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JUNE, 1997
.
~p·O~
INTERN ATI O.N AL
Smuggling: Auctioning India's Treasures 17
Cloning: A Sheep is Cloned. Are Humans
Next? A Hindu Perspective 22
Cover Story: Charming and Chilling: Nepal
Still Worships Virgin Goddesses 26
Religion: Athavale's Heroic Life and Plump
Priz6 Are Celebrated in New York 34
Diamond Jubilee: The Brahma Kumaris'
Hold a Birthday Bash in Delhi 48
Technology: Sacred Architecture Under
Ct'm struction at 1rerala Colloquium 52
· LIF:ESTYLE
Trinidad: He Built a Temple in the Sea 36
Astrology: Are Clones Off the Charts? 36
InSight: Sacred Sile~e, Mau.na 30
Family: It's OK Again to Stay Home 40
• Business: One Crafty Crafts Fair 19
OPINION
Pdblisher's Desk: Discovering the Powers
, of Gratitude an,p. Appreciation 6'
Editorial: A Hindu Take on Cloning 8
My Turn: Who's GJ iding Science? . 9
L~~s 14
Healing: After All, ;Boys Will Be Men 44
Minister's Message: yvomena s Partners 50
DIGESTS
Quotes &. Quips 10 Evolutions 44
Dlaspora ~1 Digital Dharma 54
Briefly . 20

PPS 120lJ4I96 Malaysia ........ HMS Singapore ....... .8$4 • COVER: The youthful Royal Kumari of Kathmandu during the yearly Indra Jatra http://www.HlndulsmToday.kaual.hl.ull
Mauritius ....... Rs.30 South Africa . US$2.95 ' festival. (Right, top) In procession-ever calm amidst the clamor. (Bottom) Former
Nepal .... . NRs.175 Sri Lanka .... Rs.80 1117 Edltl.... Olio"
o Royal Kumari, D il Kumari Sakya, reminisces her days as divinity. See pag~ 26.. ' welllIte.ward
.. , .
Welcome
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PUBLISHER'S DESK
Two Powers: Gratitude
and Appreci'a tion
HSome people complain because God put thorn's on
roses. Others praise Him for putting roses among thorns."
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI
UCH OF LIFE TODAY IS BASED
depreciation and denigra-
tion of public leaders, groups,
governments, religions, corpo-
and even family mem-
bers. This is negative living, always.
pointing out faults in no uncertain
terms and ignoring the virtues. A
Hawaiian civic leader lamented to us
recently that people are cruel in their
complaints. "It's ok to criticize, but
they should be kindly when doing so!"
A story I was told decades ago re-
lates. A guru was sitting with two dis-
ciples under a sprawling banyan tree . can and should use our God-given gift
in India. The older student inquired, "Guruji, how long must I wait
until I realize God?" The teacher responded, "Enlightenment is
n0t something that can be predicted, but since you have asked," he
leaned over and spoke in the right ear, "it will be tWenty more
lives." "Oh, no!" the youth cried in dismay, '1 don't know if I can
wait that long!" The other follower, naturally curious, asked of his
own future. The guru whispered, "Liberation will come after you
live as many lives as'this banyan has leaves!" Hearing this, the seek-
er jumped to his feet and began to aance. Why? He was suddenly
overtaken with the assurance that he would ultimately be liberat-
ed. Ecstatic with appreciation, he transcended the mind an~ at-
tained his Liberation that very moment. The fIrst student was on
the path of depreciation. For him, the pot was half empty. For the
sec0nd, immersed in thankfulness, the pot was half full.
Appreciation is a beautiful, soulful qualitx: available to everyone
in every circumstance: being thankful for life's little treasures,
grateful for the opportunity to begin the day where you are, appre-
ciating the perfect place your karma and God's grace has brought
you to. Appreciation is life-giving. Depreciation without apprecia-
tion is heartlessly destructive. Yet, it i.s the all-too-common way of
our times. When something is d<ine that is good, helpful or loving,
it is often overlooked, treated as something expected. No acknowl-
edgement is shown, no gratitude expressed. But if a shortcoming is
seen, everyone is swift to point it out!
The Vedas, the Tirukural and our many other holy texts indi-
cate a better way. The wise ones' knew tHat all humankind possess-
es'freedom of choice and the willpower to use it. Today that free-
dom is usually used, unwisely, to downgrade others as well as
oneself. Ignorance seems to be almost as all-pervasive as Yod. We
fmd it everywhere and within every situation. It does not have to
be this way.
6 HINDUISM TODAY · JUNE 1 9 97
Gratitude is a quality of the soul. It
does not depend on how much we pos-
sess. It's opposite, ingratitude, is a quali-
ty of the external ego. When we abide
in soul consciousness, we give thanks for
whatever we have, no matter how little
or how much. When in ego conscious-
ness, we are never grateful or satisfIed,
no matter how much we have.
I have faith in human integrity, in
that unfailing "still, small voice of the
soul" which each who listens for can
hear. We are essentially pure souls tem- .
porarily living in a physical body. We
of free will encased in love to make a
difference in the world today, even if it
is in a small way. All of us making the
same difference together do so in a big
way. Sishyas should be grateful to their
gurus, husbands to their wives, wives to
their husbands, both to their children,
students to their teachers and teachers
to their st~dents. Its far more effective
to praise others and appreciate what we
have than to find fault and complain
about what we don't· have!
Gratitude and appreciation are the
key words for a better life. They are the
spell that is cast to dissolve hatred, hurt
and sadness, the mediciI\e which heals
subjective states of mind, restoring self-
respect, confIdence and security. Shall
we review them one at a time and con-
sider.a practice, a sadhana, for each?
First, gj:atitude. It is a feeling within
the heart that we cannot suppress for
long when overcome with abundant memories of all the good that I
has come into our lives. Most often, people remember the bad hap-
penings, perhaps because they make the deepest impressions in
the subconscious and are not expected. Good happenings are ex-
pected and, therefore, tend to be overlooked. The sadhana here is
to take out paper: and pen and list all the good that has come into
your life during the past fIve years. The list will grow as memory is
stimulated. Should it not be possible to think of even one good
thing, then write the afrmnation several times, "I am a spiritual
being of light maturing in the ocean of experience." Soon a good
memory will come up followed bl more. Feelings of loving appre-
ciation will begin to flow toward those who participated in the
good times. Forgiveness then wells up for the bad times. Amazing-
ly, on'the day I was writing these tlloughts down an island person
handed me a paper on which was written this wisdom from the
great Catholic mystic Meister Eckhart, "If the only prayer you eveF
say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." t and speaking on these high principles that are so important to us
Now. let's look at appreciation, turning our thanks toward the
,
Afull cup: Respect and gratefulness are keys to endUring, harmo-
nious human relationships. Offering appreciation (gunagrahanam
~ in Sanskrit, symbolized by the nectar-bearing pot), one
man acknowledges a friend's unique qualities.
people in our hves. The sadhana of appreciation is to approach
those you are grateful to and tell them, to their face, while looking
deep into their eyes, how much you esteem and value them. Be
specifIc. Find details to share so they know this is not a shallow
compliment. Explain what each one has done to inspire this loving
confrontation and convince each in turn that you are sincere. The
look of a full smiling {ace, eyes shining and heart full of love, is
conv.incing enough in itself Words of appreciation are words peo-
ple do not often hear. These confrontations do not happen nearly
often enough among friends and relatives in today's world. Loving
appreciation is a life-changing force just waiting'to be used. Appre-
ciate community leaders, liusiness associates, spiritual mentors,
family members as often as you can. Loving appreciation is a mag-
ic formula that works both ways. When we commend another, we
are automatically uplifted.
Here's a true story. A young man tried the aeove practice on his
rather gruff employer, whose heart melted when he heard the
words, "One of the things that I appreciate most about you, sir, is
your brilliance as an inventor. You have so much to teach me." Af-
ter saying that andtIIlOre, the youth urged the astonished elder to
pass on the voicing of appreciation to another person. The man sat
with his son that same evening and awkwardly told him how much
he appreciated his only son's many fIne qualities. "I never take
time to share these things. I tend to keep to myself and be de-
)!landing and harsh because of the pressures of work. But please
know that I do love you." The youth began sobbing and confessed,
"Father, thank you. I was planning to commit suicide tomorrow be-
cause I thought you didn't care about me any more. Now I won't."
You never know how much difference your appreciation will make.
To prepare yourself for this sadhana, stand before a mirror and
look at your face, right into your eyes, {illd say aloud, as if talking
to another person: "I am grateful to you and appreciate your being
in my life." Then describe in many sentences, to yourself, all the
good you have done during the past fIve years. Yop can read from
your list of goodness that you made earlier. You will soon see the
reflection in the mirror soften, begin to smile as it absorbs the
happy feelin~ of your appreciation. Once this art is perfected be-
tween you and you, you can begin to appreciate others in the same
way. Don't be shy. No one is shy when angry. Why be shy when we
are happy and ovingly grateful?
There is a brave new world on the horizon for followers of
dharma, one in which we are kindly to each other, trusting and
aware of one anothers' feelings, a world where we acknowledge our
debt to others, express our thanksgiving, fITst in 0ur silent heart t
and then outwardly. Gratituc;le is one of lifes richest resources, con-
taining the power to change people's lives. Its opposite is a disease
that erodes all contentment and fIlls our life with emptiness an<;l.
despair. Take heart. These sadhanas on gratitude and appreciation
have worked wonders for many. Yes, each one of us can make a
difference. 1J.1e world is changing, and we can make it change for
the better, or we can leave it in. the hands of those who make
changes for the badder: It's our choice.
I appreciate each of our readers of HINDUISM TODAY. You are
the men and women, boys and girls who are strengthening Hin-
duism in hundreds of remote communities, upholding the dharma,
setting the record straight. It is you who are inspiring us to pro-
duce the magazine each mon'lli, giving us so many ideas and
cheering us on. You are making a great difference by simply living
all and to the future of humanity.
JUN E, 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 7
--~~~~~~~~----------------------------------------------------------------------~~----~
,, I
EDITORIAL There are two fundamental principles .
that every Hindu applies to determination
of right and wrong in qJestions of conduct
SwalT)i~ Bill Clinton
or conscience. The first is ahimsa, nonin-
jury. The second is nearness to God lead-
ing to moksha, spiritual liberation. Every
action, word or even thought is judged
H~s a Question
against these two touchstones. Of course,
the application of such broad principles is '
open to interpretatibn. How much injury is
permissible to elone a person or find a
cure for cancer? Some would answer none,
The President is asking all faiths, includ\ng not even to laboratory animals. Other Hin-
dus postulate that the very search for a
Hinduism, about the ethics of human cloning cure assumes that cancer is an unneces-
sary '€lvil, a crack in the universal machine
'needing urgent repair. What of the pur- ,
BY THE EDI ·TOR pose behind it all? What of the need some
have to experience cancer? Cancer is the
UESTIONS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ARE INFREQUENT problem, says mind. How we confront cancer is the real issue, says
enough, even wnen indirect, that the HINDUISM TODAY spirit. ATe we looking for a perfect, death-defying body' or are ,w.e
staff was equally honored and stunned by a March 14 looking for soulful qualities derived from experiencing life's joys
phone call from the National Bioethics Advisory Commit- and sufferings with wisdom and equanimity?
tee. They have been commissioned by executive order to Most Hindu spiritual leaders we spoke to were less concerned for
submit to Bill Clinton a summary of the ethics of human cloning the moral issueS' and casuistry surrounding human cloning than for
for his early-April contemplations in deciding w~at US laws to im- the practical need. Why do this? they asked. Will it lielp us to
p1se on this remarkable, some say frightening, new scientific possi- draw nearer to God if we have 'such bodieS'? Will the soul's evolu-
bility. ·P art of the report to the President will be a summary of reli- tion toward Self Realization be advanced one millimeter? Will the
gious views of the issue, and we were deputed to assemble the inner consciousness ge enhanced? They think not.
Hindu eonvicti"on, summarized in our story on page 22. But there ate other voices. Some told us that a cloned bodX might
The notion of having perfect genetic copies of <'Jurselves, o~ce be useful. One noted that in ancient Greec~, priests for the tem-
the stuff of syience Mction, is heading toward fact and causing a ples were specially cr,eated by hypnotizing or drugging two virgins
good deal of incendiary debate along the way. Crities say, "One of and arranging for them to conceive a child. Because that sexual en-
me is quite enough, and one of Adolf Hitler was too m¥1y. Theres counter was passionless (there even remained no memory of its
5.4 billion of us. Why make more?" Initial discussions..goth with having it was said that their progeny would be
swamis and falIlllies indicate unequivocally . unwOI:ldly anq dispassionate, qualities wanted
a~d overwhelmingly that Hindus find the in a priest. Parallel instructions exist in
idea of replicating human beings unneces- ancient Indian texts, explaining how to con-
sary, unethical and unthinkable. They ceive a child of this nature or that, all based
recalled a surprising number of cloning ref- on the thoughts and yogi~ practices of the
erences in the old In9,ian tales. Has it hap- parents during coitus. If th~ is true, might
pened before? Could-it happen in the not cloning, with its total elimination of
future that we would meet or even ~each human sexuality, provide a physical-emotion-
the dharma to dozens of copies of al home for an advanced soul seekipg an
ourselves? It gives new meaning to the Hin- earthly passage of solace, needing to live
du id~al of seeing ourselves in others. . without emotion or powerful desires and sen-
Many religionists find it frightening to timents? And might not cloning bring us back
watch man tinkering with God's universe. t01the Indian ideal,of a 120-year lifespan?
There's no user's manual, they fret. What if It's hard for pas~ionate.'People in old- I
we break something permanently? The fashioned bodies to think dispassionately
Creator made it with loving intent and di- about all this. Fears arise, evoking the spect¢
vine intelligence, they offer, and it is arro- of human farming, of armies of look-alj.ke sdl-
gant, foolhardy and downright sinful for diers, of avaricious organ sellers and irrecon-
people to play God with something as pro- cilable questibns of inheritance, personhood
foundly consequential as the huJ:i.1an genetic and belonging. With all that complex surro-
instruction. gacy, whose childreIil are the clones, what
It is possible to understand such a prudent happens to the idea of family? In fact, human'
warning and still \,lis agree. While the argu- clohing is just the most recent moral clillem-
ment makes sense with a Bibl:ical God, Hinduism does not ma between conscience and science. We have stood here before.
separate man froJIl God so coml2!etely. Man is God; and God is A short list will put the problem in perspective. In the 15th cen-
man. Indian yogis and mystics speak of the co creative process of tury there was a terrible outcry when the first rifles and pistols
evolution. Man is not merely following a distant Deitys decrees in were made in Spain. Surety, we thought, this would bring the end..
fulfillment of fhe Divine Law; he is engaged, alongside the Archi- When Karl Benz built the first automobile in Germany i n 1885,
tect, in engineering that Law; or you could say God is working His . 'clergy thought it of the devil and condemned it harshly. Many will
will through mankind, including scientists. remember the soul-searcbing that greeted the first successful
8 HINDUISM. TODAY. JU ~E , 1997
atomic bomb test at Alamogordo; New
Mexico, on July' 16, 1945. When kidneys
were first implant ed into humans in t~e ._
1960s and a heart in the 19805', the moral
furor was universal and P9werful. Ditto
. whenynan set foot on the Jlloon July 20,
1969, and again when British researchers
perfected in iitra fertilizatio~ of the
human egg, leading to the bir th of Louise
Brown, the world's first "test-tube bab/'
conceived outside the human body and
born on July 25, 1978; and again with sur-
rogate mothers. You get the idea. Things
that at first seem unthinkable gradually be-
come accepted. Whp today thinks of a test-
tube infant as a freak or eonsiders plane
travel to be against the natural order?
Many dtd back then. ' BY ~ATA AMRITf.-NANUAMAYI
Hindlls realize there are karmic
consequences to ev.ery act, including
cloning. Would your parabdha karnw~that
which rules. the present life span~be
impacted if a duplicate of your body lived
on 50 years, 100 or more beyond your
death? Would you, the soul, be held up in
.. the astral plane, awaiting a new birth
inde1initely, 'lingering until your very-
much-alive physical body expired? Hindus
consider that this life's karmas are not com,-
plete until the body succ\mbs, and having
a par,t of the body remain alive could per-
haps forestall freedom. ,If oloning so
impacts spiritual progress, we would
certainly approach it with circumspection.
Was it intuition that led Hindus to protect reproduct~e processes can enhance the
, themselves from such a fate by requiring
cre~tion? No one can dig up a Hindu's
corpse and clone him or her from a piece
of bone or skin. Not true outsid~ of Indian
culture, where we can still find the grave of involved, this research should be carried
a pharaoh or Isaac Newj:on or Elvis. Still,
India preserved her sailits, for they are the
only Hindus traditionally interred. Did the
rishis. anticipate cloning mille=ia ago, and
set up principles that would assure only the
bodies sf the most advanced souls would
be cloned in some distant future? Hmmm!
Our summary to Bill Clinton will include I prudent course of action. The advance of
a Hindu appeal for laws to restrain clorling
of humans and emphatically urge him to
engage spiritllally-minded people to guide
, and control the process. Good people are
. the best promise of a good outcOl;ne. We
will 'share with him full transcripts of the
sagacious counsel on cloning we re~ived
this month from spiritual leaders in several
countries. We will inform the President
that Hinduism neith~r }:ondones nor con-
demns the march of science. If done with
divin~ intent and cQnsciousness, it may
benefit; and if done in the service 0f self-
ishness, greed and 'Power, it may bring se-
vere' karmic consequences. The siinple rule
is this: Let dharma be the guide for all
such explorations.
r ,
Keep.Science at
Peace with Nature '
Spiritually awar~ and -responsible people
must oversee any cloning research
HE IDEA OF CLONIN€;,
though implemented only
recently through modern
science, was in the minds
of the ancient saints and
sages of India. Quite a few rele-
. vant examples can be found in
the Ved.as and ancient wri.tings.
However, man's. attempt to
change the natural order of
things has a long-term potential
of unexpected negative results.
Historically, it is impossible and unwise
to interfere with the advance of science.
The fuller understanding of cellular and
genetic engineering alieady unClerwa}\ and
lead to new treatments for disease and the
relief of suffering.
However, because of the ethical issues
out at appwved institutions in conformance taught. Only then will there be any benefit.
with the guidelines of ethical forums and
legislative protection. These forums should
be composed of spiritually aware and re-
sponsible peopl~ whcysincerely desire to
s.erve humanity. These forums can then
advise industry ang government as to a
science can be used for both good and eviL
The powerful forces within th~ atom can
be harnessed to h~lp mankind or to build ' serving nature, we are worshiping-God
weapons of destruction.
Many identical suits can be .fabricated
from the same bolt of cloth, but what can
we. say about the wearer of the 'suit? While
science may eventually succeed in cloning
a carbon copy of a physical form, the in-
awelling consciousness of that form is still
beyond the reach of material science. .
God has established a natural order in
His creation which contributes to the spiri-
tual evolution of life. These natural proces~-,
es, if interfered with, will ultimately result
in sorrow and suffering wliich is the state
of the world today.
,
I
A government alone carmot
do anything m ithout the 'sincere
and wholehearted cooperation-
of the people. For this to hap-
pen, it shoulcl be a government
which works in accordance
with the will and wishes of
people wni) love nature. People
. should be taught to function
from their heatts. Societies
should be formed in every vil-
lage in order to create ?Il awareness of the
significance of protecting and preserving
nature. Mere intellectual understanding is.
not enough. The teachers and counselors of
these societies should have the ability to
encourage people to love nature, to feel
compassion for all of creation and its crea-
tures. The teachers themselves should be
highly competent and efficient people, who
can inspire o1'hers to do whatever they are
Looking at nature and observing its -6elf-
less way of giving, we can become aware of
our own limitations. That will help to de-
velop devotion and self-surrender to God.
.Thus, nature helps us to become close to
God and teaches us to truly worship Him.
In reality, nature is nothing but Gods visi-
ble form which Wf'J can b~hold and' experi-,
ence, through our senses. By loving and .
Himself A sincere Truth seeker carmot
harm nature becau~e he or she sees nature
as God. A rear scientist should be a real
lover-a lover of mankind, a lover of all
creation and a lover of life.
By creating a balance between spiritual
and material science, we can certainly im-
prove the quality of life on this planet. This
als6 involves an understanding of nature
and living in harmony with it.
Ammachi; lwnored as a "President of
Hinduism" at the Parliament;..of the World's
Religions in 1993, lives in Kerala, India.
JUNE , 1 99 7 HINDUISM; TODA¥ -9
 ,'I S
"Whatever appears in the world is God.
No one knqws ~is beginning, mid~le or ynd."
Sw~ml Muktananda (1908-1982)
Rigorous Rites \.~,(
lll1t~~1 IIV~I I"""~

