No religious or secular celebration is complete without music and dance.

Organizationally, music and dance troupes in Bali are rooted in the banjar-the funda­mental unit of community within the Bali­nese village or town. Its guiding principle and philosophy is that any group must strive to exist as a coherent unit rather than as a! collection of individuals. Unlike in Western or classical Indian music, a single part or musician cannot stand alone, but is integral to the whole. For this reason, solo performance is essentially nonexistent in Bali.

Gamelan music is interlocking, meaning that the faster layers of melodic rhythmic elaboration are divided into two comple­mentary parts, which are played in close

synchrony so that they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. But this is much more than a technical exercise. I once saw two players in rehearsal working out their parts so that every physical gesture-from the way they raised their mallets to their body language and facial expressions-were com­pletely matched. It was like a dance.

Because of the constant demand for musi­cal performances, there is a very large num­ber of 1}ctive music and dance troupes on the island (one recent estimate put the total at well over 2,500). However, 'with the ex­ception oflarge hot~1 or other tourist perfor­mances, little money is made.

The most common kind of gamelan con­sists of bronze keys suspended over bamboo resonators in carved wooden frames, togeth­er with a number of bronze gongs, drums, cymbals and flutes. But there are bamboo ensembles as well-entire orchestras of bamboo marimbas or flutes. All gamelan in­struments, no matter how or where they are played, are believed to contain spiritual po­wer which must be respected with proper offerings and rituals, depending on the oc­casion and the date in the Balinese calendar on which the gamelan was originally made.

There is an amazing diversity of musical ensembles and genres. Some 25 different

kind of gamelan ensembles have been docu­mented, and the list grows as a younger gen­eration of composers experiments with new combinations and types of instruments. The ensembles range in size from the small gerk( der wayang, a quartet of musicians who play the demanding accompaniment for the wayang kulit shadow play, all the way up to the massive gamelan gong, whose 35 or 40 members perform the ancient and stately ceremonial pieces required for village rituals.

This as tonishing degree of musical activi­ty is not intended only to maintain the tradi­tion, out to extend it. New works are con­stantly being created and premiered. If deemed worthy by the players and the audi­ence, such pieces are added to the existing repertoire and may even gain island-wide popularity. The Balinese view this as a "grafting o~new flowers onto the old tree" rather than a break with tradition-an atti­tude that insures the vitality of the arts here.

These ideals find clear expression today in the National Institute of the Arts in Denpa­sar, where many of the country's besf per­formers, composers and choreographers work tG develop and transmit their arts to a new generation. The Institute also serves as the focal point for an international commu­nity of artists and scholars interested in the

People participate in these groups from a very young age, and one is often surprised to hear intricate pieces being performed by children\; groups in which the average age is only 12 years. I once attended a rehearsal of the famed gamelan orchestra from the vil­lage of Pinda. As I scanned the players, mostly in the 30s or 40s at the time, I no­ticed that one of the two jublag players was almost invisible. All I could see were his hands coming up from behind the instru­ment. It dawned on me that this was a small child, probably no more than eight years old, yet he pla,yed his part perfectly. He and oth­er children in Pinda late! formed theit own group, which played at an adult level of vir­tuosity. People do not lower their expecta­tions for child performers, with the result that they rise to the occasion and play with remarkable skill and concentration. But they still manage to remain' children, and have fun in the process.

The gamelan selur'tding is a rare and sa­cred ensemble, with keys made of iron with simple trough resonators. The one at Asak village, for example, is so sacred it is kept in its own pavilion, which is not entered by anyone except the priests 'and musicians. On those rare occasions on which this gamelan is carried in a procession, all elec-

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 23

>< <

" o ... ~

" " ~

trical cables above the street must be sev­ered, so that no man-made object is above the sacred iron keys.

The bronze instruments are all hand­forged in Bali by using centuries-old tech­niques. Each orchestra. is tuned to match a

pentatonic, or five-tone, scale that is unique to that particular set of instruments. While all !IDsembles of a similar type will be tuned to approximately the same scale: there is no uniform standard of reference. Each thus presents a unique sonic universe.

The Gong Kebyar Orchestra Most common in Bali is the full-scale gong kebyar gamelan of 30 musicians

Low-pitched metallo­phones The five-key jegogans and octave high, jublags ~ Set of 10 tuned gongs: one

person on the temmpong, one octave lower than the1'eyong

~ ~~g

c::l ~/

/ Bamboo Drums ~

~ Flute two-headV ~ ruling, wood drums

one or kendang ~ more wadon (fe- ~ \::p male) and / ~ 0

Strings kendang kajar: try """ 1'ebab lanang (male) keep~ beat ~

Gangsa section: Ten-key metallophones. The cen- \ /?\ ter ugal is the section leader, four perruu1es play ~ melody and four kantil follo~ octave~gher

Suspended Gongs all except bende are for cyclic punctuation

kempu1' ~ ~

kemong ~

~

bende

\ •• :!: •• ~~~ •• Set of 12 tuned gongs: four

musicians on the 1'eyong

Each tone in this Balinese tuning system has a corresponding tone tuned slightly higher or lower, so that ~hen struck togeth­er the two notes produce a pulsating, tremo­lo effect. This "paired tuning" is responsible for the shimmering quality so characteristic of the Balinese gamelan.

.orchestras play at dazzling tempos­enough to keep up with even the most nim:' ble-fingered classical pianist. Western musi­cians are amazed by the speed of these interlocking parts, by the pure unity of the ensemble and the fact that all the music is learned completely by heart. One baffled Western symphony .orchestra conductor 90mmented upon his first gamelan perf or-

.... mance, "Well, I don't know what they are do­ing, but they are certainly doing it together."

This sophisticated music attracted the at­tention of composer Claude Debussy in 1889, and later of Colin McPhee in 1931 who moved to Bali for eight years. McPhee espe­cially was responsible for spreading knowl­edge of gamelan in the West. Today there are more than 200 gamelan in America alone, of which Sekar Jaya (below) is one of the most widely known. Gamelan has be­come far more than an exotic import, today influencing an entire generation of Western composers and spreading its magic amon.z thousands of new devotees. ..

CONTACTS: INDONESIA-I NYOMAN WINDHA, S.S.KAR, ST SI DENPA.SA.R, JALAN NUSA INDAH , DENPASAR, BALI, (361 )

2 2 7 3 16. STSIDPS@DENPII.SA.RWASANTARA.NET.ID; I WAYAN SINTI, MA, SMKI DENPA.SAR, BATUBULAN, GI ANY:AR 8 0582,

BALI, (36 l ) 298 163. USA- WAYNE VITALE, GAMELAN SEKAR }A.YA, 6485 CONLON AVENUE, EL CERRITO, CALIFORNIA

9 4 530 USA, WAYNE@GSJ .ORG; RACH EL COOPER, ASIA SOCI­ETY, 725 P{illK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10021. CANADA ­

PROF. MICH AE L TENZER, SCHOOL OF MUSIC, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, 6361 MEMORIAL ROAD, VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA V6T 1Z2 CANADA. GBlUlANY-PROF.

DIETER MACK, MUSIKHOCHSCHULE FREIBURC,

~ ~==========================================================~ SCH WARZWALDSTR. 14~lg~:M~~:~~~:=::

·A Western Rendition ' California's Gamelan Sekar Jaya wins acclaim in Bali

EKAR JAYA ("FLOWERING

Success") is an indepen­dent gamelan ensemble that has surpassed . all

other American groups in en­durance, sense of purpose anq: acclaim. The group is based in northern California, and has been performing since 1980. The Indonesia press hailed it as "clearly the finest Balinese g amelan outside of Indonesia: Unlike in Bali, few temples in America need the services of a gamelan, and Sekar Jaya must fund-raise to pay its way On stage in San Francisco: The 35-member American group

24 HINDUISM TOD A-Y s PTEMBER , 1997

In today's era of identity pol­itics, Sekar Jaya's mu~ical ex­plorations may raise some eye­brows. These people were not born to Balinese music; they are I).ot returning to their 'roots'. Sekar Jaya's compose~s are border-crossers. As a result their work is potentially con­troversial; it can be interpreted as either homage or plunder. they have themselves strug­gled with the issue of musical exploitation, refusing at first to "meddle" with Balinese tradi­tion. But the Balinese them­selves have proved to be the most enthusiastic supporters of Sekar Jaya's innovative, cross­cultural musical experiments.

By M ARC PERLMAN, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA

. 1

MASTER MUSICIAN

'We Play to Entertain the Gods-And the People' An interview with! Wayan Sinti of Bali

-/ Performer; teacher; scholar and • composer for both gamelan or­chestra and dance, I Wayan Sin­ti has w on abundant awards in Bali's annual Festival of Arts and is a recognized expert in classical music and vocal styles. With the help of translators Wayne Vitale, Seka1' Jaya's di-1'ectow, and Rajakumar Manick­am of MalaYSia, he shared the traditional attitudes ana. beliefs of the Balinese gamelan 'musi­cians with HINDUISM TODAY.

God and gamelan Thisvform of art is God's cre­ation. Every time t.here is a cere­mony in Bali, it is accompanied by gamelan music. One of the fundamental goals is to entertain the Gods, to make the Cods feel welcome and for them to enjoy us at the ceremony We invite them. Through gamelan 'a. feel­ing of gratitude for the Gods can be expressed-gratitude that we exist, that we eat, that we live, that we have art and that we -have a way to create beauty

Proper timing

through them and tell them whats going on. Trance happens by building up the at­mosphere around them with incense, offer­ings 1l9d certain kinds of music.

Philosophy of the notes Ev~ry note in the gamelan has a partner note detuned from it slightly to create pul­sation when they are hit together. It is a re­flection of the Hindu concept of dualism [in the sense of male/female, Siva/Shakti].

If you play one of those notes without its partner, it is not complete. They are always nIt together. In gongs you have a female gong and a male gong played.together. They are even ' married' in a ceremony. The drums as well. You can't have one drum. The male and fe­male play different parts which interlock. The composite of what they play is important.

Women playing glimelan Earlier it was the tradition that only the men played gamelan. -Recently, especially in a contest of the yearly gamelan festival, there are female groups. There are no mixed groups. The only time you ever see male and fe­male together would be at the two academies in a learning sit­uation.

Men and women playing together in concert in Ball Maybe ... ..

The new gamelan

The music supports the atmos­phere of what's happening in a

Different drummer's beat: I Wayan Sinti playing in San Francisco

In 1914 a new kind of music was invented based on the pre­existing styles. The older game­Ian changed. They actu,ally melted their keys down and

ceremopy You can't do a certain part of a ritual until it becomes apparent to every­one together that this is the right moment to do the next step .. Part of that whole feel­ing is the music. The music is acting as a medium for people to connect to one an­other and to connect with the Gods who are visiting the temple.

Religious and secular music The line between religious and secular in Balinese music and dance is rtot clear. In a music festival you have two competing gamelan playing on opposite sides of the stage. On the surface that's a very secular kind of situation. People come and sit in the audience, and th;y scream and yell. Even so, there are many religious aspects. Before they do the performance each group does offerings. All the members of the gamelan

group will pray in the temple for success and unity of the ensemble before they do the cqmpetition. Nothing is purely secular. Even in rehearsals, there are offerings.

Ancestors My father and my grandfather were musi­cians. I do not know, but I hope they watch me from the heavens. Whenever we have ceremonieS-or cremation rites we offer, be­sides food, music and dance. We hope that

. the ance~tors will enjoy these. Even though they are uead, they will wake up from the heavens.

Trance compOSitions At times the priest will request certain songs to bring someone into a trance state. An ancestor or a particular God will actu­ally come and inhabit someone and speak

made this new kind of instrument to play this new music, called Gong K.ebyar. In the last 80 years, this kind of gamelan has be­come more widespread l}I1d popular. The old style was much plainer and less -: adorned. The new style ranges from hard­hitting and fast to sweet and mellow.

