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Vol.19 No. 4. April - 2018

bhavanblrhns50@gmail.com

“Beliefs are eternal; they

purify the soul, personality,environment and society.Beyond the system, there is a

belief which we need to unlock”.Rebooting the wonders around uswith these significant lines,Dr. Veerendra Heggade,

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ONBELIEFS AND BEYOND

Dr. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari, Srikshetra Dharmasthala (second from left) inauguratesInternational Conference : Beliefs and Beyond. Others from left : Sri. Salaton Ole Ntutu,

Hon’ble Justice M.N. Venkatachalaiah, Sri Mumtaz Ali (Sri. ‘M’), Dr. K. Radhakrishnan,Sri. N. Ramanuja, Dr. Andrew Foss and Sri. Madhu Pandit Dasa.

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Dharmadhikari of Sri KshetraDharmasthala raised the curtainfor an International conference on‘Beliefs and Beyond’ at BharatiyaVidya Bhavan in Bangalore onMarch 8th and 9th 2018.

This conference was acelebration to mark the

50 successful years of Dr.Veerendra Heggade ascendingthe seat of Dharmadhikari. A firstof its kind, this conference sawspeakers from various countrieswith an astounding representationof knowledge seekers whopresented their papers touching

Dr. Veerendra Heggade and Smt. Hemavathy Heggade pose for a photographalong with other dignitaries after being felicitated.

Launching of the book pre publication ‘Prerana - Vol -1’ by dignitaries.

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sensitive issues withgreat diligence.

Starting the daywith a sonoroussaxophone recital byVidwan Shridhar

Invocation Dance : Ganapati Vandana by the artists of Nupura.Direction : Dr. Lalitha Srinivasan

Saxophone bySri. Shridhar Sagar

and party

Shahnai recital byVid. Rudresh T.K.

andSri. Gurumurthy

Vaidyaon Tabla

Sagar, the conference wasinaugurated by a vibrant Ganapativandana dance performed byteam Nupura.

Welcoming the guests ofhonour and the audience, ShriH.N Suresh, Director, BharatiyaVidya Bhavan set the two dayconference in motion.

Veda Ghosha by Vid. RaghavendraHegde and Patry

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Former Chief Justice of IndiaJustice M.N. Venkatachaliah,Shri. Madhu Pandit Dasa,President ISKCON, Bengaluru,Dr.Kaarthikeyan, FormerDirector, Central Bureau ofInvestigation, spiritualist Shri.‘M’, eminent scientistDr.K. Radha Krishnan, Maasaitribe chieftain Salaton Ntutu andPhysicist, Vedic astrology expertDr. Andrew Foss were felicitatedfor their contribution to theworld.

Hon’ble JusticeM.N.Venkatachaliah whilepresenting the inaugural addresssaid ‘Faith is seen as areasbeyond science and rationality;areas that are the concern of

Metaphysics and matters thatsupra-sensual. Even in science,the concept of truth itself isrelative and not absolute”.Delivering his key note address,Sri Madhu Pandita Dasa, pitchedthe core of the conference

Dr. K. Radhakrishnan, Advisor, Dept of Space / ISRO

Hon’bleJustice

Sri.B.N.

Srikrishna,FormerJudge,

SupremeCourt of India

beinghonoured

byDr. Veerendra

Heggade,Dharmadhikari,

SrikshetraDharmasthala

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narrating the role played byintuition, belief, premonition andmysticism behind two of the mostimportant modern discoveries of

the 20th century physics which haschanged the world. “We are allaware of the Theory of Relativityby Albert Einstein and Quantum

Dr. Veerendra Heggade handing over a memento as a token ofappreciation to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Sri. H.R. Ananth, Vice-Chairman, BVB, being honoured byDr. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari, Srikshetra Dharmasthala

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mechanics by Niels Bohr, ErvinSchrodinger and WernerHeisenberg which were twoincredible breakthrough inscientific history. These twotheories have changed scienceitself by shaking the deterministicmechanistic worldview ofNewton held to be true forcenturies”, he said.

Dr. Veerendra Heggde,architect of the conferencedeclared, ‘this conference is touphold the faith, examine themisbeliefs and discardsuperstitions with evidence basedpresentations’. He thankedBharatiya Vidya Bhavan, anorganisation that holds theremarkable reputation of beingambassadors of Indian art,

culture and traditions forpartnering this conference.