INDIA' S ADI SANKARA ORDER

of monks are spiritual authori-
rntt NIN l llII.INCIM I. fIOttl UIt HM)IOM
I\I: \ UI/,YINC alll~T.1t IUl l"lllUl."IC N II.H O 'jel.~D lltc::aVttlt'Y,

Load too many of them and even peacock
feathers would break a sturdy cart's axle.
Tirukural, Verse 475
. .
"You are fine. How am I?" Asked by one
psychic upon meeting another psychic on
the Street.
"Nothing is permanent but change." Greek
philosopher 'Heracleitus (540--480BCE) .
'That deathless love which the ignorant
have for the fleeting obj.ects of the senses-
as I keep remembering You, may that love
not s1ip away from my heart. "
Vishnu Purana, Verse 1.20.23
As he stepped out on the golf course at
Ooty, India, a distinguished Hindu gentle-
man was asked, "But why are you wearing
two dothis (wrap-aro.lJnds)?" He replied
with an optimistic smile, "Because today
might get a 'hole-in-one!' "
Said to be a true story, a thermo,dynamics
professor had written a take-home exam
for his graduate students. It had one ques-
tion: "Is hell exothermic (heat releasing) or
endothermic (heat absorbing)? Support
your a11swer with a proof." M~st students
responded with proofs using Boyle's Law,
relating temperature, pressure and volume.
One student wrote: "We postulate that if
souls exist, then they must have some mass
(weight). At what rate are souls moving into
hell and at what rate are souls leaVing?!
think that we can safely assume that once a
soul gets to ~ell, it will not leave.
'1\s for souls eIltering hell, let's look at the
different world religions. Some state that if
you are not a member of their religion, you
will go to hell. Since there are more than
one of these religions and'people do not
belong to more than one religion, we can
conclude that all people and all s.ouls go to
hell. With birth and death rates as they
are, we can expect the number of souls in
,hell to increase exponentially.
"Now, we look at the rate of change iq
volume in helL Boyle's Law states that in
ties for much of India's Vedic
priesthood and the large Hindu
Smaria denomination. On in-
struction from the pontiff of
Sringeri monastery in Karp,ata-
r ka, the fledgling Sringeri Vidya
Bharati Foundation Inc., uSA, is
poised to make history by con-
ducting a classic Athi Rudra
Jains of Rajasthan, where boys are initiated at a very early age Maha Yagna Vedic fire rite on a
magnitude unheard of outside
MONASTI C LIFE India. From Aug. 22 to Sept. 1, National Geographic Jeep ad
121 priests will chant the most
Monks' Initiation Blocked powerful prayer of Hindu scrip- POP C ULTURE
ture, called "Sri Ruruam," (a 20-
N FEBRUARY 8TH, IN ALWAR, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, DIS- minute chant) 14,641 times in Jeepl-\sanas
O trict authorities raided the Jain monastery of Mahavir
Bhavan, They took away 12-year-old Arun Arora and
two other children who were under the guardianship of the
Shroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The
4,900 hours of prayer and fire
ceremonies spanning 11 days
NEXORABLY, HINDU CULTURE
Iis seeping into all levels of the
priests. The legal "abduction" was mounted to prevent the per- are unprecedented in America. modern world. A striking exam-
formance of an age-old ceremony the following day, to initiate ple appeared in a February,
Arun as a Jain monk. In the week preceeding the event, planned 1997, National Geographic ad-
as a grand public celebration, factions within the Jain communi- vertisement by Jeep. Yoga pos-
ty, social activitists and a local Hindi daily newspaper success- tures were featured including a
fully agitated to thwart the "initiation of a minor boy against the tongue-in-cheek at-the-wheel
provision of the law." Opponents contended that though the boy asatta called "The Jeep Grand
came to the monastery with his parents' consent when he was Cherokee." The lead slogan,
nine years old, he should not be initiated until the age of 18, "Nine principal postures for
They also plan to push for laws banning the practice in all com- achieving gre8;ter relaxation and
munities. Jains siding with the priests point out that early initia- Self-Discovery," unabashedly
tion into monastic life is traditional in many religions. promoted the cul!ure of yoga to
NG's ten million plus readers.
INTERFAITH of Kashi: "One of the world's BANGLADE>SH
and facilities for monastic train-
oldest cities, Varanasi (Kashl, ing. In Bangladesh there are ten
Preying on Kashi
'City of Light') on the banks of,
the sacred river Ganges draws
RKM in Dhaka affliated Ramakrishna Mission
centers !\,hich all playa great
thousands of 'Hindu pilgrims
C hot on the internet as the
HRISTIAN EVANGELISM IS

9,000-strong Youth With A

annually, as well as Western F OUNDED IN 1897
Vivekananda when West ,
BY SWAMI role in relief and rehabilitation I
work. An able organizer, Swami
order for the temperature and pressure in spiritual seekers. We see from Bengal was still part of India, Aksarananda has extended RK
hell to stay the same, the ratio of the mass Mission in 130 countries coordi- history that Varanasi is a world the Ramakrishna Mission in Mission worI$:s to the remote ar-
nate a May '97 "30 Days Hindu influencer, a place of learning Dhaka is now in Bangladesh. eas of 64 districts of
of souls and volume needs to stay constant.
Prayer Focus." Guidebooks and that goes out and touches the Under the direction of Swami Bangladesh.
So, if hell is expanding at a slower rate than leaders denigrate Hinduism, ~orld. God wants Varanasi to Aksaran'anda.,:since 1972,
the rate at which souls enter hell, then the Ganges worship and the power be associated with the Gospel. the mission maintains a
/
temperature and pressure in hell will in- India and Hinduism daily schedule of spiritual
crease until all hell breaks loose. Of course, are entwined with disciplines and teaching
t§ powers that withstand programs, a fun annual
z if hell is expanding at a rate faster than the
~ Truth. It is time they festival roster, runs a ju-
~
increase of souls in hell, then the tempera- bow the knee to the nior high school, a stu-
OJ
o ture and pressure will drop until hell Lord Jesus!" dents' home, a free li-
ocz freezes over." brary, a vocational
..:
L L-____________ ~ ______________________ ~-, __ ~ ________ ~------- Kashi: Hin.du rites for training center, a med-
deceased parents ' ical project in Dhaka Dhaka's strong Ramakrishna Mission

10 HI :t< DUISM TOD A-Y J U ,NE , 1997

CLOCk'WISE FROM TOP: COREL; SRINGERI DHARATI VIDYA FOUN-
DAT ION; JEEP CORPORATION; 5ASHUDED DHAR; RAJESH DEDI JUNE , 1997 HI N DUISM TODAY 11
 UNITED KINGDOM
Moneesh Gifts and Books
The Abhinay School of Dance • Religious Books: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism,
Beef- Free Kids of New Delhi, India Judaism, Islam, Christianity and other modern faiths.
will present: • Religious Statues: wood, stone, metal, crystal-l in. to 5 ft.

Fis sprouting a new meatless

EAR OF MAD COW DISEASE

generation in Britain. A Vege-

Siva'worship in Varanasi's Vishwanatha Temple with ghee lamps, conch shells and food offerings
INDIA
Siva's Priests Disenfranchised
N MARCH 18, REPORTS THE
O Indian Express, India's
Supreme Court upheld an Uttar
Pradesh state act which abol-
ished the right~ of th~ priests of
centuries-old Kashi Vlswanatha
temple in Varanasi to receive
offerings from pilgrims. The
legislation also transferred man-
agement of the temple to the
state, disinheriting and "firing"
the priests. It was a sad new
piece of the puzzle of Hindu
'temple administration in post-
feudal India in which a secular
government i~ forced to com-
pensate for the absence of any
self-regulating infrastructure
for Hindu temples and clerics.
'~ppalled by the mismanage-
ment of the temple and the ex-
ploitation of the devotees," the
court held that the priests were
not a [passive1integral part of
religion [like a shrine or Deity1
who could receive offerings
simply by virtue of holding a
hereditary post. "Priests are the
servants of the temple" and
only receive offerings for actual
services rendered to devotees,
the court decreed. The judg-
ment held that scripture re-
quires liturgical competence to
merit appointment. Misconduct
or unfitness for service consti-
tutes grounds for dismissal.
It is true that innocent and
pious pilgrims to the holy city
are routinely rudely accosted
by demanding priests. But the
contrast of state intervention in
Hindu affairs versus a hands-
off policy tdward Christian and
Muslim institutions is perplex-
ing for many Hindus. .
tarian Society survey shows 38-
percent of 4-to-11-year-olds are '
avoiding beef and 20 percent
avoid most meat. Only three
percent of the children surveyed
were strict vegetarians, but
"almost a quarter of that age
group were avoiding meat.
They'll be comfortable with a
vegetarian diet in the future," ·
said Vegetarian Society com-
munications manager Stephen
Conner. A majority of parents
agreed veggie tikes can be as
healthy as carnivorous kids.
HOTEL SHAMAN
Hold the Rain
Nadopasana
"Worship Through Music"
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(Special feature on the
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Dancers
• Jayalakshmi Eshwar (Kalakshethra) The Path of Love
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• Swathi Biswas • Smitha Sheshadri Several spiritual masters offer ways
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Musicians love, enabling us to experience a
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Tel: 215-396-0390 or 888-269-7323
oped. For scheduling and inquiries, please contact: http://www.chinmaya.org/publications
Chinmaya Publications
P.K. Nair, 820 M Way, Salado, Texas 76571-9352 USA. 560 Bridgetown Pike
Tel: 817-947-1720. Fax: 817-947-1820. E-mail: pnair@vvm.com Langhorne, PA 19053-7210 USA
We offer a wide selection of

FROM THE VEDAS , MANKIND ' S OLDEST SCRIPTURE i\

Fire is His head, the sun and moon His eyes,
space His ears, the Vedas His speech, the wind
His breath, the universe His heart. From His
feet the earth has originated. Verily, He is the
inner Self of all beings.
ARTHARVA VEDA, MUNDUKYA UPAN 2.1.4
God is, in truth, the whole universe: what was,
what is and what beyond shall ever be. He is
the God of life immortal and of all life that
lives by food. His hands and feet are every-
where. He has hands and mouths everywhere.
He sees all, He hears all. He is in all, and He Is.
YAJUR VEDA, SVETASVATARA UPAN 3.15-16
12 HINDUISM TODAiY JU.NE, 1997
We know not. We cannot understand how He
can be explained. He is above the known, and
He is the unknown. Thus have we heard from
the ancient sages who explained this truth to us.
SAMA VEDA, KENA UPAN 1.3
To Him ascend these hymns, these steed-swift
prayers. He alone hears my words. All-mover,
all-conqueror, conveyer of sacrifice, the Child,
ever aiding, He assumes great power.
RIG VEDA 1.45.1-3
He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all, the
chief foundation of this world, subtler than the
subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou art That.
ARTHARVA VEDA, KAIVALYA UPAN 116
Verses here are from the Vedic Experience
by Prof Raimon Panikkar; viewable at
www.HinduismToday.kauai.hi.uslashrami
HimalayanAcademylPublicat ionsl
VedicExperienceNEIndex.html
.
T THE BALI FOUR SEASONS
J=\resort, baJ.1ans, Hindu
priests/shamans, are contracted
for a $100 fee to prevent rain
during large outdoor rvents.
The "rainstopper," as the West-
ern hotel execs call him, returns
the fee in the event of rain. At
least he would. So far, the hotel
has 'never had to ask for a rei
fund. "When someone is plan-
ning a $10,000 event," said the..:
hotel manager, "they dOI\t wor-
ry about an extra $100 to guar-
, antee them good weather."
Balian, Nuratmadja, at work
Sri Chinmoy's inspirational
and instructional written
Roy Eugene Davis,
a widely-traveled teacher,
author and direct disciple of
works, including essays, Paramahansa Yogananda,
poetry, plays and extensive has taught in the kriya yoga
answers to questions asked tradition for more than four
by seekers. decades.
Music includes soul-stirring Request information about
audio and video perform- his books and classes in the
ances by Sri Chinmoy and his USA, India, Europe and
students on instruments from other countries.
allover the world.
Center for Spiritual Awareness
Just published- P.O. Box 7-H
Sri Chinmoys long-awaited Lakemont, Georgia
trilogy, Commentaries on the Vedas, the Upanishads and the 30552-0007 USA
Bhagavad Gita: The Three Branches of India's Life-Tree
and a 4-CD set of selections from Sri Chinmoy's fifty Peace Tel: 706-782-4723 • Fax 706-782-4560
Concerts offered in honor of the 50th anniversary of the http://web.infoave.netl-csainc • E-mail csainc@stc.net
United Nations.
In India:
Call or write for our free catalog! A Master Guide to Meditation (Rs. 55)
The Book of Life (Rs. 65) by Mr. Davis.
Heart-Light Distributors Motilal Banarsidass
PO Box 85464-H 41 U.A., Bungalow Road
Seattle, WA 98145-1464 USA Jawahar Nagar, Delhi 110 007
• Offices and stores also in Patna, Bangalore, Madras,
Tel: 800-739-2885 or 1-206-527-2099 Varanasi, Calcutta and Pune.
Fax: 1-206-527-2099 If by mail, add Rs. 15 each book for postage.