Gamelan outside Ball We have no problem w).th gamelan being played in other countries. Some gamelan do haveTa special spiritqal power. In consider­ation of that, those instruments should not play in certain situations, for example) in a pornographic film. From a cultural or artis­tic point of view, the people of Bali feel very strongly there should not only be tra­dition, but there should also'be innovation and new music. Things that come from out­side could be adapted to Balinese tradition.

SEPTEMBER , 1 9 97 H I'N DUISM TODAY 25

i

MUSIC

Shankar's New GD­Mantras by a Maestro' A rare rap with Ravi on his projects and future

Pandit Ravi Shankar's new CD, "Chants of India," produced by long-time friend and student, George Harrison, and €onduct­ed by Shankar's daughter and sitarproteg¢e, Anoushka, 16, is a del'ightful collection of bene­dictory Sanskrit slokas and mantras. In an exclusive inter-· view, now rare for the 77-year­old musician, Ram Shankar spoke with HINDUISM TODAY'S correspon­dent Archana Dongre in Los jinge­/es, California. Excerpts:

Some of the pronunciations on the CD are not in accord with Sanskrit grammar. SHANKAR: The variation tn pronunciation is due to regional differences. People from North India, South India, or from eastern or western parts of India tend to pronounce the same word differently. People from al­most every state ih India have their own peculiarities of pronunciations. It was also difficult to find people with superb voices who also have precise pronunciations. I did

consult with scholars during the project.

What are your plans for the Ravi Shallkar Foundation in New Delhi and CaliforniaP SHANKAR: That foundation will be a nonprofit organization de­voted to music, the performing arts and literature. The centers will also house archives of my works and those of other fine musicians. The purpose will be to establish peace and harmony through. music. Eventually, I will be spending more of the year in India and less time here in California. The centers will also delve into more cre­ative projects, like my ghana­shyam or ballet productions.

HINDUISM TODAY: Is this CD specifi­cally for Western audiencesP SHANKAR: No. I absolutely deny that. But, I did not do it only for the Indian audiences. This has been one of the most difficult challenges in my life. There are hundreds of CDs floating in the market of various mantras and stotras, which fall into three grades-the traditional shastris' chantings, mantras in beautiful ragas along with musical instru­ments, and the cOIIlD,).ercial film tune version. I did no t want to follow any of the above patterns, neither did I want to give it a West~rn garb, with full orches­tration and big chorus. I took a

Pundit Ravi Shankar: In.dia's almost mythical musical minstrel

When you had come back from India in 1992 to make your flome near San Diego you were unhappy with the government. SHANKAR: I did have some problems \\iith the Indian bu­reaucracy at that time, but all that has been..,solved now. Our government is now doing more than any other government in the world as far as arts and mu­sic are concerned.

long time to decide my method in order to keep the purity of the sound. I kept the Vedic three-note tune and arranged some ragas in the background, in flute, or violin, or cello, harp or some such instrument, to create celestial sounds. There is lots of reli­gious singing with a very univ~rsal appeal. You'll hear vina, bamboo flute and tambura but no sitar or sarod. From the vast Vedas, after six months of research, I chose a few mantras that denote peace and love. I grew up in a brahmin family listening to many of these slokas and Upanishadic'excerpts and became aware of their profound ~piritual anti calming effect. All this effort is not just for Westerners or for Indians, but for uni­versal appeal.

How has George Harrison contributedP SHANKAR: His contribution in the vocal or

26 HINDUISM TOD A.Y SEPTEMBER , 1997

instrumental background is very subtle. He is not a featured artist in it, nor did he compose any music. His role was great as a producer, in balancing, editing and mixing which he did with love and expertise.

Does he respect Sanskrit as you doP SHANKAR: His love for the In~ian culture and Vedic culture is so great tha~you will not believe it. He has studied it, resulting in knowledge and a deep appreciation. He considers me as a guru, who has initiated him in all this. Thirty-one years ag0 I gave him a book, Autobiography of a Yogi, and also Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda, which changed him so much. Then through the music, he traveled so far, questing after Maharshi Mahesh Yogi and Srila Prabhupa­das movement. We meet quite often.

What is your advice to young musicians of America-either Indians or Americans­wishing to learn Indian musicP , SI;lANKAR: Young people do not like advice. You should give them something, and then find out if they are interested. If they are, by their own choice, that will be a great service to them. My daughter and her •. friends, George Harrison's children, and several of my friends' young children have been favorably impressed with the new CD.' Many years ago, when the Gandhi film was released, I found young people were im­pressed with it. There is something in these that moves them. All my music has spiritual unClertones, and the young people are inter­ested in it. Not only in the 1960s, but even today my audience comprises young people.

CD available from: Angel Records, P. O. Box 1592, New York, New York 10028 USA.

Shri Anandi Ma-Master in the tradition of Kimdalini Maha Yoga-will be offering public meditation programs

• Antioch, CA: August 1 & 2 Tel: 510-649-3005

• Cleveland, OH: August 15 & 16 Tel: 216-261-8498

Shaktipat initiation will be offered by appointment each weekend. "With Shaktipat,

Dr. Vasant Lad, Ayurvedic Physician and Director of the Institute, with visiting faculty, offer the Ayurvedic Studies Program, seminars and pri­vate consultations.

Yearly Curriculum: • I: Introduction to philosophy,

theory and systems (Fall). • II: Introduction to Ayurvedic

assessment (Winter ). • III: Intra. to management of

imbalances (Spring).

• Correspondence Course by Dr. Robert Svoboda, Ayurvedic Physician the student is saturated with Divine Energy. After

Shaktipat, the Kundalini is permanently awakened and, like a mother, constantly cares for and nourishes her infant. One may be of any religion, caste, or creed to benefit; for all persons, the field of inner joy is the same. After Shakti­pat, the Shakti will take the student to the ultimate goal, without doubt."

• Weekend and Intensive Seminars: Ayurvedic Cooking, Psy­chology, Herbology, Pulse Reading, Sanskrit, Jyotish, etc.

His Holi/Iess jagadguru Sankaracbor)'o Sri Bborali 7frlba MabasulQmiji, of smlgerl Sborada Peelbam, KtmUIloko, htdia.

• Panchakarma-purification and rejuvenation by licensed staff: oil massage, herbal steam, cleansing diet, herbal therapy, etc.

• Ayur-yoga-integrating Ayurveda and Yoga for the purpose of returning each person to his or her balanced state.

• Ayurvedic and Western herbs, extracts, oils, books, audio and video tapes and a quarterly journal.

Write/call for our mail order catalog and information: The Ayuvedic Institute • PO Box 23445 Albuquerque, NM 87192-1445 USA Tel: 505-291-9698. Fax: 505-294-7572

Sri Curubhyo Namaha

Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc. USA • Sringeri Sadhana Center invites you to the

Athi Rudra Maha Yagnam. Conducted for the first time outside India

Z2-Septembrer 1 ~ Sringeri Sadhana Center

RD 8, Box 8116, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 USA ' Tel: 717-629-7881, 1-800-45HINDU Dr. S. Yegna Subramanian: 609-530-0299, or S.S. Iyer 908-238-1119

Among Vldyas, l'ed .. lS are supreme. fn \~ Rudram ~ supreme. In Rudram, the Paochakshari

"ijamas;lvaya" ~ supreme. :ind In I~ the tll'O syllables

"Sil'a" are supreme.

CoincidiBg with the 50th Anniversary of India's Independence in August this year, Indians living in the US will have an unprecedented opportunity to witness and participate in a spectacular Yagnam which will reverberate the powerful Vedic chant on Lord Siva - successively for 11 days.

TheAlhi. Rudra Maba Yagnam, the highest form of Vedic fire This Maba Yagnam will honor and encourage the Vedic rite to Lord Shiva, will be performed by 121 trained priests, the pandits,for their dedication to the protection and propagation of our majority of whom are coming from India for this purpose. They will scriptures, the oasis of our Dharma. chant the most powerful prayer of Hindu scripture, called "Sri We appeal to all devotees to ayall of this unique oppoI:tunity to Rudram," (a 2(}.minute chant) 14,641 times, and perform 1331 participate in thisA1aha fagnam, offer their bestfinaneial support, homas during the Yagnam, starting on August 22. and receive the inflnite grace of Lord Siva.

Conducted for the fl rst time on a magnitude unheard oL outside Sponsor at least one priest from India at US $3,000, or anyone India, the homas will take place in specially built altars at the day's Rudra japa and homa at US $501, or any other prescribed Sringeri Sadhana Center, set against the majestic backdrop of the boma at US $51, for your welfare. Please Gall609-5~0-0299 or 908-Pocono Mountains, in Stroudsburg, PA. The 4900 hours of prayer and 238-1119 (or any odler personal OJ corporate sponsorship category. \\!dicceremoniesspanning 11 days are unprecedented in America. Website: http) iwww.asaneloom/sringeri

The Sringeri Sadhana Center originated in July 1995 with the Tax deductible contributions In US dollars may be made payable blessings of HIs Holiness Jagadguru Sankaraebarya of Sringeri to SYBF-Ath\ Rudram Account. 'Please mail checks to our Sharada Peetham, Kamataka, India, to spread Sanakmo Dbarmo • registered office: in the West Discourses, Veda parayanams, lectures, and music IJ1Jis Yagnam is the bighest form afRudra Yagnam with Sringeri VidyaBharati Foundation, Silverline Coq>orate Plaza, '-""\.. concertswill take place duringthis period. Foodwill beserved for all. 14641 recitalions afSri Rudram & 1331 Rudra Hamams. 53 Knightsbridge Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854. ~;}-

~~-,~~,-~~~~~~~~~-'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~l~7 -.1:r~' ~ ,~~ ~~; ~~

,

Devasted: Police inspect remains of the large tented area constructed for the rituals

TRAGEDY

Temple Ablaze! Thirty -nine perish at reconsecration ceremonies for Thanjavur Siva Temple in South India

While pilgrimaging to the temples of South India, HINDUISM TODAY Deputy Managing Editor, Yogi Kashinatha, was present June 7, 1997, when a tragic fire broke out during massive ceremonies. His eyewitness account:

lREWORKS BURST ABOVE U$-, THEIR

. glowing embers drifting effortlessly across the temple courtyards. From

the main temple, we first no­ticed flames reach over the far corner

wall. One leapt and subsided, then another. Our focus was riveted. We said, as if hoping , it were not true, but knowing in an instant that it was, "That's the yagasala!" The flames paused momentarily, then flared in unmis­takable fury. Sparks, embers apd smoke bil­lowed up forcefully from the intense heat below. We prayed the fire woule;! somehow be put out before going too far, but knew this was the farthest point from the fire truck. A sea of terrified people were hud­dled in between. The flames leapt higher and with more force. At their n.eight tHey eq1J.alled one of the temple towers. We heard no screams from the other side; it was an eerie sight. We were awestruck, in shock, to­tally helpless. We knew the yagasala was be- ~ ing consumed and lives were being lost. We ~ had been there just minutes earlier. The tem-

28 HINDUISM TODA~ S E,PTEMBER , 1997

pIe's interior was filled with thousands of people. All lights were turned off after the fire began-making it more dominating and ominous. It burned strong for an hour, con­suming the temporary wood-and-nylon pavil­ion where special rites and homas are held. A single fire truck parked next to the ya­gasala contained no water to fight the blaze. Thirty-nine 9.evotees died and 250 were in­jured in the stampede to escape. They were. mostly elderly women already tired and un­able to cope with the crowd. A priest heard cries of "Siva, Siva!" from the dying.