Elucidating on what is Beliefand Beyond, Dr. Heggade wenton to explain, “ in the modern andthe traditional world there wasand there is belief, misbelief anddisbelief. While belief is the strongfaith in something, misbelief iswrong notion and disbelief is thelack of belief. It is important towinnow the chaff, weed outmisbeliefs and superstitions andstrengthen the faiths. It is faith andtrue beliefs that guide a persontowards rightful living.A society for a good living shouldbe progressive in its thoughts yethave faith in the power of goodand guide individuals and groups

Sri. Pathi A. Sridhara, Trustee, Karnataka Chinmaya Seva Trust, being honoured byDr. Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari, Srikshetra Dharmasthala

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to stay away from wrong beliefsor misbeliefs”.

In 50 years as theDharmadhikari, Dr. VeerendraHeggade has seen severalthousand people pleading forjustice, health, property, betterrelationships, peace etc. “Theproblems and challenges facedby people are myriad dependingon their horoscopic position andsocio emotional or economicalissues. The long history of truthand faith prevailing over otherthings has made me ponder overfaith and beliefs. These intangibleissues of faith and beliefs open upmore questions and debates inthe modern world. A time has

now come when we need to moveahead with faith and belief, wherewe need to uphold the scientifictruth yet be open minded toembrace the realities that arebeyond that which is seen or feltby the five senses. Hence,this conference,” explainedDr. Heggade. “As a globalmessage I wish to invite people torelook, rethink and go beyondbeliefs and faith to fill in the gapsof knowledge”, he implored.

The conference had eminentpeople and experts examine thetruth and beliefs in religion, vaastu,astrology, numerology and otherdisciplines; viewing all this underthe lens of evidence basedfindings.

Smt. Choodi Shivaram, Journalist, being honoured by Dr. Veerendra Heggade,Dharmadhikari, Srikshetra Dharmasthala

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Dr. D.R.Dr.Kaarthikeyan,also president of Life Positivemagazine, New Delhi moderatedthe first session. Sharing from hisexperiences Dr. Dr.Kaarthikeyan,said, “ my eternal belief on truthand the courage to encounterfake was the way through whichI could establish myself towardsthe summit of glory and successin my work”. He narrated theway he and his team could tacklethe Rajiv Gandhi assassinationcase only because of belief.

Salaton Ole Ntutu fromthe Maasai Mara tribe of Kenyawas the attraction of the crowdfor his simple yet profound talk.Giving us a peek into his worldthat has preserved their traditionsfor centuries, Ntutu said he trustsand believes that only nature canbestow us with good life andgood health. He introduced theaudience to the practices of histribe, the lifestyle, deep respecttowards nature and preservation

Infusing energy into theaudience talking about Karmaand cosmic energy, Sri RaeChandran from Japan highlightedthe importance of karmic energyand the right belief system.He said, “karma is alwaysrelated to good deeds andbelief in it”.

Sri Salaton Ole Ntutu, Nairobi, Africa

Sri Rae Chandran, Tokyo, Japan

Dr. D.R.Kaarthikeyan, Delhi

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of animals and mankind to live inharmony. “To bring in equilibriumin the environment, the only needis to surrender to MotherNature”, he said.

The next sessions saweloquent speakers on spiritualtopics.

imbalance in health. He revealedhow through bio astrology he hasincorporated new remedies alongwith old traditional practices thatpeople have now forgotten. Hevery effectively presentedastrology as a tool of diagnosisand remedies that would heal.

In his talk during a sessionon Beliefs and Faith in and aroundSri Kshetra Dharmasthala, Dr.Veerendra Heggade elaboratedon how as Dharmadikari ofDharmastala he has been able touphold traditions and religiousbeliefs. “I have always been ableto put forth solutions towardsilliteracy, unemployment andpoverty whilst upholding thesanctity of beliefs and traditions”,he said. By providingmodernization yet staying in syncwith tradition, Dr. Heggade hasencouraged Yoga, Yakshagana,

Dr. Tanmay Goswamy, Varanasi

Sri Ramachandra Guruji, Bengaluru

Sri RamachandraGuruji of Bengaluru, renownedfor healing through past liferegression stressed on how themind can be the root cause fordiseases. By adopting his selfdeveloped healing modules, SriRamachandra Guruji said thatone can lead a peaceful life;through prayer, tapa, japa,yoga, we can heal ourselves.