Sri Lanka Report
THE ARTICLE ("SRI LANKAN TAMILS TELL
T!j.les of a Desperate Diaspora," COVER STO~
RY', April '97) is the most co~prehensjve
that I have read. The article is sensitively
written, very educational and. constitutes a
valuable reference.
- AMBIKAIPAKAN BALASUBRAMANIAM
CINCINNA'f!, OHIO, USA
.... Ambi.bala@UGEdu
I
YOUR COVERAGE OF THE TAMIL REFUGEES
is brilliant. The Refugee Council in London
has published a report which may interest
your readers called, "Protection denied: Sri
Lankan Tamils, the Home Office and the
Forgotten Civil War." This report follows a
199&-fact-finding mission to the country by
a Council delegation. The report calls on the
UK government to show a humanitarian atti-
tude towards Sri Lankan asylum seekers.
Copies are availablej"rom Katharine Knox at
(44) 171-820-3038 in London.
RAKESH MATHUR
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
It Took Courage
A DOUBLE CONGRATULATIONS AND COM-
mendation: one for your new layout and
second for your publisher's article ("Spare
the Rod and Save the Child," PUBLISHER'S
DESK, February '97~ condemning corporal
punishment. Both took ·courage and in-
sight, and I applaud them!
- I
CHRISTOPHE R LARGENT
DELAWARE, USA
Recalling Ramana
YOUR RECENT ARTICLE ABOUT -SRI RA-
mana Maharishi is superb (Ramana Ma-
harshi and His Teaching of "Who Am I,"
SAGE OF ARUNACHALAM, March '97). Many
are those who revere Maharshi and who
seek Self-Knowledge-Jnana-entirely free
of t1;).e concepts and remoteness which are
sometimes erroneously associated with
this clear wisdom. His s"imple, yet pro-
found, methociof Self-inquiry ("Who am
I?") and the showing that the abidance as
That is, indeed, our natural state are in-
valuable for those who yearn for deep
peace and lasting happiness.
- awhile (article on Himalayas).
MASTER NOME
SOCIETY OF ABIDANCE IN TRU:rH
CALIFORNIA, USA
Singing Calypso's Praise
I SEE PERSONALLY NO CONTROVERSY IN
teaching Kaiso (Calypso) to Hindu children
in Trinidad and Tobago. Both East Indian
and Afro-Caribbean cultures have been
rather blendeCI. in T&T for ages, especially
in the recent years. Thus Calypso, despite
its being thought of as strongly rooted only
14 Hi NDUISM TODAY JUNE, 1997
LETTERS
in Africari culture, has, in my opinion, re-
ceived a lot of influence from the East Indi-
an culture and arts and also from other cul-
tures. The influence is seen in the lyrics,
language, music, instruments and in the
race of the artists. All of it is Trinidadian
culture and should be appreciated by all Tri-
nis as well as foreigners.
MIKA
HELSINKI, FINLAND
"jansson@cc.helsinki.fi
Something Is Missing
I'M AN 18-YEAR-OLD STUDENT FRQM THE
University of Natal-Durban. The price of
your magazine almost tripled over the
newspaper format. I, along with many oth-
ers, am no longer able to afford it. How can
you just suddenly increase the price of a
religious magazine which is meant' be ac-
cessible to almost every Hindu? The old
format was very nice and reasonably priced.
It had quotes from our scriptures at the bot-
tom of each page which the new one seems
to be lacking.
V. MOODLEY •
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA
.... MOODLEYVI7@S?IFS1.U.,ND .AC.ZA
,,-
V We have added a Vedic verses section
each.issue in Diaspora.
Are Tamils Hindus?
THERE IS A MISCONCEPTION IN SOUTH
Africa [and Mauritius, tool that there is an
indigenous difference between Hindus and
Tfunils. Tamils are Hindus who speak the
language Tamil. Hindus, therefore, ..may
speak any language, be it Tamil, Hindi, Tel-
ugu, Gujarati, Kannada, English, etc. The re-
ligion of the Hindus is Hinduism. A person
who speaks Tamil may belong to Hinduism
or to another religion.
KRISHNASWAMI R. GOVENDER
GREYTOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
. . Corrections
Fiir from Home
A NEPALI LI~E MYSELF, LIVING VERY FAR
from my homeland, is very glad to see that I
can count on HINDUISM TODAY to be in-
formed of Nepalese news every once in
,,-
KlAN DHUNGANA, EDITOR, DrYAW
(A NEPALESE COMMUNITY NEWS MAGAZINE)
15 FOXACRE ROW, BRAMPTON,
ONTARIO, L6v 3v7 CANADA
Movies Worse than Pageant
INDIAN MOVIES ARE MUCH MORE PROVO-
cative than most Hollywood mo~es. No one
is forcing women t9 enter beauty pageants,
("Bangalore Battlefield," COVER STORY,
March '97), nor people to attend or support
them. With so much ignorance about birth
cOJltrol, poverty and pollution in India, these
beauty pageant protesters ought to be pro-
plOting birth control, helping the needy and
cleaning up unsanitary public facilities.
HENRY KARNILOwICZ
CALIFORNIA, USA,
Make it Appealing
WE FEEL Y~UR NEW MAGAZINE WILL HELP
Hindus and non-Hindus transcend the nega-
tive poverty-stricken image of Hinduism that
most Westerners seem to have-dirty, weird-
looking people with greasy, stringy hair in
weird-looking, messy dothing (or the la& of
it), who are worshiping snakes, stones, rivers
or other incomprehensible symbols because
they were presented without an explanation
of their deepest significance. Giving Hin-
duism the face it deserves is of 'the utmost
importance. The Hindu image must be raised
to the level that Westerner's have for Bud-
dhism and Buddhist monks: welcoming, and
defInitely not weird. Only then, we believe,
will Westerners find Hinduism appealing.
SHRI GURUDEVI SWAMI SAVITRIPRIYA
SHIVA-SHAKTI ANANDA ASHRAM
JALISCO, MEXICO
Some Things to be Proud of
THE SADHUS IN SARANGPUR VERY MUCH
recall the visit and talk of Satguru Sivaya-
Subramuniyaswami in which Swamiji re-
ferred to the center as the largest training
center for Hindu sadhus anywhere. We use
your magazine to inform our sadhus on
ways to implemeIl:> our Hindu teaching in
young generations minds in _foreign coun-
tries. The London Swaminarayan temple
and the Akshardham complex in India have
been grand successes in bringing people
closer to Hinduism.
SADHU CHAITANYAMURTIDAS
- and ginger combined with
AKSHARPURUSHOTTAM SWAMINARAYAN TEMPLE
AHMEDABAD, INDIA
V Bagmati riverphotpgraph, page 12, April
'97, was by Thomas L. K.elly. ....
V The correct home page address of Sri B.a-
mana Maharshi's ashram in India is httrJ:I/
www.nanet.comJramanalindex.htm • 810-732-0288
Letters with writer's name, address and daytime
phone number, should be sent to:
Letters, HINDUISM TDDAY
107 Kaholalele Road
KAPAA, HI, 96746-9304 USA
or faxed to: (808) 822-4351
or e-mailed to:
letters@HlnduismToday.kaual.hl.us
Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may
appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY.
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Books by Swami Shankar Ganapati sitting (or dancing), Ram
Purushottam Tirtha: Darbar, Lakshmi, Shiva-Parvati,
Durga, Shirdi Sai Baba, Hanuman,
Yoga Vani Santoshi Ma, Tirupati Balaji, Vishnu,
Instructions for the attain- Shiva Nataraj, Krishna, Krishna with
ment of Siddhayoga during Cow. 3 to 5" (7 to 12 cm) high. $19.95
sadhana. to $39.95. $3.50 shippg. Catalog.
postpaid: US$13.50 (USA) Discounts for retailers and temples.
$16.50 (Canada) - Nirvana Collection-
289 Route 416, RR3, Campbell Hall,
Guru Bani NY 10916 USA. Tel: 1-800-374-2304
100 ways to attain inner or 1-914-294-1498 • Fax 914-294-3870.
peace. How to live a spiritual
life-for monks and families.
postpaid: US$9.50 (USA)
I
$12.50 (Canada)
Pooja, Devotional and Wedding Items
Ayurvedic Products Distributors-wholesale or retail
catalog: $1.00 (free via e-mail) • Consultations. I-year Pre-packaged items for
Ayurveda Certification Courses in person or by correspon- havans • Religious statues 34159 Fremont Bvd
Fremont, CA 94555 USA •
dence (US mail, or e-mail). • Religious Books in Eng- Tel: 510-793-7930 ~ C/
lish, Sanskrit, Gujarati Fax: 510-793-7026
Ayurveda Holistic Center and Hindi • Kohlapur
c/o Swami Narayan Tirtha Math chappals, silk paintings, Pooja
82A-H Bayville Ave • Bayville, NY 11709-1671 USA
TeVfax: 1-516-628-8200 • Ask for Swami Sada Shiva Tirtha
brahmni booti, kut, agar,
tagar, bhojaptra, lotus
International
E-mail: ayurvedahc@holistic.com seed • Men's, children's kurta, pajamas, sari blouses, sari falls
and petticoats, children's clothes • Jaintri and Panchang •
Web: httpllwww.holistic.comllistingsl11709acl.html 1997 shipment from India just arrived • Ask for list of items.
(Free interactive dosha self-test and articles) • Prompt delivery • M.Card, Visa, Am.Ex credit cards OK.
Nestled in the foothills of the
By Swami Tejomayananda.
rain-drenched coastal range
An optimum blend of spirit-
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• Bhagavad Gita
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ing taste of heaven on ear.th.
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We have four unique blends:
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The tea that stirs the maker. http://www.chinmaya.orglevents
Shri Anandi Ma-Master in New selection of books, gifts,
the tradition of Kundalini
Maha Yoga, will be offering
public meditation programs in:
music and videos on:

• Meditation
Sotheby's
• Woodbury, Connecticut:
May 23 & 24.
•
•
•
Yoga
Alternative healing
Vegetarian cooking
Illicit'.lndla .
Tel: 203-598-3323
• Boston, Massachusetts:
June 6 & 7.
•
•
Flower essences
Yoga philosophy Artifacts
Tel: 617-491-4091 Also:
• New York, New York:
June 27 & 28. • Mystical music
Re'porter exposes .
Tel: 212-877-7339 • Books-on-tape auction house antics
• Spoken audio
• Mantra music
Shaktipat initiation will be offered by appointment each • Chanting tapes EJ.LEVISION AUDIENCES IN THE UK
weekend. "With Shaktipat, the student is saturated with • Books by Yogananda, Kriyananda and more and the USA watched in amazement as
Divine Energy. After Shaktipat, the Kundalini is permanent- Roeland Kollewijn of the Sotheby's auc-
1y awakened and, like a mother, constantly cares for and For a free catalog, call now: tion' house casually advised an under-
nourishes her infant. One may be of any religion, caste, or 800-424-1055 toll free in US, or 916-478-7600. coven reporter on film she'd get more money India's treasures: Peter Watson in Lokhari village, India, inspects Diety left behind by
creed to benefit; for all persons, the field of inner joy is the for an old Italian painting in England than in looters. Alroost certainly smuggled a~cient Kushan coltl:mn was sold by Sotheby's in 1996. /
same. After Shaktipat, the Shakti will take the student to the Crystal Clarity Publishers Italy. He not only recommended she smuggle
ultimate goal, without doubt." 14618 Tyler Foote Rd. it-it is a crime in Italy fo remove a painting listed in Sotheby's auction catalog. Asked gards it as stolen property anB title to it can-
Nevada City, CA 95959-9316 USA of that age-he offered to.do it for her aRd to . how the objects were gotten out of India, not be passed by auction or any other means.
For general information about Shri Anandi Ma, Kundalini arrange for Sotheby's to pick it up in London. Watson was told, "The diplomatic bag." Wat- If the object is located, Inaia could demand
Maha Yoga or Shaktipat contact: Fax: 916-478-7610 The reporter, part of an elaborate sting oper- son goe,s on, "The Shams took their time its re~urn, and the buyer would have to sue
Dhyanyoga Centers • PO Box 3194 http://www.consciousnet.comiCrystalClarity ationlengineered by a TV station and British amassing a great many objects-a whole the auction house to get his money back
Antioch, CA 94531-3194 USA. Tel: 510-757-9361 E-mail: cclarity@aol.com art journalist Peter.. Watson, accepted the il- container load-and then sent them out, The investigative TV report and book
http://www.dyc.org! licit offer. 1fie painting was smuggled to Lon- perhaps when a diplomat ;"as moving have attracted attention in India, and one Mr.
don, picked up by Sotheby's and auctioned. house." Another method was to pack true Pande of India's Revenue Intelligence was in
This was not a chance piece of entrap- antiques along with recently-made decora- London to meet with Watson the day we
ment. Watson had received,several boxes of tive fakes and ship them out of India. called him. Watson is handing over to Pande
documents filched from Sotheby's by a dis- Watson's team later inspected the Sham's 102 pages of Sothebys documents which re-
gruntled employee over a period of several material in London, six'to seven rooms with fer to India. Pande is especially interested in
years. The documents indicated a regular thousands of Indian· artifacts, one "chock-a- retrieving one object mentioned in the TV
Two exciting Spiritual experiences of Swami trade by ,Sotheby's in stolen or illegally ex- block" with items of museum quality, most of program. 'The "Goat-Headed Goddess" had
sessions for Sivananda Radha ported antiquities· from not only Italy but them from temples. The affable Watson ex- been stolen from the village Lokhari and sold
children 8-16: by Julie McKay .. many other c<'luntries-notably India. Five plain~d to HINDUISM TODAY by phone that it by Sotheby's at auction in 1988. ~n an emo-
years of investigation by Watson resulted in is a crime to take such antiques out of India, tionally touching scene the distraught village
Session 1 Through the stories of Radha the TV program and a just-published book, but it is not a crime to bring them into Eng- headman identified on camera the stolen
July 6 to July 19 and Krishna, the author relates Sotheby 's, Inside Story. The dust jacket de- land. Even so, if an object is deemed to have Goddess in the auction catalog.
the story of Swami Radha's scribes the contents: "The international auc- been illegally acquired, then British law re- The case of SotheQYs and India is far from
Session 2 love affair with the Divine. tion .h<'luse Sotheby's has an unparalleled rep- over, and rep<'lrts are the auction
July 20 to Aug. 2 By bringing these two realities utation as the world's premier dealer in art house is pulling back from the in-
together, she allows us to see and antiquities.... However, in these pages ternational antiquities market, as
Activities include: the potential for each person Peter Watson tells the story of his investiga- so much of the material coming
with a desire to focus on tion into Sotheby's and his discovery of prac- from any country for auction is of '
hislher spiritual path. This
•
•
Puja
Yoga
•
•
music
folk dancing book confirms that this
search is not in vain. Julie
tices that include: .the facilitation of smug-
gling; the sale of antiquities known to have .
questionable origin. There are
"
more profitable and less contro-
• philosophy • basketball been stolen from tombs; the rigging of auc- versial areas to focus on, such as
McKay, a student of Swami tions by 'chandelier bidding,'..." the sale of Old Masters paintings
• sports • softball
• laughter Radha since 1979, worked closely with her for seven years The book does not disappoint, and Hin- (e.g. Van Gogh). India meanwhile
• nature
• Bharata Natyam until Swami Radha's death in November, 1995. It was this inti~ . dus will find chapter ten, "The Men from
• swimming has arrested the Shams in Mum-
• talent shows mate contact that allowed her to write this very personal story. Bombay," the most compelling. "Everyone
• meditation bai. Watson .,said a proper expert
• teen discussions • hiking who worked in [Sotheby'sl antiquities was could review'all of Sotheby's auc-
• Sanskrit chanting "This is a charming, stirring and elevating love song within a well aware of the degree of ~muggling that tion catalqgs for the last decades
• bhajans
• arts and crafts love song... a modern Gita Govinda."-Georg Feuerstein, PhD, went on from India," writes Watson. "Sothe-
• fun! which are available at the British
author of Structures of Consciousness . by's s~aff regularly travelled to India under Museum and in two days deter-
To all of our Indian youth across the USA: cover, pretending to be on holiday or writing mine what and how much has
Be proud to be a Hindu! Understand your heritage! Limited edition: cloth, ribbon bookmark, photos, US$35.00.
a book" Watson managed to actually meet been illegally taken out of India.
Write/call to order OT for a free catalog: Mr. Fakrou Sham who, with his family, fiGt Sotheby's denies corporate culpa-
Hindu Heritage Summer Camp, Inc. Timeless. Books only freely admitted on hidden camera that bility and blames t he incidents on
c/o Devi Parvati, 60 E. Squire Dr. PO Box 3543, Spokane, WA'99220-3543 USA he smuggled antiques illegally out of India, a few rogue employees. Roeland
Tel: 800-251-9273 • Tel/fax: 509-838-6652 Kollewijn, for one, lost his job. :~\
Rochester, NY 14623-1818 USA. Tel: 716-424-6946 he proudly pointed out sev~ral such items

JU N E , 1 9 97 HINDUISM TODAY 17
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 Among Vidyas, Vedas are supreme,
In ~, Rudram is supreme.
In Rudram, the Panchakshari Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation Inc. USA • Sringeri Sadhana Center invites you to the
"Namassivaya" is supreme.