Earlier in the evening, we mingled with the 30,000 pilgrims gathered to celebrate in this temple town of Thanjavur. Music and

chanting blared while colorful lights flashed. Inside the yagasala, fifty homa fires were tended by 120 Sivacharya priests. Though there was no visible outlet for the consider­able heat and smoke, there was never any sense of danger. •

This was only the fourth reconsecration of Brihadeeswara in 1,000 years. For the event, a giant yagasala structure, 400 by 300 feet, was constructed of synthetic material and covered with. a low, thatched palm leaf.roof Preceding days of ceremonies had parched this roof to tinder dryness. The days-long ceremony involving more than one hundred' priests "recharges" the temple. As part of this process, all the power of the temple Deities is temporarily transferred by the Sivacharyas into brass kumbhas (water ves­selS). These are placed in the yagasala while the main sanctum is cleaned and renovated. These kumbhas became the main concern after the fire was put out and victims had been cared for. We were that told the priests

Critics Cite Various Oversights Thirty thousand people were gathered in the "Big temple," as it is also known; but safety precautions were fatally inadequate.

Fire began In the huge yagasala, a tempo­rary wood and nylon pavilion for fire rites.

400'

9 ""

• Only one of five fire trucks contained water; siphoning water from a nearby canal was disal­lowed

• The blaze was fueled by tons of clarified but­ter and a synthetic car­pet in the yagasala

• Electric transformers were overloaded with thousands of lighting decorations

Empty • Only one narrow pas­sage provided escape

fire truck • Dozens of women and a few children sleeping in the yagasala were victims in the stampede and fire

Fireworks outside temple wall: Drifting

embers a possible cause

successfully seized all the primary kumb­has, and only two priests suffered burns. Had the main kumbhas been lost, 1,000 years oj accumulated energy would have been dispersed, a major disaster.

The priests sought advice from H.H. S;wa­mi Jayendra Saraswati, Sn.ankaracharya of the venerable Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (monastery), who was at the moment in Shimla, North India. He advised they pro­ceed with the ceremonies, and two days lat­er the ritual was completed. Afterwards, H.H. Arunagirinatha Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Paramachar.iya Swamigal, head of Madurai Aadheenam, the olcJ:est monastery in South India, disagreed with this timing. He sa~d, "Immediately pffi"forming it after the fire was wrong. Since there were multi­ple deaths, it should have been postponed for at least a year. OF$ anizers should have' asked the Saiva Aadheenams' advice rather than the Shankaracharya, because the temple is of the Saivite traditi<m, not the Smarta."

This tragedy is not alone. Just a few days later 60 perished in a New Delhi theater, and last February, 204 died in Orissa. POliticians flung ch3Y"ges and countercharges. The Tamil Nadu state government said it could not insist on preventative measures in this temple's case, because it is controlled by the Central Government as !l UNESCO world heritage monument-at 216 feet, its main tower is Asia's tallest. HH Swami Gautamananda of the Ramakrishna Mission, t hennai, said devotees should take an active role at events. 'i\t least 1,0(J0 volunteers to ensure safety and comfort of devotees should be trained. Fire

.fighters, emergency exits, and restraining of all causes of fire should be arranged. In this case almost none were there to help."

Asked for a mystical explanation at this event, H.H. Sri Sri Sri Trichy Mahaswamigal of KaM:asa Ashram, Bangalore, sald there were "drawbacks in the performance ofthe temple rituals." He discounted such expla­nations as the removal for cleaning of the 12-

foot gold kalasa on top of the temple. He consoled, "The dead are punyavan ,(merito­rious), for they would have uttered God's name at the time of death. I am convinced of their auspicious departure since they left their mortal coil at the holy temple. Karma's • law is subtle but clear-~elfare ensues from good deeds and misery from bad aeeds. The afflicted have to recollect their past deeds and atone piously as they are able."

Another saint offered, "It is said that what­soever one has on his mind at the time of the great departure is the d,.estination within the inner lokas, and sets the pattern for the next life on Earth. Those ,blessed souls, who had Supreme God Siva on their mind and in their hearts at this most auspicious occasion, who were taken up by His fire of grace are thrice blessed. Some attained moksha, freedom from rebirth, others a place in the Brahma Loka at His feet and the ass~rance of an ex­cellent birtli having, through His fire of grace, cooked the seeds of past karmas." ~

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HI N DUISM TODAY 29

\

Keys to Hindu protocol for novices and W@stern pilgrims to the holy lands

EARLY EVERY INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ON z the pristine embodiment of a profound Earth is reevaluating, rediscoy.ering and g philosophy. It is an Eastern culture that reappreciating its ancient ways, the tra- ~ gives freedom within the bounds of duty

o£ 1:he forefathers. Tradition is .., to elders, spouse and children. Western best of the past that has Deen car- culture gives freedom to the individual,

ried fonyard for tne future. Among Hin- irrespective of the !1Urts he may inflict dus, too-a peop~e of many nationalities com- on othe11s. The sense of duty is the foun-prlsing one sixth ef tthe huWan race-'tihe old, dation of HiIfd1!l culture, and in perform-refined cultme o£ simple, wholesome living is ing duty one finds freedom within one-being recognized as a way Qf wisdom. As the age self through yoga. Culture arises out of of infermation gathers speed at the dawn oflthe the attitudes, which are the outgrowth of milleniur;n, efforts are being made in every com- U L-_______ _ ~ _____ ___I the belief structure, of an individual or munity to preserve and pass this knowledge on to future genera- collective group. To be cultured !!leans to exemplify the highest tions. This movement rides on a new pride, a renaissance of inspi- qualities of one's society, religion or philosophy. There are countless ;ration, a r:ec.uperation £rom centuries of British domination of India ways the Hindu attitudes of compassion, respect and self-efface­in which mndu dignity was systematically undermined through the ment are expressed. The keys below were developed by travelers to Macaulay education system. 'ifoday, as well, there is a burgeoning in- India who learned the hard way how to get along in a different cul­terest among Westerners Ito understand and adopt Hindu ways. ture. We summarize their cues and clues as a simple @ide for Those seeking to fully live the Hindu culture who have been raised novices and to assist Western seekers pilgrimaging in the holy lands in non-Hindu environments face many challenges. Hindu culture is to fit in as smoothly and unobtrusively as possible.

Hindu culturre.is an-expres~ion 5flove, respe~t, honoring others and humbling ones pwn ego so iliat the-inner nature, which is naturally pure and !podest, will shipe forth. 11his is exemplifi.ed-in tne Hindu greeting in which we honor" the Di­vinitry' within: eaCh person, knowing that God is everywhere and in all things. By this and ether gcts of mverence, such as the following, Sanatana Dharma's truths are brought to the forefrent.of tne mind many times each day. • RespecJ for Elders: Respectl or elders is a !keystone of Hindu culture. This ac­knowledgment of seniority ~~ dYJl}..onstrated -through endeaFing customs such as:

_. sitting to the left of elders, bringing gifts on special occaSIons, :not sitt;ing while they are stan'Eling, net ,sgeaking exeessively, net yawning or stretching, not putting ones opinions f9rward strongly, not Gontradicting or ru;guing, seeking their. advice anm blessings; giving them first choice of seats, inviting dIem to take ,their .food first or serving them :first. • Honoring Parents: CUltured Hindus serve b'heir parents and close relatives all through life, honoring them fhrough obedience and affection, and by proyiding support and c0mfort during old llge. · . • Name Protocol: Youngers never use the proper name of their elders. A Tamil yeuBger bFother, for example, refers to his elder brether a~ annai (brother), or periafJ-nai (elder brother). \fthe elder may IUse the name of the younger. Children tefer te acl.ults as auntie 0;r uncle. ;Adults .refer: to each other as, elder or younger brother Qr'Simply brQther lli,kewise fer·women}. Only INyB the same age occa­sionally use the frrst;name. A Hindu 'wife speaking of heF husband, rathell than using his given name, uses terms such as "my husband: "him" or, for example, "10thi's father." When addressing yogis, swamis or sadhakas, one uses the title, not personal pronounslhor the name alone). For example, one would not ask, "What do you want[" Instead, ene ~oulcl. inq,uire, "What does swami want?" • Touching Feet:'One touches ilie feet of holy persons in recognition of their Di­\Cinity. and attainment. A dancer touches the teacher's feet before lessons. Chil­dren prostrate on, the £loor and touch the feet of their mother and {ather at spe­cial times, such: as New Year's day, Pirthdays and before parting for a journE!y.

30 HINE>,U~SM 'fO ElAY SEP T>EMB.ER , 1997

~ * ~ GUests In tile Home

Hindu tradition lays great stress on the respect·due to guests. All guests are GoQ, Who comes in many forms. The greatesrhurt is the thought that the host or

~ hostess does not enjoy one's presence in their home. Therefore, Hindus go out of their way to malCe each guest feel welcome. It is propel' p;rotocol to drop w.hat­eve11 one is doing, no matter how important, to entertain a visitor. One o£ the !pri'7~leges of friendship in the East is being able to drop by any time without advance nofice. V'i.siters may ruseleav.e in the same casual way, saying ''I'll be go-ing now," without necessarily even saying g00dbye. . • Refreshments: It is customary to always offer your visitor something to eat and drink. Usually tea ili served, but at least a glass ef water should be offered (with a smile and apology). Likewise it is an insult for the guest to refuse short eats or drinks, or to not even sip a glass of water, even when time is short. • Hosting: Children generally leave the room, with a smile, when guests enter. The mother remains close by to serve as needs arise. TIle father, if present, w ill speak-with the guest. If not present, the mother ana a son will fulfill this role, and if no son is present, the mother may act as hostess, but only with the ac­companiment of someone close to the family. • Wife Home Alone: If the lady of the house is home alone and a male visitQr comes to see her husband, it is not proper for her to invite him in, nor for him to expect to enter. Rather, he will leave a mess-age and take his leave. • Punctuality: Eastern life is generally more relaxed than in the West. A good guideline is do not be surprised or offended if your guest arrives late or eayly. But be punctual in your own engagements, as this is appreciated: • Giving Gifts: Gifts are always given when one stays over night as a guest in someone's home. The value of the gift varies greatly, del'>ending upon circum­stance. It is proper to give a separate gift for the wife and t he husband. The wife ;receives the nicest item. • DUl1atlon of Stay: It is quite imf,>0lite to ask a guest hQw long he intends to stay, but it is good protocol for guests to make their plans and itinerary known from the outset.

Exchange Of Prana Prana is the -ilife principle, the subtle energy that emanates from the psychic'

''force centers called chakras. Religious people, being sensitive to1:he various ex­pressions of prana, are careful;in how they manage their own energies and dis-

~ criminating about the pranas they receiv.e from the wo;rld 'around them. Pre­vailing pranas create a forcefield, positive or negative. The ideal Hindu home is a positive forcefield, kept strong through right !hought, word and deed. • .Homecomlng: Upon arriving home from work, it is customary to imrhediately bathe and enter the shrine mom for special blessings to disp-el worldly force~ ,quiet the mind and regain a centered, spiFitual consciousness.

- • Giving and Receiving: Giving and accepting things, prese9ting offe11ings to the Deity, etc., is pl'Operly done with both nands, to endow more energy to the ob­ject This exchange of energies is vital' for friendship and harmony through wholehearted release by the giver and conscious acceptanG~ by the reGipient. • Throwing Things: Throwing an object to another person, even to a close friend, is improper. Cultured Hindus conside~ this crude, even mildly violent. ~ Greetings: Hindu men traditionally greet one another with hands in anjali mudra (prayerful pose), then, witn palms still held together, extend their hands to one ,another, in a two-handed handshake. This is a deliberate transfer of prana. The hands of one man, usually tlie less senior, are .g~ntly clasped be­tween the others. Each looks smilingly into the otner's face while bowing slight­'ly in hUNlility. • Doorways: It is inauspieious to converse inside or thr0ugh doorways. Similar­ly, to exchange or give or lend an objeot, one fi;rst steps inside the re0m, 0r the rEfcipient. steps out of the room, so that both parties are in the same space. • AuspiCiousness: To ensure optimum timing for imp0l;tant events, Hindus guide their life by the map of auspiciousness, deten;nined by astrology and in­dicated in the annual almanac, called panchanga. It provides vital information about the subtle but powerful affect of the planets and stars, indicating the pre­vailing forces of each day, the best times for innovations, travel, planting crops, routine work, personal retreat, seminars, marriages and othe11 sacraments.