Dr.Tanmay Goswami, anAyurvedic doctor andpractitioner of Vedic Sciencesexplained how bad lifestyle andmodern habits have led to

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art and literature. For generationsSri Kshetra Dharmastala hasbeen a beacon of staunch belief inGod and Justice.

Sri. Maheshwari’s Babaji. He hasrevived the Sufi connectionstowards the eternal, to seek thetruth and self-realization. Herevealed how his belief could helphim achieve greater spiritualrealisation in his life.

Eminent scholar and oratorDr.Pavagada Prakasha Rao,opined that Ramayana is a cult.He went on to give some inspiringexamples that could make onebelieve in God and the existenceof Ramayana.

Sri Mumtaz Ali (Sri‘M’), Madanapalle, A.P.

Dr. Saraswathi Hegde, Bengaluru

Depicting the importanceof childhood and healing thescars, Dr. Saraswathi Hegde inher presentation highlighted thepower of Vedic mantras.Stressing the importance ofmaking children believe in ourtraditions she said, “ mantras area way through which we can sowthe seeds of strength, goodness,righteousness”.

In the session onUnderstanding belief,renowned spiritualist Sri. ‘M’saidturning life towards the quest hasalways led to a deeper impact.Born in a traditional Muslimfamily, Sri.M went to theHimalayas in search of Truthand became a disciple Guru Sri Pavagada Prakash Rao, Bengaluru

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Father Rev. MathewChandrankunnel in his talk onChristianity and faith, gave usnumerous examples ofcosmology and Aristotle,saying scientific discoveries areaccepted by Christianity whichhelps in the evolution of universebeyond the belief. His visiontowards a better world is to havebelief in God. “Good deeds arethe only source to protecthumankind”, he said.

Speaking on Astronomicalfacts to believe in astrology and itsconsequences, Prof.JayakumarUpadhye said “astrology is a toolto be used and protected”.He emphasized on Jain astrology,citing Jainacharya’s contributiontowards creation of NimmitShastra and its importance.

Dr. Maher Mansoor spokeon the importance of Islam, Quranand its existence. His stressed onestablishing a casteless, classless,honest society.

Sri. B.L Shankar went onto elaborate on the essence ofcommon Hindu practices andanswers to the basic questionsone would encounter in thesebeliefs.“India is a nation with arich heritage and the importanceof these beliefs in our traditionsand rituals have a scientific basisbehind them”, he said.

Prof. Jayakumar Upadhye, New Delhi

Fr. Rev. Mathew Chandrankunnel,Bengaluru

Dr. Maheer Mansoor, Bengaluru

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Conducting astamangalaprashna is an elaborate processand abounds in rituals.Lately, it has gained increasingcredence. Elaborating on thisintense practice that spreadsover a few days, Sri. VishnuPrasad Poochakkad said thistradition requires in-depthknowledge in horoscope reading,gola, and the related scriptures.

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The second day of thisInternational Conference againsaw a continuous discussion onintense topics of beliefs.

Dr.Andrew Foss, a PhDin Computing Science, an OxfordPhysics graduate and a CertifiedJaimani Scholar said he was inawe of Indian culture andtradition, which drew him to studythem. His study on SanatanaDharma and the teachings openedup a new world to him. In his talkon Jyotishya Shastra and beyondit, Dr. Foss helped us understand

Sri Vishnu Prasad

Poochakkad,

Kasaragod

Dr. B.L.Shankar, Bengaluru

that astronomy and astrology areinter connected. His insightshelped us to relive our beliefsand be proud of it.

Dr. Andrew Foss, Virginia, USA

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Sri. Panja Bhaskar Bhatspoke effectively onagamashastra highlighting aholistic approach on idol worshipand importance of temple rituals.

Dr.Rajeev A.G spoke onhow to cope with the canceremphasizing on preventivemeasures and how the diseasecan be controlled. With aninteractive demonstration.