HI.,NDUS WILL HELP Britain celebrate the year
2000 in a very Hindu way. The London
Millennium Committee is considering a
£10 million grant 'to the SWaIDinarayan
Hindu Mission in Neasdon for a center cel-
ebrating different world cultures. A £25
million bid by the Hinduja Foun.'Q.ation for
ll,)TIulticultural center in Petersborough is
also under consideration. ' THE DEATH TOLL rises in Sri Lanka, even as
VEDIC MANTRAS and sweet-smelling incense
filled the air at #10 Janpath, the official
New Delhi addTess of the Gandhis, as
Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of the late
Prime Minister
Rajiv, was wed
to Robert Vadra,
a New Delhi
businessman.
She wore a
South Indian '.
temple sari " istanis were intercepted from a Honduras-
which belonged Vadra anq. Priyanka
to her grand-
mother, the late Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi. The two-hour ceremony was con-
ducted.in traditional Kashmiri Pandit style.
THE AMARNATH PILGRIMAGE will be holy but
regulated this year. The Jammu and Kash-
mir state government, hoping to prevent a
recurrence of last year's tragedy, when 250
pilgrims to the-16,00o'-foot Himalayan cave
shrine died in snowstorms, has accepted
the recommenQations of a review commit-
t~e. They will install modern weather fore-
casting equipment, restrid the pilgrimage
period to 30 days, the ages of pilgrims to
between 15 and 65 years and the number
of pilgrims to a daily rate of 8,000 and a
maximum of 100,000 total.
QUA~TUM PHYSICISTS AND VEDANTISTS
agreed at a New Delhi conference on "Yoga set us back very far," said Nityotita Swami.
in Daily Life" that matter originates from
BUDDHISTS WANT HINDUS TO HAND OVER con-
trol of the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar, site
of the Buddha's enlightenment. Anything
less, they say, is drawing the promise of a
"do or die" agitation from Buddhist monks
throughout India to "emancipate" their
most sacred shrine. '"
boat loads of Tamils seek escape to India. A
fishing trawler carrying 150 refugees flee-
ing from advancing government soldiers
~ capsized in the Mannar sea, killing 130,
mostly women and children, according to a
statement from the Tamil Tigers faxed to
Reuters. Sri Lanka's military denied the
refugees were fleeing from troops.
" Union, New Jersey 07083-2131 USA.
ITALY IS COUNTERING illegal immigration by
increasing patrols along its southern coast.
One hundred and ten Sri Lankans and Pak-
flagged ship; 20 others in dinghies had al-
ready reached the beach near the city of
Reggio CalabFia. Italy's southern coast and
Lampedusa, an island betw~en Sicjly and
North Africa, are favorite targets for would-
be iU1lYiigrants bound for Italian or other
European cities.
IT'S "CASE CLOSED"
now for the Hare Kr-
ishna community of
New Vrinda:ban,
West Virginia. Crim-
in'al racketeering
charges, and a pos-
sible $21-million in Palace of Gold
fines, were settled
for $10,000: The community was also set-
tling with the US Government over proper-
ty seized during a 1987 federal raid, which
coul~ equal that amount, so the fine "won't
/
SADLY, South Asian women in the USA "are
,especially vulnerable to abuse due to their
cultural socializatioI'l and
recent immigration,"
writes Shamita Das Das-
gupta, PhD, representa-
tive of Manavi, a
communitx-based
agency founded in
1985 in New Jersey. Helping wOl1wn
Dedic;ated to serving
tne needs of battered women of Southeast
Asia, the latest achievement of this pioneer-
,ing outreach and counseling agency is the
establishment of a transitional home and
refuge to be known as Ashiana, meaning
"nest." Contact: Manavi, PO Box 2131,
COSMIC FORECASTERS predict milder
weather for the solar system over the next
decade, meaning cooler Earth tempera-
tures, fewer power surges and blackouts
and less disruption of global communica-
tions. The mild forecast is based on de-
creased sunspot activity resulting in de-
creased magnet.ic storms, cosmic rays and
disturbances in Earth's ionosphere. The
sun's magnetic activity waxes and wanes in
ten-year cycles. The latest, which began in
September, 1996, is predicted to be the
mildest in the last 50 years.
ACORRESPONDENT OF The Hindu reported
the following harroynng tale to her newspa-
per editor. She had just applied for her
child's admission in a Catholic school. The
principal said her daughter would be con-
sidered if she were to bring in 10 Hindu
families to be converted. "Difficult to be-
lieve, isn't it?" asked the Chennqi newspa-
per's editor, who lamented the "total indif-
ference of many teachers toward their
young wards."
And in i~ the two syllables
"Siva" are supreme. Athi Rudra Maha yagnam
Conducted for the first time outside India
Sponsorship Schedule
Items 14 are both Indi~dual and COIporate Sponsorships
U.S.$ Indian Rupees
Grand Patron .
Patron: Entire Yagnam
........... 50,001 IS lakhs Sringeri Sadhana Center
&Associated Events .......... 10,001
Grand Sponsor: 11 day
3.01akhs RD 8, Box 8116, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 USA · Tel: 717-629-7881, 1-800-4SHINDU
" Rudra]apam, Abhishekam Dr.s. YegnaSubramanian~5~.orDr.S.S.1yer90S-23S-1l19
& Homams .. . 5,001 1.5lakhs
Sponsor: One Priest from Contributions in US dollars may be made
India ..... .. 3,001 1.0lakhs
Final Day Rudra]apam, payable to SVBF - Athi Rudram Account.
Abhishekam & Homam ...... 1,001 30,001 Please mail checks to our registered office:
Veda Parayanam (all 4 Vedas) Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation
& other Parayanams .... . SOl 10,001
Rudra Homam ............ 251 7,001
Silverline Corp. Plaza, 53 Knightsbridge Rd.
Swama (gold) Sambhavana Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
to One Priest.. ... . lSI 5,001
Vastram, Ganapati Homam, Donations in Indian rupees will be
Navagraha Homam, Avahanti
Homam, Mrityunjaya accepted and usedfor priest expenses and
Homam, Lalita Homam, sambbavanas and the purchase ofpuja
Sri Sukta Homam .. 51 1,001 items from India. Please mail your checks
Contributions to SVBF are fax-deductible or bank drafts, payable to:
in the USI. Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri
Prasadam will be mailed within two weeks Sri V. R. GOwrishankar,
after the conclusion of the yagnam for
sponsors who cannot attend the yagnam. Administrator, Sringeri SharMa Pee/bam 71Jis Yagnam is the higbesl fOlm of Rut/ra Yagnam wi/b 14641
Sringeri - 577 139, Karnataka, INDIA recitations ofSri Rut/"am & 1331 Rudra Homams.

consciousness-.not the other way around.
Dr. Amit Goswami of the University of
Oregon said such a paradigm resolves the
wave-particle duality. "If we take the
monistic view of consciousness as the
perennial philosophy of the Upanishads,
the paradoxes of quantum mechanics are
resolved," he said.
TIRUMALA'S famed and revered Tirupati
temple for Lord Venkateswara recently set
a record for a single day's hundi offerings,
surpassing the half-crore rupee mark. The
US$140,000 eclipsed their old recorn by
more than us$40,000.
"GAUTAM BUDDHA, Mahavira, Jesus Christ
and Kalki?" That is how The Indian Ex-
press began a recent report on the fast
growing Kalki movement. "Has'Cod ar-
rived? So believe five millIon people in In~
. dia alone ... " the report continues. The Kalki
Yagnas fuust, headquartered near Chennai,
says there are now Kalki centers worldwide.
The report questions the fast growing san-
nyasd order, and whether youth between 15
and 25 years of age. are being '1ured away
from bright academi'c and professiO'nal ca-
reers to join the trust and lead a life of re-
nunciation." In Hindu mythology, Kalki is
the t~nth, and yet-to-arrive, avatar or in-
carnation of Lord Vishnu.
'THE EXPANSION OF CH~STIANITY throughout
the world is not keeping pace witK-popula-
tion increases-a pattern that will continue
into the next century, reports Quadrant,
the newsletter of the London-based Christ-
ian Research Association. World Christ~n­
dom as a percenta~ of the population has
decreased from 30% in 1960 to 28% in
1@95 and is proje(:ted to decline to 27% 9Y
2010, according to latest projections.
BRIEFLY is compiled from press, TV and
tyire-service reports and, edited by RAYI
PERUMAN, award-winning radio journalist
at KGG in San Francisco.