HINDUISM TODAY 31

rlodaaty -' _ ... Interactions in public oetv.,een lIIlen and women are geneFally more r.estrained"'" in Asian culture than in Westel';Il oulture. For the most part, men socialize with men and women with women. Men never touen women in gublic-such ,as helping a wo~an 01:1t of-a- car, unless the lady is very elderly or infiFrn. .In the temple (see art)', womert wQrsH'p on the left, andrp.en on th!}righJ:.

, • Hlnllu Clothlng:.Traditional Hindu attire is modest and dignified, elegaL).t yet never enticing-; worn by staunch Hindus always at ,aome, ilil the teml"le arid at re­ligiQUS or cultural evelilts. Women wear rieR cmstumes and jewelry for religious and cultural events. They never expose breasts, navel or thighs.

~ • ChastllY: £exuall"urity is a cardinal virtue, controlling lusj; by remaining celi-bate when single and faithful in marriage. Boys and girls are taught to value and protect their chastity as a sacred treasure, and to save the special gift mf inti­macyfol;' their future spouse. • Chaperoning: Parent~ chaperone and monitor friendships of sons and daugh­ters, closely guiding the private and social life of their children and teaching them the dmpor.tance of wh@lesome companionship. Dating is traditionally mot f>ermitted, and marFiages are arranged to ensure the m@st auspicious match. • ~Idellty: Sexual/psychic enetgies are carefully directed and contained in the close-knit family,. The wife's duty is to give her energy to her husoand and make hIm strong. The hwband proteets and provide's fOF the family. Children give their

- energy to their parents, ;their first gurus, obey and heed their good example. • Displaying Affection: MiFried couples in Asia db not hug, hold hands or kiss in public. Even emoracihg at airports and train stations is out of the question. • Propriety: It is improper to praise the beauty of another man's wife (or daugh­ter) lest on.ejnadvertently suggest an improper interest in her. All older women are,viewed as one's mother and younger women as a sister. A!lso, one does not praise the beauty of a child 01; infant, protecting young ones from jealousies. • Garlanding: Women do not garland men, and men do not garland women. Such exchanges are restricted to the marriage ceremony. However, a woman can garland her husbane or aer satguru.

Womanly Protocol Women in !Hindu society. are hela in the highest regard, far more resp~cted and }Dxotected, in truth, than in the West. This does not imply. the kind of equality er participation in puOlic interactions that are common in the West. A woman will often be given preferential treatment in India at such places as ticket counters. At meals, though, the men are usually expected to go first, Feminine refinements are expressed and protected through numerous customs, including the following. • Modesty: The qualities traditi@lilallymestradmiredion Eastern w@men.areshy-. ness, self-effacement and modesty of dress and deportment. Self-assertive @r bold tendencies are regafded willi circumspection. • Mixed Company: In mixee compamy, Hindu women wm keep in the back­ground and net participate freely in conversation. This, of course, differs among family and clese fFiends. When male guests are in the home, the women will ap­pear when it is proper. Visitors do not expect or ask to meet them. • Walking with Husband: The wife walks a step or two behind her husband, or, if walking by his side, a step or two sack, always giving him the lead. (In the West, the oppesite is often true'1 • Serving Meals: At mealtime, women traditionally follow the ancient custem of serving the meni irst befQTe eating. • Chaperoning: It is customar¥ for a woman leaving the !home fa always 1he ac­eefuJilanied, 'generally Eiy her husband, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, m0fher, daug~ter, sister or another lady close to the family, or among a group of bmth men and women. Women in traditional areas rarely eye,n walk across the street alolile, UNless they are QldeJ', Living alone, too, is unusual. • Moving In Public: Generally, it is Iconsidered iimproIJer for women to spea\< with strangers on the street much less strike up a casual cOnversation. Drinking or smoking in publiClis viewed as a sign of moral laxity. • Shelter and Care: w:lien away from home, hl:lSbands contact their wife each day to express their love ana inq,uire about her day. • Monthly Retreat: D1:1ring their monthly period, Asian women do not pre12are food, attend social gatherings or attend the temple or home shrine.

HIND~nsM TOEJA¥

Body Language Hindus know that C;od is everywhere and in all things. This realization brings dynamic contentment ana appreciation for tne fact that life is to be lived joy-

_' ously. This understanding is expressed in Hindl!l pe:£!>Qrtment, or ''hedy: lan­r guage." Every movement'of the body; the face, hands, eyes, mouth, head, etc.,

has,!li meaning. Children and .r;tewcomers te the culture are taugnt ito aeept re­;fined 9@eylanguage and to be.Qome sensitive to the thoughts anciifeelings o~ oth­ers, who may Iie.<'ta'lking" even when not sf>eaking. • Kindly Words and Co.untl!nance: Hindus strive to keep a :£!>leasant expressipn

_ 'qn theiI:[ace, a gentle smi1e and a kind word for everyone they meet through the ~:i:::1I:t'~;'r!L:; ~ .uay .. ;'I1hey J(now in their hem;t of nearts that everything iFl tile universe is in a

;perfe,ct state of evolution at every point in time. • Car.e In Sitting: it is a grave l!J.sult to sit w ith one's legs outstretched toward a

~ temple, a shrine or altar, OF another person. Qne never sits higher tIlan elqers or holy perSONS. Worshiping in the kneeling pose is not acceptable among iHln­dus. Youths follow the example of traditional elders.

~ '~ 'Gestures of Humility: As stated in scripture, humility is 'strength not a weak­::ness, pride is a weakness, not a strength. For example, orthodox Hindus will

., place <the ir hand in front ef their meuth w.nen speaking to aNother, especially , an elder, in a gesture of respect. ' Humility is expFessed in ways Qf standing, sit­

ting, listening, greeting others and more. I. Pl1ideful Postures: Prideful postures are to be avoided, sUl!:h as sit'ting with one foot placed on tlhe opposite thigh, or with arms [aIded or chin held ex-8eerungly high, or with hands on the hips with head cocked to the side. 11hese gestUres are signs of arrogance and a superiority complex. ~ POinting: Pointing with the forefinger of the right hand (or shaking tne fore­finger in emphasis) is never done. This is because the right hand possesses a powerft!!, aggressive pranic force. PointiNg the index finger channels that force into a single stream. The harshness of this energy woule be felt in. the '\ilerve sys-,tern of the recipient. To show direction or emphaSiS, the entire' hand is <used as a :\?ointer, wjth the palm up and the tlhumb held alongside the forefinger.

;" FuFitY 'and its opposite, pollution, are a fundamental paJ7t of Asian culture. . While they ,imply a strong sense of physical cleanliness, their more U'nportant ~mEl.anings extend to 'social, cerem0I\ial, mental, emotional, pSYGHic and spinitual

~ ·contamination. Here are several ways purity is preserved. • Cleanliness: Hindus keep their' neme enyirenment clean and unclvtte(ea to

~ cteate a str.,ong spwitual vibra,tion and not attract negativ~ f0J7ces. They seek . ~ fresh aiIi and sunshine ana surround themselves with beauty; ~ 'Personal Health: Hindus' keep strong and healthy through a baJancetl ayur-vedic 'giet" mQdeJ;ate daily exyrcis~, hatha yqga and vigorous work. !"

.:r . Well-b~lng: Mehtal anOl spjriJual purity is maintained tihrough daily mediotation .- and worship, scriptural study,.right living and right thinking.

1. ~'Pul1lty-and Food: In a ma'rKet, one does not touch food one doesn't interld to ' ~ ·buy. Qne cObkingJo.od for others would: never taste of a dish an,d then put_the

spoon back in the pot, nor touch the lips to a water vessel used by others, nor lick ~ 120stage 2 tamps ,or offer to another food one lhas partaken '0£ ~'Sanctified ~ood Leavings: The opposite is lirue jn the Gase of the satgum's fQod

-' le~vings. Food that the gur1:1 has tasted of is revered as sacred. This, and the wa­ter from the washing of the, holy feet,is sought after and imbibed fuy devotees for tIle great spiritual blessings that it contains toware moksha.

:- • Offerings: One does"not sniff flowers picked for offerfng-even the smell is for .thr..e God,S, not for us. F)ow~rs that fail to the ground sllould not be offered. Of­

- --ferings are carried with both hands on the lTigat side of the bo0.y, so as to not 1::>e " "'breathed mi . .All items are wasnedin preparation, then wraFlp.ed or co\(er~d. - • The Left Hand: The left hand is considered impme because it is used for per­

.j sonal hygiene by washing after answering the call of nature: Handing another ~ person anything with ,the left hand is considered a subtle insult.

• Footwear: ShoesJ being impure, are not worn inside the temple or home. Car­rying shoes is also avoided. One apoLogizes immediately if @nes footwear -touch­e~ another. This is done by touching the right hand to where the foot touched the oili.er 'person, then touching the hand lightly to the left eye and tlhen the fight.

NEW FRONTIERS

Italy's Hindu Controversy Swami YoganandagiJi seeks official status for Italian-born Hindus in the le-nd of the Vatican

E HAVE TO OVERCOME A MISUN­derstanding asserted by Italian

scholars that one has to be born in India to be a Hindu. Our Sangha also hopes to spread the authentic

TODAY accepted the invitation and sent rep­resentatives Acharya Ceyonswami and Tyagi Skandanathaswami to the meeting.

Hindu culture among Italians who take yoga as just a sweet gymnastic," stated Swami Yoganandagiri. His December invitation to HINDUISM TODAY outlined plans for a June international conference in Milan on the controversial subject of conversion to Hin­duism, among other subjects. The problem is serious in Italy, for Hinduism is not offi­cially recognized by the government. An in­dividual's conversion and name change can­not be legalized. Tax-deductable status is not gr.anted to Hindu organizations. HINDUISM

Twelve years ago, Italian-born Swami Yogananandagiri established the Gita­nanda Ashram in Savona, perched in the hills a few miles from the sparkling blue Mediterranean Ligurian Sea above Corsi­ca. He became a yogi in his teens and was trained in India by Swami Gitananda, among others. He learned Sanskrit, ab­sorbed the South Indian Agamic tradition, received sacraments making him a Hindu and was initiated as a renunciate monk.

Skanaanathaswami reported later, "I could­n't believe my eyes when we"reached Savon­na. Swami Yogananandagiri and a small band

of dedicated Italian Hindus have established full traditional Hinduism at his ashram. Stepping into his Sri Chakra temple was like being in India. Other swamis teach yoga but often remain at distance from Hinduism. But YoganaIJdagiri boldly declares his Hin­du heritage, and that-in Italy!"

Impossible for Non-Ind.ians ,

~'L'Induismo, scelta impossihile pe,r chi non e nato in India"

Marlo Plantelll, Professor of Indian Religions and Phlloso­hlas, University of Torino, Italy In an Interview with l'Unlta:

ALL SCHOLARS AGREE THAT the cate.,gory 'Hinduism' is something created by Oriental­ists. This obviously does not exclude the existence of an Indian spiritual experience. But at a certain point it was decided to use this label, which during Colonialism be­came a flag for independence, and after that an attempt was made by the people of India to recognize themselves in a com­mon religion. In my opinion, this common religion is noth­ing but a ghost. So many dif­ferent experiences sprouted on the Indian soil that it is ·diffi-

cult to place them in a unitary phenomenon. Hinduism is a category born by adoptipg the term Hindu, a Persian expres­sion used by Muslims to quali­fy all those that in India who are p.ot Muslims, Jews or Chris­tians; th~ is, "the others."

There are legal pronounce­ments that Hindus are Indian citizens belonging to a religion born in India. This means Buddhists, Sikhs or Pafsis, even those who did not recog­nize themselves as Hindus, are to be considered Hindus. After Independence, outcastes previ­ously not admitted into tem-

pIes were ~so suddenly raised to the rank of Hindus.