Col. M.Deshpande keptthe audience engaged while heperformed a brief agnihotra.An army officer who hadparticipated in two wars with

Dr. A.G. Rajeev, Mysuru

Sri. Panja Bhaskar Bhat, Panja, D.K.

Dr. Jaisri, Bengaluru

Speaking on Science andspirituality Dr. Jaisri highlightedhow they complimented each otherand were in many waysinterconnected. She highlighted theimportance of sleep cycle, goodlifestyle, yoga, meditation andstressed on how music can be thebest healer for most of thediseases. Col. M. Deshpande, Pune

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Pakistan, Col. Deshpande turnedtowards spiritualism postretirement. His presentationrevealed some amazing instancesof how agnihotra can helpbalance our environment andovercome the challenges ofstress and pollution.

SthapatiK. Dakshinamoorty, an experton temple vaastu hails from arenowned lineage of stapathiswho are traditional sculptors.He spoke on the importanceof temple architecture and itsrelation to our scriptures.

Dr. Gayathri DeviVasudev, daughter ofrenowned astrologerB.V. Raman, spoke on theimportance of Jyotisha.Stressing on the history ofJyotisha, Dr.Gayathri Devisaid, “astrology is an age oldstudy which guides usthroughout our lives.Astrology is a science in itself.Belief and faith in astrology canlead us to God”.

Dr. C.R.Chandrasekhar, Bengaluru

Sthapati K. Dakshinamoorty,Chennai

Dr. Gayathri Devi Vasudev, Bengaluru

DR. C.R. Chandrashekarspoke generically on what arethe ills of society affecting mentalhealth in the present generation.

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Renowned astrologerDr.S.K Jain spoke onkalachakra; his belief inastrology and ayurvedic medicine,and the importance of applyingsome of the old techniques.

Dr.S Krishnakumar spokeon his firm beliefs on the karmicconnection and theory.His paper emphasized on howgood and bad deeds can help informing future circumstances.

He spoke about past life and itsconnections to the present.

Dr. S.K. Jain, Bengaluru

Dr. S.Krishna Kumar, Bengaluru

Ms. Zeljka Ciganovicand Ms.kristina Babic fromCroatia made a well articulatedpresentation on the benefits ofYoga and meditation, of howtheir country has embraced yogaholistically. They spoke on howYoga has become a globalsolution for stress andupliftment of mental health.

Ms. Zeljka Ciganovic,and

Ms. B.Kristina, Croatia, Europe

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“To many Yoga has turned theirlives into a bright one. Yoga,pranic healing and meditationcan heal lives. Europe hasembraced this knowledge”, theysaid stating examples of how ithas healed traumatised people oftheir nation in the post warperiod. They spoke of howyoga has transformed theirpersonal lives into peace,health and happiness.

Indonesian residentSri Ananda Krishna’s talk heldthe audience spell bound; his talkabout his life and the mysticalhealing that brought him out ofthe clutches of death made onebelieve in the most mysteriousforms of beliefs and beyond.He also made a presentation onagama tirtha i.e. sacredness ofwater, Tri hita Karana. The paperalso consisted of talks on Asta-

Brata and the indigenous wisdomof the archipelago.

Sri Ananda Krishna Swamy, Indonesia

Sri Subhanu Saxena, United Kingdom

Sri Subhanu Saxena in histalk on Beliefs in ancient Vedicteachings for modern living said“India is a modern country stillinstilled with the oldest cultureand tradition. To bring in theold to meet with the new, weneed to hold and bring upcontemporary principles toaction”. In his presentationSri. Saxena highlighted on corebeliefs of the Vedantic lessonsand how the Vedas are aninspiration even today.

Prof K.J.Rao’spresentation was an elaborateexplanation on the journey ofscience and how Science hasleapfrogged way ahead of thisgeneration. He stressed onhow science and religionneed to believed to go beyond;believing in the truth and thefact is the need of the hour.

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The conference sawoutstanding thought provokingpresentations on beliefs andbeyond rekindling the mind.In a befitting finale to theconference retired SupremeCourt judge Hon’ble JusticeSrikrishna revealed how beliefand faith were ensconced in thevery framework of the Indianconstitution. Taking us througha brief journey through some

Prol. K.J.Rao, Bengaluru

Yakshagana :

Shaneshwara

Mahatme by

the artists of

Dharmastala

Yakshagana

Mandali,

Dharmastala

sections of the Constitution andthe legislations that weregoverned by it, Justice Srikrishnasaid belief forms the very basisof criminal jurisprudence.