~
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: MANAVI, NEW VRINDABAN, NEERAJ PAULITIMES OF INDIA
20 aIN DulsM TODAY JU NE, 1997
 I
MEDICAL ETHICS
a /
A UK laboratory clones a sheep, unleashing
a worldwide furor over the ethics of genetic
research and the specter of duplicating humans
N JULY 1996 A BLACKFACE EWE
gave birth to lamb 6LL3, an out-
wardly normal baby sheep, at the Ros-
lin Ins,titute's genetic research facility
in Edinburgh, Scotland, In the Feb-
ruary 27, 1997, issue of lYature mag-
azine, Roslin's chief researcher Dr.
Ian Wilrnut stutined the world when he an-
n~unced that 6LL3 (now named Doily, after
American country singer Dolly Parton) was
the first successfully cloned mammal.
Wilmut was summoned to the British Par-
liament, and later tO ,the US Senate. He in-
formed alarmed committees on both sides
of the Atlantic that he foresaw no particular
obstacle to the cloning of humans-the cre-
ation,of a genetic duplicate of another per-
son. -Shocked politicians realized Wilmut's
accomplishment coupled with advance-
ments in genetic engineering could alter the
future of the human race in a manner not
seen since the discovery of atomic energy.
A clone is a genetic duplicate of another
organism. Its only natural occurrence in hu-
mans is identical twins, in whi,ch each share
tIre same DNA and thus develop physically
into nearly identical people. W~hin a few
years, predicts Wilmut, cloning humans will
be a very real possibility. Why would we do
it? There are many reasons, some wonderful,
some unquestionably immoral. A women
whose husband and child died in a car acci-
dent could replace the child by cloning. It
has been seriously proposed to clone people
to serve as a spare parts depot from which to
replace failing hearts or kidneys. Cloning
may .be possible with the long dead, too. We
could unwrap mummified Egyptian King
22 HINDUISM TOD A.Y J l.\,N E , 1997
'\
Tut and make a new copy of him, or of Ein-
stein, or of the 5,000;year-old Stone Age man
found frozen in the Alps-even revive
mastodons. We could take a piece of Bud-
dhas.molar from the Temple of the Tooth in
Kandy, ~ri Lanka, and recreate the physical
body (Mlough not the enlightened soul) of
Gautama Buddha. We couln take locks of
hair preserved from saints, or dig up samad-
hi shrines where they are entombed.
The prospects get scary when cloning is
combined with genetic engineering (the ac-
tual intent of Wilmut's research witn sheep).
DNA could be taken from a person, cus-
tomized with genes for disease resistance,
intelligence, beauty and then grown into a
baby. The PE?rfect musician or the 'creative
genius could' be ordered up by calculating
parents to be-9s could be the perfect un-
questioning soldier or murderous sociopath
by the less altruistic.
The territory is so new that world leaders
are in an ethical void on what to think about
it. A host of questions are suddenly being ad-
dressed by scientists, politicians, philosophers
and religious leaders. After Wilmuts announce-
ment, US President Clinton forbaQ.e any fed-
eral research on human cloning pending for-
mal review by the' US National Bioethics
Commission-a significant part of which is to
solicit opinions of the world's religions.
Most religious leaders, including Hindu,
are opposed to cloning humans. Many con-
sider it "playing God" and therefore wrong.
Others question the necessity for another
way to make people at a time when we have
too many people. Putting these opinions in
perspective requires a certain amount of
technical background as to exactly what
I ing ~n egg from an adult female sheep h~d to de elop, others died during gestation, some
cloning .is, how it was Itccornplished and
where genetic engineering fits in.
Every cell a blueprint: It has long been
known that each cell contains thy complete
DNA genetic code, unique to that organism.
However, in the growth process, as cells be-
come specialized, parts of the DNA code are
i'turned off," so t]J.at muscle cells make only
new muscle cells, brain cells new brain qells
ar,td so on. Before this discovery there was no
way to make a muscle cell spawn a brain cell,
even though the genetic code to do ,so was
present. Many plants 'are different. Their
cells are abfe to reprogram themselves. That's
why we can take a branch cutting from a
tree, plant it and have a complete new tree, a
clone, develop. The first cloned animals were'
tadpoles (in 1952), but the results were par-
tial and no adult frogs developed. Scientists
thought cloning a mammal would rf1quire an-
other half century of research. They reck-
oned the most likely way was to replace the
DNA at the very first stage of growth, in the
egg, but had no idea how to accomplish it.
Wilmut's group solved this dilemma with
masterful ingenuity. Harvesting and isolat-
H8110,001ly
Meet Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult of
the species. With ingenuity and a tight budget, Dr.
Ian Wilmut of Scotlan"d (below) and a team of twelve
made the unexpected breakthrough resulting in Dol-
ly's birth in July, 1996, made public in February, 1997.
Religions condemned it and nations rushed to ban or
limit resyarch on human cloning. Proponents foresee
cures for thousands of genetically related diseases and
improvement of our race. Opponents fear uncontrolled
,
manipulation resulting in untold complications.
!
80% the twin will, too. Similar figures apply
already been done. In fact, tlie technique is . were stillborn and others born alive but de.- for feeblemindedness, tuberculosis and even
used reliably in humans for in vitro fertiliza- formed. Wilrnut himself opposes cloning hu- criminality. This is vital to the prospect of
tion-"test-tube babies." The second step mans, because at this stage researchers would using cloning for organ transplants, because
was removing the DNA-containing nucleus be faced with one success and 276 abortions, a clone raised for "spare parts" is likely to
of the egg. Then came the hard part. They stillbirths and deformed babies. have the same weaknesses as the DNA
took a cell from the mammary gland of an The discovery came cheap. Wilmut's team donor-be it heart, kidney or what~ver.
adult sl}eep and put it into a dormant state, of 12 managed it on a research grant of Identical twins can be astonishingly similar
essentially by starving it. During dormancy, US$500,600/y ear. That's far less than what in even the smallest physical features, and
they hoped, the cell would forget its mam- Nissan spends to develop next year's car share many personality traits as well. One set ·
mary identity and .be prepared to generate model, and mere lunch money compared to of tWins separated at birt!; in the USA was re-
an entire new organism, something that oc- the multiple bilJions spent developing the cently reunited. Among a: long list of shared
curs naturally only when the egg is fertilized atomic bomb or going to the Moon. Even traits, both had become firemen, both grew
by a sperm cell. Wilmut used an electric though the British government has t anceled moustaches, both held a beer glass with the
spark to "fuse" the dormant cell into the egg, Wilmut's grant, private companies are rush- same peculiar grip and both had pet dogs-to
and, to the amazement of all, an embryo ing to supply him money if he wants it. which they had given the same name! So far
started to develop. The embryo was placed DNA is Vut one factor, albeit an important there is no precedent for identical twins
in a surrogate ewe-a process also perfected one, in determining the physical character- growing up separated 'by time as well as
in humans-and Dolly was b1?rn. Hello! a
. istics of human. Studies on identical twins space, as would be t4e case with clones. It is
There are four individuals involved in the raised separately reveal they will be, on av- expected the different environment and as-
. cloning: the donor (male br female) of the erage, within two inches of the same !;.eight, trological chart (see page 36) would result in
DNA, the donor of the egg, the surrogate ten pounds of the saine weight and six greater distinctions between donor and clone.
mother and the clone. The clon.e is an identi- points of IQ. Their fingerprints wil\ be sim- Genetically engineered perfection: Wil-
cal DNA copy of the cell donor (and always ilar, but not identical. They'll have a remark- mut and associates did not develop cloning as
the same sex), ancf unrelated to either the egg able affinity for the same medical problems, an end in itself Their main g~al is to produce
donor or its own birth mother. lt required even communicable diseases. For example, genetically altered sheep whose milk con-
277 attempts to create Dolly. ~ome eggs failed if one twin has diabetes the chances are tains commercially profitable hormones for
JUNE , 1 9 97 H I'N DUISM TODAY 23
humans. On~e one such sheep is successful-
ly made-a very difficult process-it can be
cloned again and again. Researcher~ are sim-
ilarly attempting to create animals that gen-
erate human clotting factor (to treat hemo-
phHiacs) and geneticruw altered pigs whose
organs could be transplanted into humans.
Reproduction by cloning holds the key to
genetic alterations to cure certain incurable
diseases. Before the donor nucleus is implant-
ed into an enucleated egg, its DNA can be al-
tered. By such "genetic engineering" some
4,000 incurable genetic diseases could theo-
retically be eliminated. But such cures are
not welcomed by all. The large deaf commu-
nity in the USA 'has complained that if deaf-
ness is eliminated, their distinctive culture,
sign language and literature will disappear. If
clorung technology were perfected, made-to-
order, genetically engineered humans would
be the logical next frontier. 11. superhuman
could then be perpetuated by cloning it again
and again, just as Wilmut cloned Dolly.
Cloning from the Hindu view: Cloning in In-
dia took a wrong turn about 6,000 years ago
with the creation of Raktabija ("blood drop"),
a mytholOgical demon who appears in the
Markandeya Purana. Another of him sprung
from every dro.p of his blood spilled on the
battlefield. Only witll great effort were he
and his clones finally destroyed. More benign
results were . obtained by dozens of other
methods of asexual procreation found in the
vast scope of Hindu literature. for example,
Lord Ganesha was created from the skin of
His Mother and Lord Murugan by a spark
from Siva's third eye. Kunti conceived her
sons, the Pandavas, by means of mantras (sa-
cred formulas) offered to the Gods.
Even so, there is really no easily found
scripture directly ad<;lressing the practice of
cloning, just as there was no need for a Fed-
eral Aviation Agency before airplanes were
invented and started to crash. In Hinduism
and tJ1e other religions, endorsements or ob-
jectiC9ns to cloning are necessarily based
upon induction and extrapolation.
Hindus analyze cloning in Hindu terms-
karma, reincarnation, ahirnsa, all-pervasive ,
Divinity and soul's evolving nature-along
with the benefit or danger to society as a
whole. In a survey of seven Hindu leaders
conducted by HINDUISM TODAY [sidebar] , all
called strongly for strict regulation. Aeharyas
and swamis were unanimous th( t scientists
were in no way creating a soul by cloning, in
contrast to the Abrahamic belief that the
soul is created at ,conception. In the Hindu
view, the God-created soul' inhabits the
body, but is not the body. The question aris-
es: what kind of soul would take birth in a
body created so uniquely. At a gathering of
the American Association of Vedic Astrolo-
gers (AAVA) Chakrapani Ullal said religious
sanctification of marriage helps insure the
birth of high souls. Lacking such sanctifica-
24 HINDUISM TODA·Y J l\ NE , 1997
tion, he warned, "people born through clon-
ing will be fraught with problems." Speaking
from the view of ayurveda (II]-dia's tradi-
tional medicine), Dr. David Frawley (Va-
madeva Shastri) pondered, "You are trying
to have birth without prana [vital1ife ener-
gy]. What kind of creature is going to be
create/d without direct participation of the
pranic force?" Mrs. Ullal asked how a normal
being could be born from a "conception" de-
o void of love. The 2,000-year-old Tiruman-
tiram supports their wisdom, describing how
each embodied soul is influeI\ced by the
consciousness and energies of the parents
before and (luring coitus. Without these
pranas, life would certainly be different,
thbugh not all think negatively. Perhaps a
highlr-evolved soul would choose to take
such a passionless birth. Dr. M. M. Sankhd-
her, ex-professor of political scie~ce, Univer-
sity of Delhi offeryd: "To a Hindu, a cloned
human being, when this reality materializes, ~
would be another manifestation of a new ~
species as an outcome of the Divine Will." ;
The research itself violates the tenet's of S
ah,irnsa, noninjuriousness. Several ofWilmut's ~
sheep, for example, were killed and autopsied :t _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _; . _
by the researchers after their fetuses died. In
ayurveda, research on animals is allowed
only to benefit the animal. If human cloning
is permitted, deformed fetuses will certainly
be aborted as part of the larger process. Dr.
DeIll'lis Harness, of the AAVA, warned of po-
tentiall9ng-term problems, "Cloning involves
altering-energies on a very subtle level where
we don't even realize what we are doing."
Bhairava Sundaram Sivacharya, who be-
longs to an ancient lineage of Saivite priests,
said that Hinduism has always welcomed
new discoveries. He asks, "A soul is born
with a parabdha karma [the karma it is des-
tined to experience in this life]' When it lives
through the parabdha karma, that body will
die. Now if we take a cell from that b0dy and
make another man, do the parabdha'karmas
of the first man continue in some way? If so;
the original soul/cannot get released into the
next world upon the body's death. It will
bring a great confusion."
Several prominent swami leaders ques-
tioned the need for cloning in an overpopu-
lated world, where abortion of unwanted
children occurs daily. Rev. Swami Satchi-
dananda warned about unanticipated conse-
quences, the problem of "letting.:the genie
out of the bottle" and not being able to get it
back in. Many warned cloning would result
in the same havoc to society and the envi-
rorunent as have so many other scientific in-
ventions of the last few centuries.
In a joint statement, Dr. Ajit Ram Verma,
ex-director of the National Physical Lahora-
tory of New Delhi and Dr. I. S. Kothari, ex-
professor of physics, Delhi University, said,
"In an intelligent society, cloning could be
used for the betterment of the society. But
recognizing that the consequences impact
Human Clanin 3
3. An unfertilized egg is an electrical spark 7. If ilie embryo is grow- all of humanity.
taken from a second which also starts cell di- ing normally, it is im- Other religions react: Jewish Rabbi Ger-
woman and the genetic vision. According to planted in a surrogate shon Gewirtz said, "I think there are too
nucleus is removed. Hinduism, an incarnat- mother who carries it man/things we just don't understand. In my
1. A single cell is taken 4. The enuc1eated egg is ing soul enters at this to term and gives birili view, the risk is just too great." Roman Ca-
from the donor woman kept alive in a test tube. point, drawn by its kar- normally. tholic Cardinal John O'Connor said, "Contra-
(or man), for cloning. 5. After 36 hours (for ma and by the con- 8. The offspring is an ex- ry to the right of every human person to be
2. The donor cell is sheep; humans may dif- sciousness and karma of act genetic duplicate of conceived and born within marriage and ,
starved into a state of fer ), the donor cell is iliose involved in ilie ilie cell donor, and has from marriage, the clone is reduced to the
quiescence in which it fused into the egg with conception. no genetic relationship level of a product made rather than a person
stops reproducing on 6. For six days (in sheep) to ilie egg donor or to begotten." Th~ Navajo Indians of the South-
its own. the developing egg is ilie surrogate birili west US hold the sheep in particular
kept alive in a test tube. moilier. sacredness, and complained that the scientist
® ® desecrated the animal. Muslim scholar Ab- '"
dulaziz Aachedina, a medical ethicist at the
University of Virginia, worries about the
long-term implications of separating repro-
duction.from human relationship. "Imagine a
-world with no need for marriage," he invites.
Governments act: Malaysia and France re-
acted by banning human cloning. W Febru-
ary the ,US Senate considered a permanent i
ban, and the research for this article will be
part of future deliberation. Seu.ator Tom Har-
kin protested any ban, defending the impos-
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~~------------------_ _
sibility of limiting human knowledge. ''What
npnsense. What utter, utter nonsense to think
today decisions may be based on considera- o "Human cloning would mean a parentless ed on whether possible benefits outweigh that somehow we are going to hold up our
tions other than societys good. Therefore, re- . society, full of sUl;rogate moiliers, careless ilie risks. Some urge an outright ban; ~thers hands and say, 'Stop,' " he told his colleagues.
search in the field should be carefully con- donors and, loveless children." He says a race call for close supervision. Mata Amritanan- Cloning will not stop. It has been done for
trolled." A poll of the US Hindu Students of clones might develop alongside the hu- damayi said, "Historically, it is impossible a sheep. In a few years it will be done with
Council concluded, "Hindus believe that man race-with unknown consequences. and unwise to interfere with the advance of humans. Cloning may become as easy as or-
man is neither superior or infetior, but sim- Clones may be regarded as less ilian human. science." She and others call for a forum of dinary reproduction, with profound conse-
ply a part of nature as are the trees, animals, Genetic engineering raises other questions, "spiritually aware and responsible people" to quences on human society. For this reason,
and so on. By manipulating nature, we may and Pramukh Swami quoted scriptures that advise industry and governments on and remembering we represent one-sixth of
be upsetting natural and spiritual balances." warn against introaucing' animal qualities in cloning. No one polled was willing to leave the human family, all Hindus should take a
Pramukh Swami Maharaj observes that man or vice versa. Hindu leaders are divid- the regulation to science .or business alone, serious interest in this issue. ....I
Pramukh Swami Ma- Mata Amrltanan- prinCiples. Our beloved Master Bhagwan Sri
Hindu Leaders on Cloning haraj (Head, Swaml- damayl ("President Deep Narayan MahaprabhiUi says, "Do not
narayan Fellowship): of Hinduism" at Par- go against the nature, or else It will take
Swami Satchldananda (In- - Human cloning Is not liament of the revenge, and you will have to suffer the
tegral Yoga Institute): a matter of a few sci- World's Religions, consequences." Manipulating nature Is
What is the need for it? It entists' research, a 1993, Hindu of the greatly damaging our Holy Mother Earth.
is simply scientific curios- few nations' decision Year, 1993): The idea
ity, and you know curiosi- or a few leaders' of cloning, though im- Swami Chldanand
ty killed the cat. We may preference. The en- plemented only re- Saraswatl "Muniji"
think we are doing some- tire humanity should cently through modern SCience, was in the (Head, Parmath Nlke-
thing good, but If it turns unite to control this crisis; future genera- minds of the ancient saints and sages of In- tan, India): The egg
up bad, then we don't have any control over It. tions shall hold us responsible. dia. Man's attempts to change the natural needs a waiting soul
order of things has a long-term potential of to activate It and to
Tlruchi Mahaswamigal (Founder, Kaila~h Swami Omkarananda Saraswati (Founder, unexpected negative results. Forums of turn on the poten-
Ashram, India): It Is not new to our cultural Omkarananda Ashram, Europe, India): Imag- spiritually aware and responsible people tialities In the genes
history of India. We did not call It cloning, but Ine, through millions of abortions around can advise a prudent course of action. at proper times. It
there were other meth- the world, how many saints and benefac- would be unfortunate
ods of procreation. tors of mankind are destroyed! In the face Paramhans Swami if all persons looked like one another, God
Presently we do not re- of this, how senseless and damaging to Maheswarananda Intends a rich variety. Alot of evil can re-
quire any such alterna- spend money and God-given time trying to (Founder, Sri Deep sult from human cloning. However the ex-
tive methods of procre- produce unfortunate artificial copies of hu- Madhavananda tension of knowledge should not be stopped.
ation for population, so man beings. The aim of Creation Is to help Ashram, Europe, In- Genetic engineering should go on under
man need not develop the creature not Into false channels, but dia): This kind of ac- strict conditions of global regulation with
them. guide it into the world of knowing, loving tivity Is contrary to Input from the different nations, races and
and being one with the Creator. ethical and moral genders.
,.
JUNE , 1 9 97 H I'ND U ISM IfODAY 25
 ANDERING CROWDS OF CAM-
era-toting, pot-bellied tourists,
so essential to Nepal's fragile
economy, wear shorts and
clothes too tight for th~ essen-
tially conservative culture. They
crowd the temple-palace complex, the Ku-
mari Ghar, deep in the heart of Kathman-
du's Durbar Square, the oldest section of a
very old city. Everyone wants a glimpse of
the virgin girl Goddess. A tourist gUi.de yells
up tp the elaborate 18th century w00d-
carved windows of the second floor. Look-
ing like a Moghul miniature, the present Ku-
mari, a little girl no more than five, her eyes
blackened with kohl, the soot from a sacred
butter lamp, dressed in regal red, is carried
to the window·and solemnly peers down on
the gaping crowd without uttering a word.
"Was tbat her? 'That little girl?" A woman
with a sfrong New York accent questions in-
credulously. Lacking the knowledge to show
traditional devotion, the crowd brazenly
ogles her, like an exotic bird in the zoo. As
quickly as they look, she is withdrawn from
the window. Little do they or any Western-
ers really know about the inner life of the
Kumari-for ritually impure Westerners are
forbidden from her restricted quarters.
. Shrouded with th~ secrecy associated with
tantric rituals, taught from an early age that
a Goddess is to utter as few words as possi-
ble, the inner feelings of a Kumari remain as
mysterious and inaccessible to Westerners
as a statue made of stone.
Among the most ancient of Hindu prac- .
tices, Kumari puja (virkin worship) dates
back at least 2,300 years to the late Vedic
period. In essence it utilizes purity to call
• . fortI< the presence of powerful Deities for
direct offering of devotions. ill India, for ex-
ample, orthodox Hindu families worship
their unmarried daughters as the great Dur-
ga during the annual10-day Dashera festi-
val. But only in the Kathmandu Valley is Ku-
mari puja institutionalized in the form of
living Goddesses.
Not any girl can become a Kumari, whose
reign generally lasts about ten years, even if
she wanted to. Though Taleju is a Hindu de-
ity, the royal Kumari is always chosen from
the Newar Buddhist Sakya caste of gold-
smiths and silversmiths. The current line
trace their beginnings to an 18th century
Hindu king, Jayaprakasa Malla. According
to the story, the king was a worshiper of
Taleju, one of the many forms of Di.lrga
and protectress of the MallS:; royal lineage.
So ardent was his devotion that .from time
. to time She would enter his chamber in the
guise of a red serpent and then transform
Herself into a woman of radiant beauty.
One day, however, the king's thoughts to-
wards her took ~ libidinous turn, and for
punishment Taleju declared thereafter She
would only comnmne with him by inhabit-
must then make a clockwise cir-
cuit of the macabre display and
while doing so not betray any
sign of fear or stress.
The present royal Kumari was
chosen in 1991 at the tender age
of two. "She was screened by the
royal astrologer, many priests,
and the King's religious advisor," ,
her father Arnrit Sakya tells me.
She was also inspected by fe-
male attendants for the neces-
sa,;y "32 perfections" of a God-
dess. These include clear skin
with small pores, even teeth, .,
black hair and eyes, soft hands,
a moist tongue, no bad bodt
odors and "small and well-re-
cessed sexual organs." Most im-
portantly she must show no
signs of ever having bled, as
from a cut or nosebleed, for it
will be blood that will signify
the end of her reign as a living
Goddess. ...
Apart from her family, the lit-
Previous princess: Once granted any reasonable re- tle girl Goddess has lived over
quest, Rashmilla Sakya joins the everyday worl.d two years in isolation in the or-
nate, recently restored 18th cen-
ing the body of a young girl. With a twist tury Kumari Ghar. Her daily schedule
of divine i.rony, the girl She selected would varies little. Attendants set her hair in a rit-
be from a local caste of Buddhists. ual bun, her eyes are rimmed with kohl, ex-
Hence, while Nepalese Hindus believe tending like a Zen painters stroke to her
the Royal Kumari to be a living embodiment temples, while her forehead is distinctively
of Taleju, local Vajrayana Buddhists regard painted with a vermilion red, black and
her as their chief female deity Vajradevi- a golden all-seeing "fire-eye," and each day
union of religious identities that subsequent- she sits on her lion throne for two or three
ly assumes enormous significance in a coun- hours. At this time a priest from the nearby
try marked by sharp ethnic divisions . Taleju temple perforII}s a purification rite,
TIle royal Kumari candidates, who are using objects said to cleanse eac4 of the five
generally 3 to 4 years of age, are screened by sensory organs: flour for the ears, rice for
a special committee comprised of Newar the mouth, incense for the nose, a lamp for
and Hindu priests, the royal astrologer and the eyes and red powder for touch. The Ku-
the kings religious adviser (raj guru). Once mari receives up to a dozen faithful devotees
their choice is made, the designee's horo- every day. "Many people come to seE; the fu-
scope is checked against the king's to assure rnari," the Kumarima, a small elderly woman
a positi;:e compatibility. Above all, the Ku- explained. "Some come with medical prob-
mari must always exhibit the perfect com- lems, especially illnesses related to bleeding.
posUI;e of a true Goddess, and for this a fi- Many government officials visit, hoping her .
nal, extraordinary test is administered. blessings will ensure pro;;notion."
The setting for it is kalratri ("black She must remain solemn and silent,s itting
night"), the anniversary of Durga's Puranic cross-legged in her gilt-canopied lion throne
slaying of the demon Mahisasur'a which while the line of worshipers shuffles
saved the primordial universe from evil. through her private chamber, each person
Each year the event is reenacted with the touching the floor with his or her head and
massive miGInight beheading of 108 water laying down offerings.,of money, fruit and
buffaloes in the outer courtyard of an an- flowers. To her followers, every movement
. cient temple in Kathmandu known as Hanu- the child makes is d.eemed a sign from the
man Dhaka. Shortly after the slaughter, the Goddess Taleju. If she receives a petition in
Kumari-elect is brought to the courtyard en- unmoved silence, it will be fulfilled; should
trance. Greeting her are neat rows of"uffa- she laugh, cry or rub her eyes, the supplicant
10 heads laid out on the ground with lighted will fall ill or even die. Anita Sakya, now in
wickS/placed between their horns, the her early twenties, was th,e royal Kumari
paving'stones underfoot still glistening with seven years ago. Shy and reserved, as most
pools of fresh blood. As the selection com- ex-Kumaris are known to be, she told me a
mittee looks on from a balcony, the little girl sad story. "I was just a little girl. Once an old,
JUNE , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 27
 --------------------------------~------------------------------------------------------------------------------------~