Non-Indian Hindus around the world generally belong to groups, experiences or schools which are irrelevant compared to the Indian experience. They live far from India, trying to get in touch with its reality. Buj; they suffer from identif}.ca­tion problems. Indian are ques­tioning whether or not such so-called Western converts can be admitted to temples. While

, so-called Hindu radicalism finds its strength in [Hindlil ethnic identity,. the more tradi­tionalist stratum of Indian soci./ ety identifies with universal laws which indicate behavior models and the specific varna dharma, or caste rules, which apply only to Indians. Out­siders are "barbarians." ... Hin­duism is an impossible choice for those not born in India.

Fire ceremony: Visiting swamis joi"n Swami Yoganandagiri for yagna in the Sri Chakra temple at his Gitananda Ashram in Italy

not born in India. He was unanimously countered by all the Hindu delegates, who cited Indian Supreme Court decisions and statements by Swam1 Vivekananda and Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, former president of In­dia. That might have b~en the end of the is­sue, but the day after the conference ended, a national Italian daily, L'Unita of Rome published Piantelli's opinions in a major arti­cle. Swami Yoganandagiri flew to Rome to issue a rebuttal [see below]' and the debate entered the national forum.

Swami had many allies. Dr. R. Gopalakr­ishnan, Director, Radhakrishnan Institute for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Universi­ty of Madras said, "As an Indian and as C! Hindu, I find there is no truth in tliis state­ment that those who are born in India alone are eligible to become Hindus." Dr. At­ulchandra S. Thombare from Pune, India says, 'J\. man can change his nationality, and even his sex, why not religion?" Indian Am­bassador to Italy, Mr. Fabian, a Catholic, said: "Faith is a matter of the heart and personal choice. If someone practises Hinduism and is accepted by Hindus, then he is one."

The conference is the first organized by Swami's newly created Unione Induista Ital­iana, (Italian Hindu Union), an attempt to unify under a Hindu banner those Italians already immersed in Indian culture. The three days included workshops on Indian dance, yoga, ayurveda and astrology pre-

sented by leading Hindus. But the pivotal debate was taking place at meetings that pit­ted Italian professors of religion against Hin­du swamis and delegates on the issue of con­verting t(9 Hinduism. Chief adversary, Professor Mario Pianatelli, opin'ed that con­version to Hinduism is impossible for those

Swami is allying himself with the Bud­dhists, who are also pressing for official recognition in Italy. They are, according. to Swami, two years ahead of the Hindus in the decade-long process of changing the com­plex Italian law~ relating to conversion. _

CHECK THE HT WEBSITE FOR FULL UNEDITED STATEMENTS

PiantelJi, Hindus Do Exist «PHmtelli, gli indu esistono!"

italian-born Swami Yoganandaglrl, Italy's founder of 8ltananda Ashram, Italy:

CONTRARY TO PROFESSOR Piantelli's statements, the Ital­ian Hindu Union comprises people who not only love India, but have received a religious formation in India with all sacraments and who identify $emselves deeply and serious­ly with the Hindu faith. The statement that "Hinduism" is a neologism referring only to

• those born in India, is a wrong interpretation. The word Hin­au has evolved. Today in mod­ern India Hindus are those fol­lowing the principles of Sanatana Dharma. Its main characteristic is its universality.

•

There are no decrees or SCIJip­tures which say only those born in India can be Hindu. What about the children of the Hindus born in America, Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritiul' and Europe? They call themselv~s Hindu just like we Italian Hindus. So, how can it be an exclusive religion only for those born in India? On the contrary, the Supreme Indian Court in 1966 codified the Clef­inition of Hinduism and in 1995 confirmed that: "Hindus are those who accept the Vedas (sacred text) as the highest reli­gious and philosqphical author-

, ity and are tolerant and accept that truth can have many facets, who believe in cosmic cycles, rebirth and pre-exis­tence and recognize that many­paths lead to salvation." '

Finally, referring to Piantelli's statement "Does the phrase 'Italian Hindu' have any mean­ing?" Italian Hindus, among which there are also Indian cit­izens living in Italy, already ex­ist and are recognized by IndJ­an Hindus and Buddhists. Ma:6.y governments have legally recognized Hinduism. Maybe in Italy, the missionary Catholic heritage, which makes the possibility of conversion difficult, still predominates. Someone has stated that it is possible to leave Hinduism and become a Christian, a Bud­dhist, etc. There is nothing in the universe which, if you can abondon, you cannot adopt.

------------------------------------------------------------------~---------------------------------------------------------------------34 HINDUISM TODAY SEPTEMBER , 1997 SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 35

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Pooja International Gifts. Complete pooja, wedding, havan items, spiritual books, chil­dren's books, religious statues, sari blouses, kur­ta pajamas. Call for mail order or list. Visa/MC/Am.ExlDiscover. 34159 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94555-2230 USA. Tel: 510-793-7930. Fax: 510-793-7026

Education

Excellent correspondence course on Vedic Astrology by Jyotish Krishnan, recipient of several awards including the recent award of Jyotish Vachaspathi by Icas, India. His book entitled Ashtaka Varga Made Simple for the Western Astrologer is available for sale by the author. Tel/fax: 972-783-1242 or write PO Box 852892, Richardson TX 75085-2892 USA.

Palmistry: read about vedic palmistry on web­site: www.palmistry.com. Ask for our free palmistry newsletter. Info: tel: 800-307-2292 or 514-488-2292. Fax: 514-488-3822, Canada.

Free Products and Services

Free educational flow charts on all aspects of Hinduism. Write to Viswanath. Am I a Hindu? [ISBN 1-879904-06-3} Box 56697, New Orleans, LA 70156-6697 USA.

Find God. Please contact Dr. Aruna, 183 Jalan Besar, Bukit Tengah, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Penang, West Malaysia

For inspiration, call 808-822-SIVAl7482 day or night for a recoided sermonette by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. A total of sixty different upadeshas are rotated and are

changed daily. Each one is from ten to eighteen minutes-covering topics such chakras, han­dling karma, fear and other states of exter­nalized consciousness, affirmations, putting teachings into practice, color meditations, and much more.

Jewelry

Affordable jyotish gems/jewelry. Vedic astrological prescriptions filled. Paramahansa Yogananda bangles. Meditation beads. Free information. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Order by mail from King Enterprises, 1305 N. H Stl A-289-T, Lompoc, CA 93436-3335 USA. Call 1-805-693-0911 (business hours).

Music and Art

Heart-melting Deity miniature paintings from India at website: http://www.lakshmi. com. Catalog: Lakshmi International, 411 Madison St, Boonton, NJ 07005-2051 USA.

Devotional sculpture: Classic stone-cast murthies of Hindu deities for your home or temple. Ganesh, Shiva, Laxmi, Sarasvati, Durga. Ht: 2 ft. (61 cm) or 4-5 ft. (1.2-1.5 m). Com­missions available. Catalog, tel: 800-608-8632 , 515-472-8115. Vedic Sculpture Studio, 607 W Broadway #144, Fairfield, IA 52556-3200 USA.

Exquisite Vedic paintings done to order at very reasonable prices. Art book, Windows to the Spiritual World, containing over 108 color prints (14 double-page) 8.5 x 11 inches, hard­bound, dust jacket: US$45. Contact for free flyer: Pushkar, PO Box 1094, Alachua, FL 32615 USA. Tel: 904-462-0144. Fax: 904-462-7893.

East Indian instruments and gift items. Giant selection of instruments: harmoniums, tabla, daggas, kirtan instruments, audio/video tapes. Also incense, spiritual books, etc. For a beau­tiful catalog, send US$l to Encinitas Imports, PO Box 230419-H, Encinitas, CA 92023-0419 USA. Tel: 619-436-9589.

Products/Stores

Purity Farms organic traditional ghee. 100% pure, from cows raised completely free of hormones, chemicals or pesticides. A delight to cook with! Wholesale or retail. Call 303-647-2368, USA.

Highest quality ayurvedic products and books on ayurveda, meditation and yoga. Bulk herbs, fragrances and incense. "Yoga of life." For free brochure: 505-856-6675 (USA).

Evolution~ vegetarian health food for dogs, cats and ferrets. No slaughter-house waste as found in all meat-based pet foods. All­vegetarian; contains more essential and extra nutrients than any other brand. Five to ten extra healthy years for your companion guaranteed. Brochures and discounts available. 287 E 6th St #270, St. Paul, MN 55101-1926 USA. Tel: 612-228-0632, 612-227-2414.

Publications

Auromere: Sri Auroblndo books, classical spir­itual texts, ayurveda books, children's books from India, ayurvedic products, incense, and much more. Free catalog: 1-800-735-4691 (USA).

Sri Aurobindo books. Ayurveda. Reiki. Classi­cal spiritual texts. Homeopathy. Aromatherapy. Alternative health. Also over 7,000 health products including ayurveda, homeopathic remedies, herbal remedies, incense, essential oils, massage oils, etc. Wholesale-retail-mail order. Free catalog. Lotus Light, Box 1008HT, Silver Lake, WI 53170-1008 USA.

Palani Pan chang 1997. Trivedi's American Panchang available in English or Gujarati. US$9 + US$2 slh. 3 versions for NY, Chicago, San Francisco times. 510-490-1533. Devendra Trivedi, 4831 Piper St, Fremont, CA 94538 USA.

Ferment-monthly. Topic and inspiration: Goddess Kali. Discusses tantrik, devotional writings, relates Jung to Kali. To receive three recent issues send US$5 to Colin Robinson, Ferment, PO Box K856, Haymarket NSW 1240, Australia. E-mail: crobinson@wr.com.au

Cookbook: Conscious Cuisine. Delicious and Simple Vegetarian Recipes with Italian and Indian Influence. by Angelo De Vivo. US$15+ shipping. Tel:401-642-9238. Fax: 402-642-5240 (USA). E-mail: Margdevi@aol.com.

The Major Distributor of books from India.

A sampling from our catalog: • The Broken Tusk: Stories of Ganesha. Krishnaswami. US$19.95 • Hindu Astrology Lessons: 36 Teachers Share Their Wisdom. Ed. by Richard Houck. $16.95 • Lakshmi Puja, Dipavali Puja: Book with Cassette. $12.95 • Book of Daily Prayer for All: Meditations on Siva-Sakti. Das. $9.95 • Sacred Hindu Symbols. Chatterjee. $23.00 • Vishnu and His Incarnations. Gupta. $16.00 • Vedanta: What Can It Teach? Raina. $18.00 • Light of Truth. Dayanand Saraswati. $20.00

Vacation/Retreat

Brighton Beach Haus, a "to-rest inn" by the ocean-one hour north of San Francisco. Per­fect for retreat. Tel: 415-868-9778 (USA) .

The Cave. Are you ready for the next step? Is your spirit "climbing the wall" to be free? Do you want to go deeper? Does true stillness evade you? Perhaps you are ready for Samad­hi Cave, (NM, USA). Available for sadhana on donation basis, March- November. Tel/fax: 505-473-3560. http://www.samadhihermitage.org E-mail: ananda@samadhihermitage.org

Videos

Ramana Maharshi Video. Just released! Nar­rated by Ram Dass, Abide As the Self presents the essential teachings of Ramana Maharshi. Includes comprehensive live footage, rare photographs, and interviews with H. W.L. Poonja, Douglas Harding, Allan Anderson and others. Inner Directions, PO Box 231486H, Encinitas, CA 92023-1486 USA. Tel: 800 545-9118 or 619-471-5116. Fax: 619-471-0337. E-mail: mail@innerdir.com

Acclaimed spiritual videos: Sadhana­India's holy men, see the Kumbha Mela. 60 min. US$33.95 pstpd (ck). Pal and Catalog available. Penny Price Media. 355C Lake Pleasant Dr. Staatsburg, NY 12580 USA. Tel: 914-876-0239, fax 914-876-0260

Sana tan Dharma: Pilgrimage to the Source of Eternal Wisdom. 43 min. US$32.95ppdin us. A visit to Babaji's ashram in Himalayas. Free catalogue of music, books, jewelry, etc. Fax: 402-642-5240. Tel: 402-642-9238. (USA) E-mail: Margdevi@aol.com.