As Dr. Veerandra Heggadesaid, this conference was justa beginning; it was a prelude toa greater venture that wouldcontinue to create a landmark indocumenting the system of beliefsand faith that abounds Indiantradition for millennia.

The conference concludedwith a colourful energeticYakshagana performance by‘Shaneshwara Mahatme’ bythe artists of DharmastalaYakshagana Mandali.

- With inputs from AnaghaMahishi, Umesh kumar andJournalism students ofBharathiya Vidya Bhavan

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This international conference

on beliefs and beyond is the firstof its kind in India. We have hadgood response from the crosssection of scholars from the worldbelonging to different fields likescientists, jurists, engineers,doctors and spiritual leaders.The assemblage of national,international scholars practicingastrology, vaastu, non-conventional medicines andpsychiatrists have participated inthe event with great enthusiasmand offered their valuable inputs.

The unique feature of thisconference has been therepresentation of distinguishedpeople from different religiousfaiths – Hindus, Muslims,Christians, Jains, Buddhists andso on from all across the world.

When we set out to plan thisconference it was decided that

every speaker would bring tothe floor evidence basedpresentations. In tune with thisobjective all the presentationsmade at this conference has hadthe backing of authentic research,evidence and practicalapplication. It is this feature thatsets this conference notcheshigher in the realm for beliefs andfaith.

Technology and impact ofsocial media has brought intremendous changes in life andlife styles of the people, bothpositive and negative. Impact ofpositive beliefs and faith havetremendously impacted at bothpersonal and societal levels.Questions, some of them quitevalid, have been thrown up onour heritage, culture, practices,beliefs, rituals and so on. It isabout time that these doubts,misconceptions and misbeliefsshould be cleared with authenticanswers that will be recorded forposterity and will continue theprocess of contemplation.

This conference is to serveas a beacon light to the youngergeneration to continue the timecherished traditions and faiths.Hence this conference.

SUMMING UP BY SRI K. G. RAGHAVAN

Sri. K.G. Raghavan

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It was recognized thatbeliefs and faiths should standadjusted to existing social ethosand aspirations consistent withlaws of a civil society. Equally,actions should be consistent withsuch beliefs. Equally the ill effectsof certain personal and societalbeliefs have left indelible effect totherefore sift the grain from thechaff is the core issue.

We are conscious of the factthat the time allotted to each ofthe speakers was not enough toexpress their entire thinkingprocess on the subject.

We are also not able toaccommodate a few morescholars who deserve to be hereat this conference.

However, we feel this topicis only the tip of the ice bergand we will continue to pursue thesubject with many more inclusionsto understand the super humanaspects that surround us.

Lastly and importantly theviews and opinions expressedby the several speakers at thisconference are their own andthe organizing institutions do notnecessarily subscribe to thesame. Thank you.

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall06. Kathak Duet :Smt. Sowmya Somashekar andSri. Somashekar Chudanath

Sun 10.30 a.m. - KRG Hall08. Book release function :Famous Chinee storiesauthored by Dr. Vijaya Subbaraj

Fri 5.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall13. Siddha Sanmarga(Meditation programme) byGuru Atmanandaji

Fri 6.30 p.m. - KRG Hall13. Odissi Dance :Ms. Preeti Banerjee

Sat 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall14. Horizon series -Bharatanatya Recital byMs. Ramaa Venugopalan

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall20. Bharatanatya :Ms. Rasika Kiran

Thu 5.00 p.m.26. BVB -Infosys FoundationOutreach programme :Folk Music : TathwapadagaluVidwan K.M. Ramaiah & PartyVenue : Community Hall,K.Gollahalli, Kengari, Bengaluru South

Fri 6.30 p.m. - KRG Hall27. Light Music :Sri. Hiremagaluru Pradeep

Sat 5.00 p.m.28. PadmabhushanaDr. B. Saroja DeviNational Award presented to :Sri Rajendrasingh Babu,Renowned Film Director

PROGRAMME : APRIL - 2018

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April - 2018

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SMT. CHOODI SHIVARAM