t
as a mortal. would go and S"ee the new Kilmar,i being ot being pulled at the Indrajatra festival, my
Dil Kilmari remembers the difficulties of pulled in the chariot and ms heart was sad." heart is filled with joy and .remembering."
adjusting to leaving her post. "When I left In the old 'days, an even bleaker future For Nani Maya, the difficulties of everyday
the Kilmari temple and weilt to live with my awaited ex-living-Goddesses. Few Nepalese, life h~e made her nostalgic for the safety of
moth~r and father, I didn't want to stay. I just want to marry a dethroned Goddess. There a divine past. "I have a recurring dream of
wanted to go back to the temple." Thr Rash- I are superstitious stories such as snakes issu- being chased through the streets of Kath-
milla's family, the sense of presti~e associat- ing forth from ex-Kilmaris, devouring weak m~du by an unknown Goddess. I run and

I
ed with a virgin Godtless daughter has been husbands. Many will cite examples from ex- run and only fmd refuge in the safety of the
tempered by feelings of bitter- Kilmari's quarters."
ness. A forthrjght woman with a I walk one last .time over to
bush of curly hair, her mother the royal Kilmari Ghar and
Pragya Devi tells me, "If I knew pl~ce offerings of flowers and
.. then what I know now, I would ' money on a stone in the center
never have let Rashmilla become of the courtyard. 1 ask the at1en-
the royal Kilmari. It's been too dant that it go to her future .,.
hard for her to adjust. She can't schooling, since the pension the
read or write. She never talks, government provides for het
she rar,ely smiles. When we joke >< once she leaves office (RS 640 a
and laugh, she sits quietly, with- ~ month-about US$ll) cannot
drawn. / We, her family, are ~ even begin to cover school fees,
strangers to her. The other day :( let alone tutoring fees neceSSaFY
she tlirned to me and asked me, ~ for her to catch up wlth lost
'Mother, why did you ever let me ~ schooling once she is retired. i
become Kilmari?'" / The little Goddess is taken to
"
Weaned from pomp and leis- Mortal again: Anita Sakya, former Kumari, adjusts to life at home the window by 'the Kilmarima,
ure, an ex-Kilmari reenters her and I am blessed with the vision
family's household as a normal family mem- Kilmari's lives in an effort to verify this of her face before a busload of tourists
ber, expected to cook, olean and. do other myth. Qut of nine recent ex-Kilmaris, seven stream in for a look. Despite her exposure to
sick man came to be blessed. He was so sick time as Kilmari. I love all the caretakers at royal Kilmari shyly explained. She was wor- chores. Dil Kilmari recalls the hardship of married, and their husbands died within the thousands, the Kilmari's power and inner
he coughed and a touch of spit landed on the Kilmari ghar mQre than my own family. shiped one last time in the company of the . returning home ~sl having to sudd.enly ad- first year of marriage, say local.residel)ts. feelings-of freedom or loneliness-remain
my toe. My attendants gasped. He died the I still go and visit Kilmari and her attendants neW' Kilmari, tnen her ornaments were re- just to her arranged marriage and the many Still, no} all Kilmari's lives are met with her own silent mystery. "We need Kilmaris,
next day. I felt very sad: 1 believed 1 was re- almost every week." moved. She was led by the head priest, duties of a Nepali wife. "Married' life was 'misfortune' or unhappiness. Nani Maya was no Goddess is more important to this valley,"
sponsible for his death." A girl cannot stay a Kilmari forever. With twenty guardians and priests to her family difficult after being treated like a Deity. As the royal Kilmari over twenty years ago. She Siddhi Laxmi said.
For all the aura of power surrounding her, the first, shedding of blood, the Deity Taleju home which she would not remember. a daughter-in-law, I had to .Qbey my in-laws. is a well-adjusted, happily married middle- As old traditions and ways of life fade in
the Kilmari appears to live a lonely existence. leaves ~he child's body, returning her once Once worshiped as divine, the youth must As a Wife, I had to obey my husband. I was aged wife and mother of two children who this rapidly changing city, just how many
Her only companions are the hereditary more to the everyday worfd. In 1991, ten quickly adapt to being treated as a normal accustomed to people worshipping me and now runs her own pharmacy. "I feel blessed Newar Buddhist families will continue to
c~aperone, the Brahmin priest and a dozen days before the big Dasain Festival, micro- girl. After the customary four days in isola- bringing me gifts: As a ¥1ife, I was expected to have been a Kumari. 'It was a real privi- c'hoose the dharma of a virgin Goddess for
Buddhist priests. She isn't taught to read or phones announced that the reigning twelve- tion in a dark room with no sunlight, female to sweep ·the floor, cook rice and earry wa- lege. But my husband feels otherwise. When their daughters, is anyones guess. _
write, and she has no playmates of her own year-old Kilmari would be replaced. "When attendants of the TaleN temple undo the lit- ter. I was a little bit lazy. My husband beat the priests asked us to offer our daughter, he Send donations for 3'HE FORMER KUMARI EN-
age. She lives a disciplined life adheFing to a I began to menstruate, I didn't know what tle girl's hair bun and remove her last token . me kd said, 'You're no good. You're worth- refused. He would rather see our daughter DOWMENT to Hif)rfu Heritage En~wment, 107
strict diet and wake~ up early every morn- was happening," Rashmilla, the last reigning bangle, signifying the beginning of her life less, and I'm going to leave you.' Each year I . receive an education. When I see the char~- Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA
ing to spend a few hours at her
devotions. Her original name and I
identity are forgotten. The ~riest "The priests summoned her to as she sits silently, crouched in that this is all she has ever puberty, Dharma Kilmari has
tells qer she is beyond joy and sor-
row~she is now a Deity in hu-
Dharma Kumari the temple for inspection-to
see if she still had Taleju's ener-
a seat designed for a child,
alone in this room. 1 realize
known-that most of he! forty-
five years of existence have
become an unusually powerful
living Goddess, for she now
man form. She is told that if she gy. They could find no mar,ks taken place in this can fullfil the elaborate secret
weeps or laughs, the Deity may Having reigned longest, she is said to hold the real power to disqualify her, no marks of Stili fit for the chair: Priests go to her room. Only during rituals that traditionally only
leave her. Forbidden to go out in bleeding, for she has never for initiation, not the child Goddess festival times when male Buddhist priests perform.
sunlight, the silk-hung rooms are menstruated. All they could carried through the "She was never taught to
her private sanctuary. find was a slight scratch on her streets has she ever read or WTite, and yet she
"When I was Kilmari, 1 would HARMA KUMARI BAJRA- child Goddesses, Dharma Kil- "When she was a little girl, no ear. For this they said she seen the outside reads the sutras and performs
look out the window at all the . charya has found per- mari rarely speaks. So first 1 more than two, 1 found her in could no longer reign. Asked world. When given ceremonies," her mother ex-
cllildren playing. I wanted to play, manent refuge and meet her mother, Siddhi Lax- her room playing with two what she thougnt, she replied, the opportunity to plains. "She has no signs of
too," Dil Kilmari, a woman with: safety. She has never mi, a devout woman of seven- snakes: one red and one yel~ "It is not my opinion. It is Tale- leave the duties of unhappiness. She is very happy
graying hair whose childhood as had to face adjusting to daily ty-one. Unlike the royal Kil- low: She was two years old jus decision. When she is divinity, she chose with her power." When I ask
a living Goddess ended over forty life for she claims the goddess mari, the Patan Kilmari is when chosen Kilmari in 1953. ready to leave me, she will." instead to become an how Kilmari feels about her
years ago, expl~ned to me. "I Taleju has never left her. The allowed to live at home and is The astrologers predicted she When I go and bow down expert at what she self-imposed confinement, he!
wanted to be like a butterfly imd forty-five-year-old living God- only taken to the Kilmari ghar would reign longer than any before her with offerings of knows rather than mother replies, "She never feels
fly, down to join the playing chil· dess lives in the town of Patan for ceremonies and festivals. other Kilmari." flowers, incense, fruit and face an unfamiliar sad that she cannot leave her
cb;'en. I used to play stones and. in a beautiful, traditional Siddhi Laxmi delicately fills Neighborhood politics some money, she gives me a big world. Unlike the room, because she already
jacks by myself. When 1 was a Newar home with elab0fately clay cups with home-brewed boiled over three years ago tilaka of rice and red powder child Kilmaris, who in knows everything that goes on
<Soddess, it was like that," she carved windows, small door- rice liquor and tells me the when a young girl was in- on my third eye-a sign my a sense are controlled outside of her room. She sees
lamented. Nani Maya, a Kilmari ways and freshly painted, story of her daughter and the stalled to formally replace her soul has made union with Tale- by the priests who everything. She sees the future.
over.twenty years ago, recalls, "I clean mud floors. Like the controversy surrounding her. as the ruling Patan Kilmari. ju. I sense her unique energy, worship them until She is free inside."
have such fond memories of my
.
/
I
29
28 HINDUISM TODA.Y JU E, 1997 JUNE , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY

innate serenity regardless of the cacophony that surrounds us. This
is the basis of the Hindu praotice of mauna, the vow to remain
silent, and it is why some subdue speech altogether. Mauna is not
·;
the exdusive province of the sage. Brilliant orators and well-to-do in-
tellectuals have also chosen to curb their speech. Mahatma Gandhi
was perhaps the most prominent public figure to observe mauna. He
tamed his tongue every Monday, communicating on that day only
through wrIting.
The late Swami Nirmalananda of Karnataka had served the Army
Postal Service in Europe during World War II. He later held vari-
ous government posts in India. He travelled the globe and studied
well the world's religions and philosophies. In the end, his burning
search for truth culminated in silence. "If you desire to live in
peace," he said, "hear all-that falls on your ears, see all that appears
before your eyes, realize that everything is in accordance with the
eternal law of nature, and be silent." He did not speak for eleven
years, arid thereafter spoke sparingly. When he did,jt was with clar-
ity and conviction. "Wisdom to me is not a set of words, but fresh-
ness and emptiness of the mind. Empty the mind by self-observa-
tion, self-awareness and inner attention. Thus make the mind shine
like a mirror. Then nothing is seen or known but the limitless radi-
ance of eternity. This is a wonderful source of ever-renewed joy and
inspiration beyond words."
Mauna is practiced in varying degrees by spiritual leaders, as-
cetics, aspirants and householders alike, throughout India and
30 HINDUISM TODAY JUNE , 1997
abroad. Still, popular belief holds that the vow of silence can be fol-
lowed only by ascetics and sages; that it lies beyond the capability of
ordinary mortals. HINDUISM TODAY correspondent, Choodie Shiv-
aram of Bangalore, dispels this misconception, "I have seen ordinary
people observing mauna in daily life. A very orthodox elderly cook
in our house during my school days strictly observed mauna one day
of the week. No matter how much we joked about her stony silence,
she never budged. So, too, my great grand-aunt, Kadakka, observed
mauna on certain days of the week. She insisted that we children
keep perfect silence at least during meals. Of course, despite our
valiant efforts, our childish giggles could not be contained."
Choodie continues, "In my childhood, an old friend of my father,
Shri Chandrasekhar, would chat with me and my young friends. I
had not seen him for many years, and I was shell-shocked last year
when he refused to talk to me. Only later did I learn that he was ob-
serving mauna. Now in his eighties, Chandrasekhar spends most of
his time at the Ramakrishna Math. He has been observing mauna
for the past 17 years. Although with a wife and children, he speaks
only for two hours on the first of every month. Even then, he is very
choosy about to whom he speaks, and how much. Always clad in a
white dhoti and half-sleeved white shirt, a sling bag over his shoul-
der, simplicity is his way of life."
Choodie heard Chandrasekhar's insights on his singular talking day
last month: "Often people take me to be some worthless being, look-
ing at my dress and silence. But it just does not matter to me. I began
Oasis: The French Polynesian island of Bora Bora, a quiet citadel expression for a period. "I was in kashtha mauna for one year. I did
in the midst of the central South Pacific, the ocean called peaceful not use anything to communicate. There is always an advantage in re-
moving the mind from worldly attachments, whatever the means.
by talking for only one hour a day. After about one year, I began talk- Mauna is one of the means." Baba gave up speaking over forty years
ing only once in a fortnight and gradually made it once a month. ago. Sri Tiruchi Maha Swarnigal of Kailash Ashram, Bangalore, un-
Now, I speak only two hours once a month. I dertook mauna for two years while living in a
plan to give it up totally. Besides talking, my cave in the region of Tayumaneshwarar Tem-
communication is limited to written conver- ple, Tamil Nadu. The purpose of his vow was
sation with the brahmacharis in the ashram. to "contemplate deeply upon his l1pcoming
That, too, is only done when I have to pass on divine mission." Swami tells stories of the
some message or give instructions. I do not many snakes encountered in the cave. As
communicate with anyone else. I'm only a lis- they passed him by harmlessly, he found that
tener now. Silence teaches you to listen." even wild animals are tamed by a true prac-
Prema Pandurang of Chennai is perhaps titioner of mauna.
an unlikely candidate to have spontaneously Quest for quiet: To abruptly stop speaking
taken a 41-day vow to remain mute. Prema is may be too stern a step for most. But the
a famous religious lecturer in South India. benefits of mauna can be obtained in less ar-
She was a professor of English at Chennai's duous ways (see the Seven Sadhanas of Si-
Presidency College for twenty-three years. lence, page 32). If you have the desire, dedi-
She told HINDUISM TODAY'S publisher how cating some time to silence can be easy. J.P.
silence came to her. "For a long time, I had Vaswani advises, "FIrst thing when you
"Qeen a speaker. One day I woke up and said, wake up in the morning, observe silence for
'Now. Let me see how it sounds-how it at least ten minutes. This will help you to
feels-if I don't speak.' It was not that any- gather your thoughts." Sri Tiruchi Swami /
thing in the world disgusted me. It was more recommends that people with busy sched-
the thought that there was so much sound ules fix a day or two in a week, or an hour or
around me, and I was creating most of it. I two in a day, for mauna. He elaborated to
said, 'Let me be in silence and watch.' " Pre- SPEECH NEEDS COMPANY, SILENCE
HINDUISM TODAY, "An ordinary devotee can
ma found the silence profound, and wrote NEEDS SOLITUDE. SPEECH WANTS observe mauna daily during, before or after
down her inspirations in a small book, Re- TO CONQUER OTHERS, SILENCE the morning worship (personal or commu-
flection on Silence. She now continues her si- HELPS CONQUER ONESELF. nal) for a duration of about one to three
lence every Tuesday. hours. One can also be silent for one to three
As austere as maunis may seem, most still SPEECH MAKES FRIENDS OR FOES,
hours during the evenings before or after
shy away from the absolute vow. The strictest SILENCE BEFRIENOS ALL. SPEECH sunset. Silence can be practiced one or two
observance of mauna, utter silence, can seem DEMANDS RESPECT, SILENCE days a week while keeping aloof from one's
unnatural to onlookers and impossible for COMMANDS IT normal schedules and activities. A visit to the
those wishing to attempt it. Such a deliberate temple can become extra special by includ-
denial of human interaction is a stark with- SPEECH IS EARTH-BOUND, SILENCE
ing the discipline of not speaking. Also, one
drawal from a world structured and sus- IS HEAVEN-BOUND. SPEECH EDU- can make the vow of silence a part of ones
tained with words. In Sadhus, The Holy Men CATES, SILENCE EXALTS. SPEECH IS pilgrimage. All days are suitable for mauna.
of India (1991, Brijbasi, New Delhi), author SUBJECTIVE, SILENCE OBJECTIVE. The longer we can detach ourselves mental-
Ramesh Bedi describes an encounter with a ly from daily trivials, the better."
most extreme mauni. "Sadhus who take the SPEECH HAS REGRETS, SILENCE
Recalling her own profound experience of
vow of silence include those who will conde- NONE. SPEECH HAS LIMITATIONS, silence, Prema Pandurang implores, "There is
scend to communicate with others by ges- SILENCE IS BOUNDLESS. SPEECH so much stress and tension today that every-
. ture or by writing things down and also NEEDS EFFORT, SILENCE A LOT MORE . one must observe silence-some time away
those who take the absolute vow of silence, from mother, father, child and wife, friends
the kashtha mauna vow. Kashtha means SPEECH IS HUMAN, SILENCE IS
and everyone-at least a half-hour every day
wood. So this is the vow 'to be silent like a log DIVINE. WHILE SPEAKING YOU ARE with no telephone calls in some corner of the
of wood.' The kashtha mauna sadhu will par- HEARD BY CREATURES, IN SILENCE house where one can see nature. Just sit and
take in no communication at all with others. YOU HEAR THE CREATOR. silently think about what you are doing. Youll
Only very penitential ones are capable of un- be different. It is necessary. It brings your
dertaking this vow. One such sadhu I encoun- SILENCE LEADS TO A STILLNESS OF
high blood pressure down, makes your pulse
tered in 1938, in the foothills of the Shivalak THE MIND, THEN TO INTROSPEC- beat normally. You start recollecting whatever
Hills off Haridwar, even refused to accept the TION, THEN TO SELF-CLEANSING, you've done and you start planning for what
fruits and edibles offered to him. Having of- FINALLYTO LIBERATION. you're going to do. For this introspection you
fered him a handful of mulberries once, I re- need silence, and that is why for the past eight
turned the next week to discover that these PREMlo. Plo.NDURlo.NG
years I've observed silence on Tuesdays."
lay where I had left them. He didn't even One of the foremost reasons to curtail con-
look at them. Nearby villagers would regular- versation is to conserve energy. Abstinence
ly bring offerings of food, but the ascetic ate none of it, living on the from speech transmutes the creative energies of the mind in the same
wild fruits he found in the jungle." way that sexual abstinence, brahmacharya, transmutes the physical
More common are those who observe complete silence for shorter energies. Baba Hari Dass explains, "We talk only by exhalation. The
periods and those who communicate through writing. Baba Hari Dass more we talk, the more we have to exhale and the more life energy
of the Mount Madonna Center of California currently "talks" tersely we lose. Energy is lost primarily in two ways-by sex and by talking.
through a book-sized chalkboard. But even he abandoned all outward The origin of both sound and sex is the muladhara chakra at the base
JUNE, 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 31
of the spine. When we talk, we use tremendous energy This can be
felt if you stop talking for a few days and then start talking again. The
energy we preserve through silence can be used for meditation."
Saven Sadhanas of Silence repeated time and time again. If caB be repeated mentally or,
preferably, verbally Here is an effective affirmation for overcoming
fear. "I am the complete master of all my forces. My spiritual ener-
helpful and necessary The silver sadhana is to use willpower posi-
tively to control the tongue, to be a helpmate to silence by speaking
little, and never boasting of ambitions or attainments.
A more mundane impetus for mauna is simply to stay out of trou- Some silence is golden, others are silver and a lot prove out just to gies govern and control the force fields wherever I am for the high- With the willpower subdued, the silence of gold comes into
ble. Chandrasekhar confessed, "I have committed many mistakes. I be heavy metal-copper, iron, zinc or tin. A few kinds of silence are est good. Through understanding, being a pure soul, full of spirited view-without the L, it is God. So get the L out of it. Here silence
have been harsh to people and have hurt many with my speech. F1- brazen brass. Silence can lJe learned. Let's begin at the bottom, life, I am filled and thrilled with unlimited power now and forev- is truly the voice of God. To quiet the anahata chakra, heart center,
nally, I realized the impOltance of silence. In mauna, the mind pro- by silencing the brass. To do this there is a sadhana, spiritual er." While repeating this affirmation, visualize a bright white pro- of understanding, soul knowing, vision and peaceful thoughts is not
jects all of our faults. They come like flashes. We begin to look discipline, the first of the Seven Sadhanas of Silence. tective shell around your outer aura with a round opening at the top. to be a metaphysical know-it-all. It means not being a prophet or big
within and see our mistakes. This helps us to rectify ourselves. The brass sadhana is to conquer jealousy, which bemoans, As you persist, the trembling voice of fear will desist. ego in speaking about how others should live, but rather silently liv-
This can solve many of life's petty problems. The natural mind is . "She has more than I do. He gets everything he asks for, Now, the silence of iron. Many of us have strong memories, ing the example of how one should be.
filled with compassion and Divinity I think mauna is the first while I get nothing or very little. It's unfair." This which become stronger as years go by As strong as iron, they are Then we come to the platinum vishuddha chakm, in the throat.
step towards realizing God. It detaches us from worldly pleasures." noise goes on daily in the mind of those are in there, rusting away in the muladhara chakra at the base of the Here resides the force of divine love. Love is understanding, forgive-
In this regard, Rev. Swami Satchidananda, founder of Integral the jealousy chakra (sutala), located in spine. How do we silence memory? Write down or type in your ness, compassion and benevolent, selfless giving. It is the chakm that
Yoga Institute, shares a Sanskrit proverb- "Mauna kalaka nas- the knees, which has to stop spinning in computer all that you want to forget. Then burn up the paper. Writ- the yogis enter to be truly silent. Here they cannot speak. Here they
H. " He explains, "Mauna means silence; kalaka means prob- the astral areas of the inner mind to make ing down problems and burning them in any ordinary fire brings feel good and fulfilled. True, writing on a chalk board communicates
lems or quarrels and nasti means nonexistent. So this say- way for peace of mind. How do we do this? them from the subconscious into the external mind, releasing the the essentials; other than that, in a room alone such yogis are silent.
ing tells us, 'When you are silent, there are no quarrels.' By It is easy Just begin to stop talking to yourself suppressed emotion as the fire consumes the paper. The memory Not blank in consciousness. Silence does not mean emptiness as
talking, we create problems because we do not know how about what is unfair. Let all mental arguments still exists, but it has lost its emotional power. much as divine fullness. They are all-seeing, for the vishuddha
much to talk, how to talk, what to talk and when to talk. So, go. Drop the subject. Be silent about the issue. With the past thus stilled, we come to the silence of copper. We chakm energies stimulate the third eye-the ajna chakm, the all-see-
the immediate benefit of mauna is to avoid problems. The Such a silence provides a place for harmony of are climbing up the ladder of the chakras when we try, to silence our ing, never-sleeping sight of the soul. Here we are truly silent. In a
other benefits then follow: The silence of speech leads to the minds, while too much noisy complaining about reason, which in most of us is the noise of asking rhetorical and in- room crowded with noise, we hear but a little of it. In meditation we
silence of mind, because if you decide not to speak, what "me and mine" gives no room for others. tellectual questions over and over again. Questions that have no an- soar beyond into the infinite of infinities.
good are thoughts? Every time a thought comes, you cannot The silence of tin is an even worse din. Have swers. "Why did he do that? Does he not know better?" And on and How to quiet the highest chakras, which are quietness itself? The
express it with words, so the mind ultimately says, 'Alright, you ever heard a ohild beat on a tin can? That's on and on. It is important for seekers to silence the tendency to ra- titanium metal of the ajna chakm of divine sight and the multifaceted /
what is the point of my thinking?' You get into a thoughtless how the force of anger sounds, "clank, c1ank, tionalize, to explain away, to excuse and defend the ego. To silence gems of the sahasmm chakm at the top of the head? Do they speak,
state. But there is one more mauna, the bodily silence. That clank." Not musical, not melodious, not even this svadhishthana chakra, located at the kidney level, some basic think, reason? Those who know and have experienced say no. These
means you don't move around. You stay in one place. That Vishvamitra: beyond words nice. The noise of anger, which vibrates in yoga must be done to empower the higher self. Controlled breath- jivanmuktas are content in their silent knowing, not knowing all that
helps the silences of speech and mind also." Swamis insti- the vitala chakra located in the thighs, has to ing, pranayama., helps harness and slow down the prana, energy, they know: Their ever-watching presence on today's apparently hurt-
tute holds occasional silent retreats where participants study yoga be quieted to enjoy even the smallest sliver of silver peace. How do that spins this chakra, as does hatha yoga. Sit quietly with the spine ing planet is an earned sukarma, good karma, for the human race.
and meditation, all the while remaining silent. During one retreat, he we do this? Well, it is expensive. A monetary sum is paid for each in a straight line. Breathe naturally, as a baby breathes, by using the They are the beginning and end of all. They see the cosmic panora-
jested in his jovial way, "Observe all, but refrain from talking. I will outburst or even unexpressed wave of anger. A jar, labeled "anger diaphragmatic muscles below the solar plexus. Inhale. The di- ma of which the Vedas speak. "He contains all works, all desires, all
do all the talking for you. Whatever you want to say, just leave it to penance," is established in the shrine room, into which a monetary aphragm pushes the stomach wall out, as the lower lungs inflate. perfumes and all tastes. He encompasses the whole universe; he is
me ... I think you cannot talk too much about silence." sum is placed each time anger is experienced-the greater the ex- Exhale. Relaxing the diaphragm, the air is expelled. Then pull the beyond speech and beyond desires. He is my atman within my heart,
The Ribhu Gita tells us, "Sitting in silence is the holy ablution. Sit- pression, the larger the sum. The money collected is sent to the diaphragm in to push out the last bit of air. Nine counts in, hold one, he is Brahman" (Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad 3.1.4.4.4). "Now,
ting in silence is the japa. Sitting in silence is the worship. Sitting in charity of one's choice on the first day of each month. nine counts out-this is a basic sadhana for the silence of copper. what people call 'the practice of silence' is really the disciplined life of
silence is the highest. Read silently to yourself about the experience The silence of zinc comes next. It is quieting the force of fear. With the intellect quieted a bit, we can seek the silence of silver, a student of sacred knowledge, for only by leading such a life does
that all is Brahman. In a moment, all the punya, merit, which would Yes, fear can produce a very noisy mind. But it is not beyond being stilling the willpower located at the solar-plexus manipura chakra, one find the atman and meditate" (Chandogya Upanishad 5.5.4.3).
result from a million asvamedha, horse sacrifices, can be obtained" controlled and courted into obeyance. Fear creates. Often we create which spins constantly, being the nerve center that interconnects all When to be silent then? Astrologers have an answer: one day
(verses 16.42 and 33.29). what we fear and make it happen by fearing that it might. We give the forces of the physical and astral bodies. How to quiet willpow- each week, on the day ruled by one's current mahadasha planet-
it that energy, that possibility in our life. Fear vibrates in the atala er? Competitiveness and aggression must stop, for these direct the i.e., Monday for Moon dasha, Tuesday for Mars, etc. Some as-
Quiet inspiration: L to R: The ever-silent Baba Han Dass of Califor- chakra., located in the hips. To bring fear under control is a power- pranas, or energies, down to the lower chakras. The force of will- trologers advise fasting and nonspeaking on that karmically critical
nia. Kamataka's late Swami Nirmalananda, speechless for 11 years. ful accomplishment. How do we do this? One way is through the fulness in its negative expression makes noises about self preserva- day. If you don't know such details of your horoscope, an easy and
The late Homi Baba of Banaras, silent for 40 years. A sadhu offers a power of affirmation, reprogramming the subconscious mind. An tion-"Take care of me first and forget others." This can be coun- pragmatic alternative is on the same day of the week you were born.
mute bleSSing. Prema Pandurang, silent for 41 days in 1996. affirmation is a series of positive words in line with a visual concept teracted by the practice of speaking only that which is true, kind, Enough said.
B\Y LAVI NA MELWAl'-i I, NEW YORK
HE YEAR WAS 1925 AND PANDU-
rang Shastri Athavale' was all of five
years old. Wrapping his tiny hand
around his graI1dfather's finger, he ac-
companied th~ Vedic scholar to the
forsaken tenements where the harijans, the
untouchables, lived. There his grandfather, a
strong believer in Gandhian values, would
hold' a discourse on the Bhagavad Gita es-
pecially for these outcasts of society. At that
early age, the child learned about the heal-
ing power of religion. But he learned some-
thing more: whim they returned home, his
orthodox brahmin grandfather, having been
in touch with the untouchables, would still
undergo the ritual bath to cleanse himself
Young Athav.ale questioned this custom: if
God resides in everyone as the Qta says, he
reasoned, and the harijans were worthy of
listening to its holy words, then why were
they regarded as unclean? The seeds of
serving God through servi'ng humanity
were sown in childhood for Athavale-and
through his revolutionary Swadhyaya move-
ment he has worked to move outcasts into
the mainstream of society.
Indeed, if there is a Utopia on Earth, it is
probably the world created by Athavale in
thousands of obscure villages which are the
34 HINDUISM TOD A,Y J l\N E, 1997
heartbeat of India. Through the concept of
bhakliferi (devotional visits) he has spread a
healing rriessage of love to all communities.
He has created amrutalayam (village tem-
ples) built by joint efforts of the villagers for
people from all religions, castes and eco-
nomic strata to worship together; yogeshwar
krushis (farms for God) where the villagers
give a few d1)ys of labor a year to show their
devotion to God, with the village's needy
sharing the prop-uce; matsyagandas (float-
ing temples of God) fishing boats on which
the fishermen give their time for a few days
per year, as devotion to Go.d, and share the
harvest with the needy. There are also vrik-
shamandirs (orchard temples) which are
cultivated impersonally by the villagers and
the produce given to the needy. Through the
ingenious jeevan sampada ("wealt..h oflife"),
religious songs are recorded and distributed
related to each Swaahyaya activity, explain-
ing in song, for example, the proper religious
attitude to take while caring for the trees in
the orchard temples. There are gauras
("home dairies") which are village-level
milk cooperatives, and bahna kendr-as,
'1adies centers."
Nor are the .children forgotten: bal sanskar
kendras ("children's value centers") are so-
cialization hNbs for children, and dhananjay
kreeda samuh ('1\rjuna's sport group") pro-
m0tes games and sports for the young.
DBT-"divine brain trusts"-are discussion
centers for youth. The;e is also the tattavaj-
nana vidyapeeth ( "philo.~ophic knowledge
center"), which offers a free two-year course
in Vedic and comparative religion.
Does this sound like a fantasy~ It is every
inch a reality, affecting the lives of over 20
million people in 100,000 villages in rural
India. This seeming miracle is the work of
tAthavale, a non~ assuming, simple man of
God who has started ,a quiet revolutiop. in
Ir}dia by changing lives in remote villages.
In March, 1997, the world doffed its cap ifJ.
recognition of his work, conferring on him
the prestigious Templeton Prize for Progress
in Religion: valued at US$1.21 millio~-the
largest annual award in the world. Global in-
vestor John Marks Templeton instituted the
Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in'
1972 because he felt the Nobel Prize unfair-
ly excluded spirituality from the disciplines ·
it honors. This prize's monetary value ex-
ceeds that of the Nobel Prize. As Templeton
polhts out, "It is not for saintliness or mere
good works, it is for progress. The Swa-
dhyaya movement is a new concept which
thrills me. Look what a benefit it is-
100,000 villages now living by the principles
of Elder Brother Athaval~. Now his disciples Sanskrit and Hindi? but also English, com- geshwar, ''I've been doing this work for 20
are spreading this same concept, and per- parative religions and Eastern and Western years, and 4t still amazes me. Dada never asks
haps it will be useful in America and Eu- philosophy. for anything. He merely says, this js an idea,
. , ropl and many other areas." Byl twenty, Athavale was preaching the and if you intellectually accept i~, then it is
Over 6,000 Swadhyayees (the name given , virtues of the Bhagavad Gita and attracting your moral duty to do it. It has become sec-
followers, meaning "truth seekers") gathered people. In fact, in 1954 he addressed the Sec- ond nature to us." At the awards ceremony,
in Madison Square Garden after the March ond World Religious Conference in Japan one of the Rockefellers asked what they could
award announcement to felicitate Dadaji, as where his message was so impressive that he do to help him. Athavale replied, "Nothing,"
he is known, with flowers, song and dance. was asked to speak I n other parts of the to which the surprised member o( the bu-
Like all their events, the flawless evening world. Athavale, however, chose instead to lionaire family replied no one had ever be-
was enljrely managed by unpaid volunteers. take thep ita to the villages of India, to teach fore answered that way to a Rockefeller.
Athavale's philosophy is logical and stun- people to live by its tenets. In 1956 he estab- The fame and prestige has not made a
ning in its simplicity. He explains: "It is. my lisheq his first social program, the tattvaj- dent in Athavales frugal way of life. Says Pa- .
experience that awareness of nearness of nana vidyapeeth, to teach the Vedic way of tel,'''He has a Spartan lifE}Style; his needs are
God and reverence' for that pnwer creates life, which event.u,ally developed into the all- very few. He's a man who enjoys ideas, not
reverence for self, reverence for the other, India and worldwide movement it is today. possessions." He lives with his wife in a mea-
reverence for nature and reverence for the In the USA alone there are about 15,000 fol- ger one-bedroom apartment in Mumbai-
entire creation. And devotion as an expres- lowers at 350 centers in 38 states. Athavale's the same place where he has lived for 45
sion of gratitude to God can turn into a so- fainily are worship~rs of Siva, but in his tem- years. He gets up around 3AM to meditate,
cial .force to bring about transformative ples he give's equal honor to all Deities, for and never misses his d¢ ly worship. His day
changes in all aspects of human life arid at he believes that devotional temple worship is is devoted to discourses and work. In the
all levels in the society." --: . vital for c'oncentration on God. He leaves the evening he relishes long walks, heplth per-
Athavale was born in 1920 in the small vil- choice of Deity to the worshipers . mitting. Recently his poor health has put
. lage 0f Roha near Mumbai, the son of a As a boy, Athavale .would trudge .,-miles him in a wheelchair, but work is still ~is way
Brahmin scholar, Vaijnath Laxman Athavale rather than ask his father for bus money. of worshiping God. He takes no credit for
Shastri, who f9unded the Shriroad Bhagavad When he was reprimanded, he w~uld say, the awards and the honors, knowipg in his
Gita Pathashala, a seat of Vedic learning. '1\sking for money is not in my nature." Even heart who orchestrates these hapFY events.
His grandfather was a headmaster and today he. never asks for donations or even for Athavale smiles and says, 'The Templeton
Vedic scholar under whose_ guidance volunteers. Say s Dilip Patel, a member of Prize is God's love letter to me, and the de-
Athavale learned not only cl?-ssic literature, Swadhyaya's US Devotional Associates of Yo- livery man is Sir John Templeton." __
JUNE , 1 9 9 7 H I'NDUISM TOD i\- Y ·35
TRINIDAD