Yoga

Yoga in Daily Life Yoga classes, guest lecturers, satsang. Yoga related items, books, audio & video tapes and more. • 1310 Mt. ~mon, Alexandria, VA 22301 USA. Email: yidl@erols.com Tel: 703-299-8946. Fax: 703-299-9051

Yoga Audio cassettes-spontaneously inspired unique lectures on all aspects of yoga science and philosophy, not available elsewhere. Free catalog. Mandala International, 10545 Main Street, Clarence, NY 14031-1624 USA

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Hinduism Today is looking for unusual news items that impact the global Hindu ~amily. Quips, quotations, cartoons, professional pho­tographs, anything that you think will be of in­terest! Send to Hinduism Today, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, HI 96746-9304 USA or call 808-822-7032, x227. Fax: 808-822-4351. Email: Tyagi_Arurnugaswami@hinduismtoday.kauai. hi. us

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The Sri Chinmoy Institute of Ayurvedic Sciences offers authentic training in the ancient traditions of Ayurvedic Medicine. Comprehensive programs taught in all areas: nutrition, pulse diagnoses, Ayurvedic skin care, massage, Panch Karma (cleansing' and rejuvenation), and herbal medicine. Taught by Vrrender Sodhi, MD. (Ayurved), N.D. and N.D. staff Now enrolling evening and weekend seminars.

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Learn at Home by Mail Self study courses: • Hindi in 2 months • Sanskrit in 6 months

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Call or send us an e-mail for a free catalog: Vedic University of America, 10509 Caminito Basswood San Diego, CA 92131-1704 USA. Tel: 1-619-578-7790 Fax: 1-619-578-8293 • E-mail: VedicU@cris.com Visit us on the internet: http://www.cris.coml-vedicul

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INV ESTING IN THE FUTURE OF HINDUISM

Consecration: Kumbhabhishekam completed for the now full-fledged home to Ganesha

Brick, Mortar Not Enough A small temple arises from one man's big heart

GOWRI SHANKER, CHENNM AMY, AS TIRU TIRUVAN­

miyur Ramasamy Chin­nathamby is popularly

.known, is exceptional. How else would you describe a man who, driven by a frenzy to install Lord Ganesha in his native village, bicycled ninety miles in a day, then returned the same distance carrying a 1]'0 lb. icon, nearly nonstop?

The return journey took only slightly longer than coming."

Samy has been the sole pu­jari of the Mangani Vinayakar temple in Thiruvanmiyur, Shri Chinnathamby

After placing the murti in a well for 48 days, then having it traditionally packed in pad­dy and stored away, Samy had a thatched roof woven above the Lord. Ganesha Chaturthi festival arrived, and the Lord was humbly installed amid Vedic chanting. "But I was uneasy. When locking the door of the flimsy bamboo shed housing the Lord, I was not sure if I would find Him the next day." He set aside in-Chennai, for the last seventeen

years. His love of all devotees, rich or poor, brahmins or non-brahmins, young or old is as heartening as it is rare. I casually asked, "Wlien you are not well, who takes your place?" His reply stunned me. "Until today the Lord has not put me on such a spot."

Samy narrates, "In 1963 at age twenty-five I attended a festival in my native village, Thiruvanmiyur, and was reminded of a stone Pillaiyar seen years prior. He was sad­ly missing and I thought, "Why not set up another.Pillaiyar on the same spot?" The idea began to dominate my psyche. In seek­ing a 1nurti, a washerman told me of an idol in his village. Mounting my bike on the first off day, I pedaled as if possessed. T~ng just a day to cover ninety miles to Fort Gingi, I found the Pillaiyar, eagerly hauled Him onto my,.bike and turned around, my spirit soar­ing, hardly aware of anything save Pillaiyar. With the heavy stone icon behind me, I had no right to travel so fast. But I was berserk.

come and succeeded in building a small temple. But, during a monsoon last January the temple roof leaked copiously. A neighbor observed, "Samy did not sleep for a week. I

Aound him weeping and muttering: 'I don't care if my home is lJIlder water. But, how can I stand by and watch You in water like this?'" Renovations commenced and I have never seen Samy appealing for donations, nor have I come across any printed soli~ita­tion. However, this dynamic pujari's stature is such that contrj,butions poured in un­sought for. When he'visited a hardware shop' to buy building Platerials, the shopkeeper was so impressed by the old man's selective­ness and gusto that he decided to voluntari­ly supply materials free of cost.

After the May kumbhabhishekam, Samy felt blissfuL "We did not lay bricks. It is His house. He built it himself." Samy's life shin­ingly testifies that it takes more than brick and mortar to build God's house. l$

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HEALING ,

Stevia Rebaudiana: How Sweet It Is! A little-known South American medicInal plant is 300 times sweeter than sugar

BY DEVANANDA TANDAVAN, M.D.

S:rEVIA REBAUDIANA HAS has been growing wild in

\ upper South America for centuries and is now culti­

vated in China, Jap~, South Ko­rea, Israel, Malaysia, ,Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico and USA. A member of the chrysanthemum family, it has been used by the Paraguay Guarani Indians since ancient times, primarily as a sweetener but also as a medicinal herb. It may seem too good to be true, but stevia is a noncaloric, nontoxic, natural sweetener that even has health benefits. The natural leaf is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar in the concentrated white powder form.

This plant's active ingredients are two glucosides, steviosides and rebaudiosides, the latter being somewhat better tasting. As a whole leaf, or liquid extraction, stevia has three major uses: flavor enhancer, herbal tea and medicinal. The common use is as sweetener and flavor enhancer. In Japan, where artificial sweeteners are banned by law, stevia has 41% of the sweetening mar­ket. Its use as an herbal tea, alone or with other herbals, is popular. Medicinally it has a beautifying effect on the skin, and bene­fits glucose levels in diabetics' blood-;-a sta­bilizing effect that can lower their blood sugar levels (but not in nondiabetic users ). It never elevates blood sugar, allowing a di­abetic to have sweets without adverse ef­fects on his condition. Stevia also has mild antibacterial action, making it suitable for use in mouthwashes, tooth paste and cold or flu remedies-common traditional us­ages of the Guarini Indians. It is further used (in tea form) as an appetite stimulant, digestive aid and in weight management. Combined with ginseng and other herbs, the tea is thought to prolong a good life. Some reports say stevia could be used as a contraceptive';' however, this has not been proved. It is generally accept~d that the

44 HJNDU ISM TODAY SEPTEMBER, 1997

mutagenic studies (to detect for. cancerous properties) done so far were not based on valid or proven assumptions; thus there is slight question of a 'possible mutagenicity, as is true of the artificial sweeteners Saccharine and Aspartame. With many years of use and no evidence of toxicity or side effects, scien­tists do not seem to think it is

necesssrry to do further studies. ./ Machinations of the US Federal Drug

agency have not approved stevia for use other than as a nutritional supplement. It cannot be labeled as a sweetening agent, yet it is approved in most other countries as a safe, noncaloric sweetener. If labeled as a food supplement, it can be purchased in many pharmacies and most health food stores in the US ($9/0z. in one shop) and is generally available in the Eastern coun~ries and Europe. For some years, importation of the plant to the US in any form was not al­lowed. But this was changed recently.

Stevia is also stable in heat, allowing its use in cooking to replace sugar (one Tsp of stevia equals one cup of sugar). When used in cookies and cakes, it lacks a browning effect that sugar has, so adjustment in de­termining doneness must be made. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste if refined leaves are used in excess-less true with less re­fined leaves-and a hint of a licorice flavor (also a natural sweetener) that many desire.

It seems that personal use of stevia will be permitted in the USA; but generalized use in the food industry to replace the less than innocuous Aspartame and Saccharin seems unlikely in the foreseeable future. . DR. TANDAVAN, 77, retired nuclea( physi­cian and hospital staff president! lives in Chicago, where he specializes in alternative healing arts. Visit his home page at the HINDUISM TODAY Website.

EVOLUTIONS THE QUEEN BEE: is 13-year-old vegetari­an Rebecca Sealfon of New York who, besides setting an on-stage winners jump record, correct­ly spelled the word eu.onym (a good name for a person, place or thing) to be­come the first home­schooled U.S. Na­tional Spelling Bee winner. It wasn't easy-after the 14th T-r-i-u-m-p-hl round Rebecca was left with runner-up Prem Murthy Trivedi of New Jersey, out of 245 en­trants. Laboring through the words 8uf­flamvnate, deliquesce, bourgade, an­glophilia and coterie, she finally ousted Prem after eight rounds when he missed cortile. Remarkably, Prem and four others of the final nine contestants

were Indian-Ameri­can students: Sud­heer Potru, Hirsh Sande sara, Shivani R. Kadakia and Nivedita Gunturi. Rebecca's victory brought to the fore a growing trend to­

Runner-up blues ward home school-ing. Because of

some American schools' poor quality­not to mention outright dangers-many parents have pondered home schooling for their children, but feared they'd not advance as well as their peers. Rebecca doesn't recommend home sohooling for everyone, but told HINDUISM TODAY it helped her succeed. "I had more flexi­bility, academically and to pursue my own interests, for ex­ample spelling. You

".. can go at your own pace and level. In practically every sub­ject I'm grades ahead of my peers. My mother stays home Jubilant family full-time and my dad also helps. I think more people should consider home schooling who are dis­satisfied with the public school envi­ronment." As to being a vegetarian, Re­becca said, "It's not absolutely required in our Jewish faith, but I want to be, for ethical reasons. I don't like to think about animals getting killed." For more Bee statistics and photos, visit their web site at www:spellingbee.coml

SEE OUR ELEVEN PAGE ADVERTISEMENT ON THE INTERNET

http://www.vedic.net OR FAX INQUIRIES To: 310-837-0243 (USA)

CONTR~VERSY

A Saint~s Self-Willed Death >

Rationalists call aged and afflicted swami's fast to death "puQlicity stunf'

By CHQODIE SHIVARAM, BAN GALORE EAR FRIENDS," BEGAN SWAMI NIR­malananda's short missive of Decem­ber 23, 1996, "It is with tearful feel­ings that I bid you farewelL My

so-called end is really endless, as there is no end and beginning for life." Similar letters sent worldwide to 8,000 friends-he called no o~e his "disciple"-calmly announced the 73-year-old swamis intent to undergo prayo­pavesha, self-willed death by fasting. Also called rnahaprasthana, "the great depar­ture," scriptures allow the practice for a ter­minally-ill ascetic. "My body has become weak," he explained to Swami Brahmadeva, his designated successor -as head bf Viswa Shanti Nikethana ashram. "I do not want to be a burden and die in raga (disease), I want to die in yoga. I have discharged all my duties and liv€1d a fJdl life. Now time has come for me to leave." He planned to ac­complish this on January 15, 1997, the auspi­cious first day of Uttarayana Punyakala in the Hindu calendar.

Swami's intent had been known for some time, and the local authorities had even posted police at the ashram located in the Bhlliligiri Rangana Hills ("BR Hills," 250 km from Bangalore) to prevent what they re­garded as an unlawful act of suicide. The police were withdrawn on December 18, and from that day Swami gave up his normal austere diet of hand-pounded wheat bread and jungle greens to take only watet. By Jan­mIry 1 he was taking one glass daily On the 7th, he stopped even that, intending to attain Mahasamadhi on the 15th.

From mid-December a steady stream of visitors came to dissuade Swami. In nearby Mysore and Bangalore, vociferous critics called it all a publicity stunt. On January 10, amidst mounting pressure, the Additional Commissioner of Police, Panduranga Rane, p omised action would be taken within two days and Swami Nirmalananda's J;endezvous with prayopavesha would be fotIed by hos­pitalizing and force-feeding him. But Swami was not to be thwarted and breathed his last at 11:45 AM that same morning, departing five days earlier than intended.

arrived at BR Hills on January 11, in time to witness the final stages of the sama­dhi (burial) c~remony amidst sonorous Ve­dic hymns. I felt a strange stillness. The at­mosphere was neither gloomy nor sad. Thousands of disciples who had rushed to

46 HINDl.[ISM TODAY SEPTEMBER , 1997

Hellos and.Goodbyes: Swami Nirmalananda (right) and Swami Brahmadeva, his designated successor as head of the ashram, greet visitors at remote Viswa Shanti Nikethana in BR Hills.Devotees (below ) place garlands upon the closed samadhi shrine in a final farewell.

the inaccessible ashram since the news of "I did not receiv€1 his letter, but I could hear suicide, as a yogi can enter prayopavesha. the death had spread, filed past and silently him calling me. I'd not seen him for nearly 3 His mind was alert." offered their respects. Most touching was years. Feeling uneasy, I rushed here only to Ramdas countered, "I respect one's right the plight of the Soliga tribals of this hill re- learn that he was on his final journey" to live, But there's no provision to kill oneself gion for whom Swami was friend, teacher Dissed by disbelievers: Unsympathetic in our constitution, whether its spiritual or and protector. They sat huddled in' the cor- "rationalists" termed prayopavesha "an act religious. Why have we banned sati [burning ner, confused, bursting into tears as I spoke of madness" and labeled Swami a "spiritual of a widow on her husbands funeral pyre]? to them. They related to me their shock pervert." "A swami who had isolated himself It's nothing but suicide. It's the business of when Swami's intentions had become clear from public life, all of a sudden announces the state to safeguard every citizen." to them, even though he had con- The controversy raged right soled each, distributed amongst up to Swami's last day The ra-them clothes and all the money tiC(nalists charged the adminis-he had and pleaded, "Do not cry ' tration of being soft on the is-when I die-it will be difficult for sue. The District Collector, Shri me in the next world. If you peo- Ajith Seth, called on Swami on ... pie keep smiling at all times, it January 6 with his father. "He will help me reach God, and there tried to dissuade Swamiji, but in I can be here amidst you all." vain. Swami had stopped talk-

Thirty-year-old Jayalaxmi, a ing by then and only gave me a Soliga woman, was unconsolable. written reply in which he said, "I grew up in the ashram since I 'I've given enough to this world was a. child of five. When I came and now my body cannot sus-here last week, Swami gave me tain anymore. The call has come clothes to last a whole yftar and a from God, and it's time for me to thousand rupees. He advised me leave.'" Some of The foreign dis-to take care of my home and chil- ciples of Swami had camped at dren, to keep smiling and be al- the ashram ahd stayed by his ways happy," she sobbed to me. side day and night till the end Another said, "We don't under- came. Their implorations for stand all this. We loved and re- Swami to eat were in vain. spected Swami. He was our doc- I visited several colleges in tor, our guru, our father. We ran Mysore to ascertain the general to him with any of our problems. reaction to Swami's actions. We feel orphaned. Bu.t we re- Many students and teachers spect his decision." knew Swami, and most objected

Six priests from the historic to his chosen means of death. Srirangapatna temple 100 km Among his defenders were Pro-away undertook rites for the in- fessor Immadi Shiva Basappa, ternment of yogis. The body was ~ head of the Sanskrit depart-bath~d in tumeric and sandal- ~ ment at the University of My-wood paste, covered by vibliuti ~ sore who said, "Prayopavesha is (holy ash) and placed in yogic Z not suicide. Suicide is the result posture. Then it was lowered into § of dejection or disappointment a small cavern which was then ~ in life. In prayopavesha one filled with 200 kilograms of salt, ~ gives up his life willi~gly and 15 kilos of camphor and 45 gal- ~ happily It arises out of life ful-Ions of floly ash. Coincidentally, > fillment." Common was the the sky which was clear all along Entombment: The body was placed in a cavern which was ceremo- comment of Vinutha, a final de-suddenly clouded and drizzled at niously packed ~ith salt, holy ash and camp hOI; as is tradition gree student, who said, "Swami the time of final sealing lof the Nirmalananga should not have sam.adhi (saint's tomb). One side of the his death, makes it an all-important event died. It was a kind of selfishness on hiS part. marker over it had an inscription explaining and grabs media attention," accused acade- He should have lived longer. Society today the meaning of prayopavesha, the other had mician Shri Ramdas. They appealed to the needs more people like him. He was doing Swami's name, date of birth and month and government "to preempt a mentally de- so much to protect our forests." year of attaining Nirvana. The year read ranged person." On the other hand, Swami ChOOSing death: Swami Nirmalananda 1999. It dawned on me that Nirmalananda, Paramanan8a Bharati of Sringeri Mutt af- suffered severely from"chronic asthma, ac­who had decided to live till end of the cen- firmed to HINDUISM TODAY that such a death cording to Dr. Sudarshan, and was depen-tury, had changed his mind. ". is allowed by scripture for aged ascetics. dent 'upon inhalers {ind medication-a de-

A year earlier a Calcutta journalist wrote Dr. Sudarshan, of Vivekananda Girijana pendence Swami did not like. His asthma about- Swamiji's intent. That report did not Kendra, the Swami's n€1ighbor and personal was expected to worsen, but was not life­even cause a flutter. But when Nirmalanan- physician, took exception to the rationalists' threatening. But we don't know what other da's missive reached his disciples and they outburst, "One might dispute the way Swa- health problems Swami might have had. thronged to his ashram, the seriousness of his mi ch@se to leave this world, but i't is cer- Prayopavesha, ending one's life by fasting, resolve became clear. Many disciples tried tainly not an act of madness. He was an in- is mentioned in ancient scriptures including dissuading him. Maria Zilioli from Ireland tensely spiritual person, and we have to the Gautama (verse 14.7.12) and Manu had arrived on a telepathic call from Swami. respect his decision. It cannot be termed a Dharma Shastras (verse 6.30). It has been

SEPTEMBER , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 47

cautiously allowed for ascetics, brahrnins and kings. The practice was subject to debate even within , the Hindu tradition-Sri Adi Shankara (788-820 eEl, for exam­ple, opposed it-but it was out­lawed only upon the institutiOl~ of the British Penal Code in-lndia in the 19th century.

Histo~ical examples abound. The Pandava brothers and their wife at the end of the Mahabha- ~ rata turn over their kingdom to their heirs and walk off to the Hi­

progresses in stages."

Sealed ~amadhi crlpt: This simple stone marks Swami's internment chamber

" the terminally ill. The same wisdom which allows an aged and infirm Hindu ascetic to fast to death is being applied to the removal of life support for a patient who will never recover from an' incapacitating illness, as well as to the issue of not force feeding an el­derly patient who h1l:s stopped taking food.

malayas, all except the eldest dying along the way. Other kings have retired to the for­est and fasted to death after installing their sons.on the throne. "In recent times, Vinod Bha~e, Gandhi's close associate and one­time mentor of Swami Nirmalananda, so passed on. Finding himself in failing health, he stopped taking both food

Western scholars, notably Professor Ka­therine Young of McGill University, Quebec, Canada, have extensively studied the Hindu practice of prayopavesha. They are search­ing for useful ethical and legal guidelines to resolve the difficult modern issue of care for

The future of Viswa Shanthi Nikethana is now in the hands of Swami Bramhadeva. He told me,. "I have given my word to SWamiji that I shall continue the tradition of rishis and munis and their message to the world. While ordinary peopre are viewed with two

"<8yes, in today's situation, the saffron-clad swamis are viewed with 1,000 prying eyes from every angle. An ascetic's life is like walking on the edge of a sword. We tread this path carefully." ' '''';

and water and died within a week in November, 1982. Even Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who came to his bedside~ was unable to change his mind. The Maharastrian freedom fighter Savarkar similarly died in 1966 at the age of 83. Bhagawan Nit­yananda, the formidable siddha guru of SWiillli Muktrulanda, ceased eating in 1961 and en­tered Mahasamadhi two. months later.

The practice 'is found among Jain ascetics, who consider it a meritorious passing. In 1987, Jain ascetic Badri Prasad died after fasting more than fifty days. His death, too, was called a suicide, but High'Court Jus­tice N.L. Jain told the press that no laws were being broken. "It is in accordance with our reli­gion. 'There is no pain involved, as the body is in tune with God."

An aged Aparakarma priest at Nirmalananda's samadhi cer­emonies said, "There's a world of difference between prayopa­vesha and suicide. Suicide is a violent form of voluntary suddep. d~ath, inflicting pain to the body. It's born out of dejection and disorientation of mind. It's escapist in nature. Prayopave­sha is a nonvio~ent, spiritual form of voluntary, slow dissolu­tion of the bodJr. It's done in . qllest of communion with Him after fulfilling one's responsibil­ities in full. The extinction of life progresses very slowly. To ensure slow, painless and con­scious dissolution, the fasting

Service, Silence, Salvation One Swami's'journey from World War II to ashram life

WAMINIRMALANANDA hailed from the Malabar region in Kerala. Born on December 2; 1924, he

discontinued his studies at 14 and left home to join the postal service ih the British army. He traveled extensively in Europe while serving in World War II as a noncombat­ant. Later he visited the USA,

I Europe, Russia and Japan and seriously pursued philosophy and religion. He came !lnder the spell of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Viv~­kananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Henry ~oreau, Leo Tolstoy and Albert Schweitzer. He vis­ited over 200 ashrams spread over India. He found, however, that his studies resulted only in mental turmoil and not the Realization he sought. The awakening which finally stilled his turbulent II1ind oc' -curred not in India, but in Amsterdam, Holland.

S,*ami had the misfortune to be a mute witness to three major tragedies-World War II, Partition and the Indo-Pak­istan conflict. He observed, "If a man turns his attention

Swami Nlrmalananda: "Give a smile, take a smil~, " he adpised

within, he will be able to see that a constant warfare is go­ing Qn within his own mind between QIlPosing ideas, urges and desires. It is the sum t0tal of all such conflicts that erupts as open war between nations."

After taking sannyas: Swami Nirmalananda settled in the serene forests of BR Hills, where he had secured a piece of land in 1964. He became close to the Soliga tribals

whom he educated and en­lightened on various subjects, while they did whatever work they could at the ashram. \Yhenever there was a power or water supply problem, delay in postal or transport service to the remot~ region, Swami set it right for the Soligas with the concerne~authQrities.

Swami observed mauna, si­lence, for 11 years. He would not use milk or milk products, tea, coffee, fried or processed food, vegetables and fruits. He lived on the edible wild green~ of the forest and bread. He would pound and bake hi:; own whole wheat bread. He always personally cooked and served food to his guests.

Swami Nirmalananda did not believe in rituals. However, he never came in the way of his devotees' per-forming pujas at the small temple in the premises of his Vishwa Shanti Nikethana ashram.

Once he said, "The universe needs no correction. God's world is not mismanaged by Him. First change yourself, then the world around would have already changed for you."

48 HINDUISM TOD AoY S E\.PTEMBER , 1997

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HANK GOD! THANK GOD!' WAS THE

first thing I said when I set my foot on the top of the world," gushed M. Magendran. On May 23, he and N.

J "V.,UU.ct.uUct:,~ became the first Malay­sians (and likely the first Tamils) to

reach the summit of Mt. Everest, 8,848 me­ters high. "Aum Narnasivaya was in my mind all throughout my ascent," Magendran told HINDUISM TODAY. "Once on top, I prayed to all the Deities. I thought of our Prime Minister, our Everest team, my. friends and the people of Malaysia who were ~ praying for our success." Magen- ~ dr~, Mohandass and their five ~ :;: ShertJa guides planted the z

Malaysian flag, "shouted into the ~ wind" and celebrated their vic- ~ tory-for ten frozen-in-time min- ~ utes. The news was radioed ~

< down to the Malaysian base camp z and relayed on live TV to a jubi- ~ lant country. But the climbers ~ knew the task was not over yet. j Nearly everyone who perishes on ~

sian team, who on May 5 fell into a 600-me­ter crevasse high on the South Face. One German and two Kazak climbers were blown off the North Face when 140-mph jet­stream winds dipped down onto the moun­tain as tkey descended from the top. More than 710 climbers from 42 countries have scaled Chomolungma, "Goddess Mother of the Werld," as Everest is known in Tibetan,

The Malaysian climbers' arrival in Kath­mandu fell auspiciously on the night of Ma­hasivaratri-one of Hinduism's holiest days. Both Magendran and Mohandass observep. the festival at Kathmandu's Pasupathinath Temple. "Team member R.G Ramakrishna, who has vast experience in climbing," recalls Magendran, "tord me to treat Everest as a sa­cred mountain and to do my prayers and

mantras while climbing." The devout Buddhist Sherpas

brought in a lama from a nearby monastery to ble'!;s everyone at Base Camp. "Some climbers just hung around.," narrated Ma­gendran, ''but I was sitting a few feet from the lama and praying." Mohandass said, "When I was staying at Base Camp, I had a dream of Lord Ganesha who told me to do a lot of prayers." •

Prayer was definitely in order, for many expected a repeat of last year's disaster. One-hun­dr1d-eighty climbers tn 13 teams were gathered for the dangerous Southern Route, and another 150 climb'ers in 12

Everest dies on the way down, On top of the world: Malaysian climbers and team sherpas, llAM, not up. So they scrambled off the May 23, 1997 on the summit of Mount Everest.

teams were prepared for the safer but more expensive-to-climb North Face. Eighteen countries were present. The Malaysian team was unjustly singled out by two professional guides for criticism as "in­expenenced" and "under tremendous politi­cal pressure to summit." It was strange crit­icism coming from the group who last year

mountain to safety and within days were heros at a tumultuous welcome at Kuala Lumpur's International Airport.

Mt. Everest has been in a deadly mood th~ last few years. In 1996 eight died during summit attempts, the worst year ever. By May of this year seven more had perished, including Nima Rinje Sherpa of the Malay-

50 HINDUISM TODAY SEPTEMBER , 1997

since it was first climbed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953. One hundred and fifty others have lost their lives. The odds of dying are one in six. At the highest elevations, the route is "littered" with bodies impossible to retrieve out of the ice or to carry down.

"Goddess Mother of the World" View of Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side. The Malaysian team summited from the Southern, Nepalese side.

were chastised for taking completely inexpe­rienced climbers to the top-some of whom died there. There was nothing reckless about the Malaysian strategy or ascent un­der the watchful eye of expedition leader Nor Ramlle Sulaiman and Captain M.S. Koh­li, leader of Indias first trek to the summit in 1965. Half of the 25 teams, most led by pro­fessional guides, never made it to the summit. The Malaysians had originally hoped to beat the Indonesian team to b.e the first Southeast Asian nation on the sutnmit. But under the legendary Russian Everest guide Anatoli Boukreev, the Indonesians arrived earlier.

Back home in Malaysia, wives and moth­ers were taking no chances with the climbers' safety. In normal times, Mohan­dass' wife Manimegalai, does puja twice weekly for her husband's health, safety and longevity. "Then I 'heard in May that they might have to abort the climb because of bad weather. This was sad news to me. I thought there is no glory in my hllsband re­turning home without conquering Mt. Ever­est. So on Friday the 16th, I went to .the Kot­tamalai Ganesha Temple and prayed that everything should be alright for my husband to climb the mountain and return safely. The next Friday I heard the news. Lord Siva was up there and let him return safely." .Magen­dran I S unmarried, and his mother, uncle and friends similarly prayed for his success and safety, arranging special Murugan wor­ship on May 23, the day of the ascent.

Reports of the climb sound like a soldier's descriptions of war: long periods of bore-

dom interspersed with moments of sheer terror. The team sat at Everest Base Camp for three months acclimatizing to the alti­tude and waiting for the rare break in weather which would allow an ascent. Nor Ramlle described it as depressirig. "You have to sleep on ice, barren rock and snow. There is no life there, no birds, no trees. We had to resort to playing scrabble and dominoes, reading books and climbing nearby peaks."

Four team members were selected for the final attempt: Magendran, Mohandass, Mohd. Fauzan Hj Hassan, 29, and Gary Choong Kin Wah, 39. Their first chance was May 9~ but bad weather-and ''bad weather" on Everest is really bad-fa"rced a return to base camp. Time was running out, since the govern­ment would close the route on May 24. The team left again on the 18th and after further weather delays reached Camp Four at 1:30 PM on May 22. "There we rested," re­ports Mohandass, "then left at llPM for the summit. It was very cold, -30°C (-22°F) and the wind was at 80 kmlhour (5Q mph). Has­san and Choong Kin Wah succumb~ to al­titude sickness and turned back after reach­ing 8,400 meters.

"It took thirteen hours to reach the sum­mit. The terrain was very steep, and the path was littered with bodies. The Sherpa was showing me each of the corpses and ex­plaining to me how they died and who they were. Flnally, I told him not to point out the bodies to me, 'and that I just wanted to reach the summit. We had to crawl the last section to the top because of the wind." Twenty-five

South Face (ridge behind): Two Malaysians and five Sherpas reach summit on May 23 via Southern Route

climbers from other teams reached the sum­mit that day-auspiciously Vaikasi Visha­kam, sacred to Hindus as the birthday 0f Lord Muruga and to Buddhists as the day of Buddha's enlightenment.

The returniIJg Magendran was ecstatic over their success. "For all Malaysians it snows racial unity, teamwork, that we could do anything if we work ai a team and be­lieve in what we are doing. People are very proud. There have been so ~any calls day and night. Many temples still ring me up to ask me to come to their temple because they had prayed for my successful climb." A total ofUS$240,000 was awarded to the team; Ma­gendran and Mohandass got $20,000 each.

Malaysia had planned the climb for ten years. The team trained intensively for the last three. Telekom Malaysia and other Malaysian corporations were the main spon­sors for the program, which is part of the government's "Malaysia Boleh!" - "Malaysia Can!" campaign. The Everest 97 project was a follow-up to' the "Malaysia Cergas" cam­paign launched in the 1980s with the aim of encouraging the general public to partici­pate in recreational and noncompetitive ' sports, with the hope of producing a healthy society. There are plans to scale Mt. Kili­mailjaro in South Africa, Puncak Irian Jaya in Indonesia, Mt. McKinley in the US and Mt. Ei'ger in Europe. "Such expeditions are to showcase the Malaysia Boleh spirit," said team leader Nor Ramlle. ~

Interviews by R AMESH SIVANATHAN

and RAJAKUMAR M ANICKAM , Malaysia

SEPTEMBER, 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 51

I

I ------------~~- -

. MINISTER'S MESSAGE others, too. Man can, at best, be a faithful

Perfection Is in Your and reverent channel for this omnipotent divine power, or shakti, t6 work out its own blessed purpose. One who has realized this Divine in oneself may witness it in others, too-nay in all creation. That results in leading a god-like life and serving fellow beings, as expressi ons of the same Divine, lovingly and reverently. This only serves to purify and bless the w orld, never to pollute

. . luminous 'Es'sence

it.

The worlds within are immeasurably vaster, superior and more blessed thaFl the outside

Swami Vivekananda, the modern-era spokesman of timeless Hinduism, disclosed, "Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity withjn bx' control­ling nature, external and internal. Do this

BY • I

SWAMI SASTRANANDA

(WOMAN INCLUDED) SEEKS AND STRIVES TO BE

have the best, the perfect, consciously or uncon-JSCllOUS!Y. each in one's own way. The quest is com­

but the means adopted are innumerable. Man to become better, to have more power, knowl­

edge, joy, peace and freedom. When he does succeed in his ~est, he finds that the key to perfection is withi oneself, and that the worlds "within" are immeasurably vaster, supe­rior and more blessed than the worlds "outside." Perfection is found to be one's own true and abiding essence, luminous and blissful Satchitananda, as Vedanta terms it. It is all-per­vading and not different from "Divinity." It is this "Divine" which common people or various religions designate as "God," yet which most people futilely seek for outside, until they are happily forced to turn within.

All noble or human quests for perfection have the same end, but each seeks or sfrives for it in one's own limited and imperfect ways. But without realizing that each one's way is unique and.in­dispensable for that person, many unfortunately stress and even impose particular views and ways on all. That only makes for more confusion and strife among humans. On the other hand, those who have been blessed enough to experience the Truth rejQice not only in their own realization, but in the similar experiences of others, too. They genuinely hold all such quests as worthy of respect, sup­port and needed succor. That makes a real and solid contribution for peace, harmony and progress. Such rare beings are the t.rue sages, saints and gurus. Such an all-inclusive approach to the "Di­vine," its actual experience and the consequent spontaneous ex;­pressing, constitute the true "religion." All limited denominational religions are but imperfect facets of this one "religion," and can never arrogate to themselves any sole and superior status as the one representative of God. Dogmatism or arrogance in this regard are hollow and ridiculous.

If, among the extant religion,s today, any approximates most to the place of honor, it can only be genuine Hinduism. It has a word of goodwill for all fellow seekers an.{! never seeks to convert others to its own views and ways, to impose itself on others, be it by force or propaganda. Its very foundation rests on the great principle of unity In diversity, expressed in the millennia-old mantra, "Truth is one; wise people designate it variously," and its modern version as voiced by Sri Ramakrishna, ''As many faiths, so many paths."

Yhus for the true Hindu the holy task and duty, his core dharma, is somehow to experience the Divine Truth in oneself, and then a:llow it to function in its own way, even as the fragrance of a flower spreads beneficently in various directions. When fhis expe­rience is very clear or powerful, it mayan its own attract many

52 HINDUISM TOD AY S1\PTEMBER , 1997

by work or worship, or psychic control or • philosophy-by one or more, or all of these and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines or dogmas, or rituals or books, or temples, or forms are but secondary details."

Thus, the most vital, holy duty of the true Hindu-nay, any worthy human-is to man­ifest this Divinity within in some way or another. It is for this that it is essential to control his inner and outer nature, viz., propensities of body, mind and ego, which distract him from his blessed, divine essence. The effort at self-control for a di­vine end is the Hindu's real self discipline, or sadhana. It makes for real character­building, man-making and making of true,

noble and godly humans. The greatest service that we can renaer to others thus becomes helping others, if possible, to manifest their own innate Divinity. The rest will take care of itself.

In' the wdrds of Swami Vivekana:qda, "First let us become gods and then help others to become gods. 'Be and make.' Let this be our motto." That is dliarma, morality or virtue, and whatever is opposed to it is adharma or vice. The virtues to be cultivated thus become dama, dana and daya, self~control, generosity and com­passion-and satya, ahimsa, brahmacharya and f!:parigraha. Satya is truthfulness and integrity, which follows from the Divine being, Sat-the true and good. Ahitnsa is nonharming of others, which follows from looking upon others as oneself. Brahmachar;yq or rev­erence for tIle Divine in others-especially in the opposite sex­never looking at them as only objects of sensual enjoyment or instruments for one's own pleasure. Aparigraha is a simple, nonex­ploitive and nongrabbing life which enal;>les a man to be truly hon-orable and.nondependent. I

Crowning all this, whet! the inner Divinity manifests, all the glory of Satchitananda, viz., strength and fearlessness, goodness, luminous wisdom, joy anq love, radiates spontaneously. Such a blessed Hindu reveals a life full of gentleness, generosity, purity, calmpess, introspection and spirituality. To lead earnestly such a life is a b~ssing to oneself and others, too.

That is the core message of Hinduism. . .

SWAMI SASTRANANDA, 80, a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, 'has served and taught Vedantic Hinduism for half a century in vari­ous centers. He is now retired at Vivekananda Ashram, Bangalore.

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