cleo He placed these in the ocean,

and gradually built up the stones un-
1997 HARE KRISHNA
Driven r"""'" T ....
til a small island rose from the water.
In time, Sewdass' Sadhu built a ce-
ment structure above the ocean wa-
FESTIVAL OF INDIA &
Sewdass ters, which he freely used as the ha-
his temple van site for his prayers. Sumintra, a
community elder, remembers, "Peo-
RATHAYATRA PARADES
ple used to laugh and make fun o£
in the sea the man when, day after day, he
would be seen riding his bicycle for
miJ..es to the sea. Many of the vil-
lagers said he was mad, but that did
not bother him. Look what we have
COME
today, a beautiful Siva temple. Is thtl;t
madness?" The little-known Hindu
sadhu died in-l970.
ENJOY
In 1995 the temple was rebuilt in
exquisite style, and today is a main
tourist attraction. Located on the
THE
By ANIL MAHABIR, TRINIDAD and anti-Hindu village.
central-western tip of the island,
with a view of Venezuela's coastline;
the temple is maintained by village women
SUMMER'S
In 1947 he built the foundation of his who gather every evening to offeF prayers
EWDASS SADHu'...WAS BORN TO POVERTY-
stricken parentS in India on January 1,
1903. Yet he was a man with an inex-
dream ' temple on sugar company land. and sing bhajans.
When British authorities ordered him to
,.
Also in ~995 the local Hindu Seva Sangh
BEST
plicable desire to build a house of God stop, he refused and continued construction. installed a statue of Sew-dass near the temple.
against impossible odds and regardless ' of
tUe consequences to himself and his family.
He was arrested, prosecuted and incarcerat- . entrance. It is only the second statue honor-
ed for 14 days for violating the order. His ing a Trinidadian of Indian origin in the
HOLIDAY!
He first came ~9 Trinidad as an indentured temple was demolished. After hi~ release, country.
laborer for five years. After completing the Sewdas5 pledged to build his-temple on "no Legend has it that the man who gave the
contract as a cane cutter, he retilrned to In- man's la'nd"-the sea. order to destroy Sewdass Sadhu's first tem- Classical Bharata N atyam Dance,
dia only to realize he had reentered poverty. Every day thereafter Sewdass Sadhu would ple and the man who bulldozed the edifice
So he returned to ';friFlidad and settled in pack a small leather bag with foundation died under mysterious circumstances while
Waterloo, a predominantly pro-Christian blocks and journey to the seaside on a bicy- Sewdass was in jail. w/ Vedic Drama,
Children's Puppet Shows,
ASTROLOGY
Bhajans and Kirtans,
Can We Clone the StarsP
Free Vegetarian Feast,
nation that produces charm pening on the in-
poses some interesting and beauty. To the contrary, side? Imagine if a Displays on Bhagavad-gita,
questions regarding jy- someone with Mal'S and Ketu clone of Marilyn
. otisha. In a horoscope, the in the lagna will not have a Monroe was born Reincarnation,
lagna (rising sign) and any pleasing appearance and will at the exact mo-
planets influencing it have tend to experience injuries to ment Mahatma What lfil Movie star Marilyn Monroe's clone
much to do with a person's ap- the face or head that leave Gandhi was born. was born under Mahatma Gandhi's chart? Vegetarianism & more ...
pearance. An attractive face scars. Does a clone somehow We would have a
will have the influence of a not come under the laws 0f Marilyn clone body with the the final product of body, Jagannatha Rathayatra at Venice Beach in Los Angeles,
benefic planet like the Moon nature and jyotisha? Or could astn)logy chart and dharma of mind and soul. Perhaps two
or Venus on the rising sign. Marilyn's clone only be born Mahatma Gandhi. All the indi- horoscopes would apply: that
Take a Marilyn Monroe or a when the Moon and I:ising sign cations of a great mystic would of the original Marilyn would 1997 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. were in the same position as be in the chart, but the body pertain to the karma of the
Their charts show the Moon the original Marilyn's? would resonate to the DNA of physical body and that of the New York June 14 Toronto July 19-20
aspecting the lagna from the If the jyotisha chaFt of the a seductive movie star. Or clone would delineate the in-
7th house, and both have clone is entirely different from would it? ner karma and dharma of the New Jersey June 21-22 Los Angeles August 2-3
Jupiter in the 8th house, the original, the karma, dhar- Jyotisha texts indicate that incoming soul. Nevertheless, Boston June 28-29 San Francisco August 10
adding charisma. Lets imagine ma, interests, motivati0ns, the moment of conception de- it's all very confusing to pon- Washington, D.C. July 4-5 Vancouver, B.C. August 16,17,25,26
we clone Marilyn, but the thmlghts and actions of the termines the birth time. This der and would probably be
clone is born with Mars and clone will all be different. means the astrology of that even more so for the clone Montreal July 12-13 Spanish Fork, Utah September 13
Ketu in the rising sign and Sat- Wouldn't these factors eventu- moment, as well as the pranas, who had the look of Marilyn
urn in the 7th house instead of ally reshape the appearaFlce of thoughts and feelings of the fa- and the aspirations of Mahat-
the Moon. This is not a combi- the clone to reflect what's hap- ther and mother all influence ma GaFldhi.
For more information and to confIrm times and locations, please contact your local
Hare Krishna Temple, or write Festival of India at Rt. 1, Box 96, Sandy Ridge, N.C., 27046.
36 aJ NDUISM TODAY JU'NE, 1997

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OTHERHOOD MAY BE THE MOST CON- whether to put their career on hold ana de-
troversial career you can have these vote themselves to their family, to continue
days," opens this manual for stay-at- wor-king or to do something in-between.
home moms. Staying Home is the re- When the New York Times assessed this SIVANANDA ASHRAM
~ruL"LIA~ 7emfde
sult of the authors' own career woman-to- book, their reviewer cynically observed
full-time-mom transition and their survey that the average US marriage lasts just 9.1
of a thousand others who did the same. The years, and any woman reckless enough to
b60k is a highly practical guide to making a completely give up her career for her chil-
transition from a double-income, no .Jd.ds, dren may be unable to face both a hus-
673 Eighth Avenue - Val Morin Quebec - Canada JOT 2RO Swami Vishnu-
yuppie, "me first" lifestyle to bandless and jobless future. 1-819-322-3226 1-819-322-1379 Fax: 1-819- 2-5876 devananrla
1927·1993
,,' "~" • .l~ ., ~.s",. ~
that of a single-income family
"
~
..
.. ' .
hI
_.4 . ' __ '..... "'........... ..
, ~ ~ , ....
,L- Yet, for the family that stays
I· ... , ""
d
Thanks and Appreciation
,,~...J .. __ ..
Sunday June 20th-29th
raising sons and daughters. It together, Darcie and Martha
Mariamman Temple We wish to thank all the devotees who helped
is astonishing to read the kind
of obstacles these women
ST.AYIN G make a persu.asive case
that-with proper financial 1St Anniversary Celebrations
to make last year's program so successful. We
especially thank those who worked so hard to
faced-often from other
wor£en. "A 28-year-old moth-
er, reported her sisters-in-law
·HOME planning, smart shopping ,
and fewer indulgences-kin-
dred can indeed live on one
The first anniversary of the
Mariamman installation will be
celebrated with special ten-day
install the Mariamman and Navagraha statues
in their new shrines. Special thanks to those
who built the beautiful 18 foot tall Chariot for
the Kaavadi festival.
criticized her for giving up incoIIJ.e. In fact, the second pujas, each sponsored by a different
her professiQnal career, and income is much overrated. Some of the wonderful projects planned for
family The tenth day will conclude
even told her that their own "Unless you are making over next Summer includethe completion of an
children were better off in I $60,000 a year, it is cheaper the series of pujas with a grand outdoor kitchen and dining hall. These will be
day care than her son was at to stay home, espef:ially pongala festival. used for feasts and celebrations. We plan to
construct 18 steps for Lord Ayyappa, as at
. home with her, since she is with two children," Darcie Sunday, June 29th a Bharata Natyam Saoorimalai, and continue the steps to the
not a trained child-care work- toldJIINDUISM TODAY.
er." Motherhood is held in One option for moms-at-
PONCALA performance with Smt. Priyamvada bottom of the hill.
Our 6th annual fungala celebra- Shankar dance gro real.
such low esteem these days hQme is to start some kind of SubramanyalAyyappa Temple's Ofcour.;e, the Temple requires fu nds for the
tions will commence with a special completion of all these works. All donations
that the book suggests answers to the dread- home-based business, as the authors did-
Homa for Devi from 6-9am, after third anniversary with the nsor in time and/or money are very much
ed query, "What do.you do?" with sjlmething which is the subject of their next book. conclusion of special9-da is festival appreciated. Checks and money order.;
more substantive than "I'm a mom." Staying Home (240 pages, softcover) is which fire from the Homa pit will sportation,
be taken to start the cooking fires. Chandika Homa in the m g should be drawn in favourof·Sivananda
Only 47% of American mothers are full- available from Himalayan Academy Publica- followed by the evening Sah~wa on. ceding the Ashram Temple: Contact the Temple manager
time homemakers, although that percent- tions, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawai·i, Atraditional Tamil festival actua procession will be 15 days of if you desire a receipt fortd)( deduction. Be
Ki!lashabhishekam and Sa~atra
age is now slowly increasing. Many women 96746-9304, USA. Pric~ including airmail especially for women for women, family poojas. sure to send your full postal address and
begin a career, then have children in their shipping is US$13.95 for the USA and Cana- for the well bei of all. Sankabhishekam phone number along with yourdonation.
thirties and face the tough decision da; $19.95 for everywhere else. :~,
I ,
 An Ancient God's Visible Grace
Prof Bharat J. Gajjar is available to Worship the Divine Mother Goddess
It began on September 21, 1995, when an image of Ganesa in a New Delhi temple be- give yoga and meditation workshops/ Kali on July 4 (new moon), 5 & 6 at
gan sipping milk. Then, this modern miracle took on global dimensions as, over sever- seminars on Hinduism at your loca- Armeliese's School in Laguna Beach,
al months, it was witnessed by millions, in temples, shrines and homes worldwide. tion. He is a disciple of HH Swami Calif. Officiating priest from the
How timely that, only days before, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami had fmished his Vishnu-Devananda Maharaj, has Dakshineswar Kali Temple (India).
illustrated resource book, Loving Ganesa---800 pages of insights into this great God! written books on and taught yoga Ecstatic kirtans, flower offerings,
Loving Ganesa is at once simple, deep and practical, and teaches ever so many ways and meditation for 30 years. He great veg. meals. Sugg. donation for
that Ganesa's grace can be attained through sincere devotion, song, prayer and medita- manages the Sivananda Yoga Ctr of the weekend US$45 per person $90
tion, to bring greater harmony, contentment and spirituality into our daily life. Delaware, has his' own local TV per family. For reservation, check or
show, and has given many seminars money order to: Kali Mandir,
and workshops on yoga across the US. PO Box 4700, Laguna Beach, CA
Imagine yourself sitting crosslegged under a shady tree, the hum of insects and a Tel: 302-733-7576 • Fax: 302-737-6835 92652-4700 USA • Tel: 714-494-1906
gentle breeze coloring the background as you absorb the words of an important
teacher. Only a handful of religious texts have been able to convey such an <;lVerwhelm-
ing presence; this is one.-Napra Review
It is an important text for English-speaking readers and should remain as an all-
you-wanted-to-know-but-were afraid-to-ask book about Ganesa, the divine and Hinduism Today SE-Asia Subs. offices Hanuman Yagna
much-loved remover of obstacles.-Publishers Weekly
In Singapore: For the welfare of the
A majestic book of love, peace and happiness depicting Ganesa as a friend and pro- Sanathana Dharma Publications Universe, courage and
tector, generously accessible to young and old, expressed in intriguing mysticism for Bukit Panjang Post Office • PO Box 246, Singapore, 916809 success, Sri Sai Suvarchala
the world's oldest living religion.-Book Reader Kindly contact: Mrs. Dohadeva: 957 66 012 • Thanam: Hanuman yagna will be
952 69 586 • Uma Maheswaran: 980 42 2379. performed May 23rd to
800 pages. $19. 95 paper. lavishly illustrated. ISBN 0-945497-64-4 May 31st. Sponsorship is
In Malaysia: from US$108 to $508. Call
Sanathana Dharma Publications Sdn Bhd. (391870K) for information or make
No: 15, Lintang Besi, off Jalan Melawi checks payable to:
Exceptional Answers to 41000 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Kindly contact: Chudikadevi Saravan, 03 331 9242
Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, 1449 Abers Creek Rd.
Monroeville, PA 15146-3603 USA
Eternal Questions Rohini Kumar, 03 774 2946 • Thanabalan, 044219326 Tel: 1-412-374-9244 • Fax: 1-412-374-0940.

Every spiritually-inclined human being will be enriched by the path re-vealed in

this t008-page volume. India's vision of the Divine is depicted in all of its infinte
variety here: meditative, devotional, philosophical, scriptural and yogic, answering
the vital questions: What are life's ultimate goals? How can I achieve them? How
Marriage Rites and Rituals of Hindus
do Hindus view family, sex, sin, worship, death and nonviolence? What are the Hindu Marriage Samskara by Shri Maha Muniraji,
foremost schools of Hindu thought, and what do they teach? Dancing with Siva is
the masterful work of Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a traditional satguru immersed,
Dr. Prem Sahai. HINeD successor designated by
Shri Haidakhan Babaji
for half a century, in an ongoing global Hindu renaissance. This book is a guide and lt1ARRIA(;E (as written about in

English-speaking Hindus, yoga enthusiasts, and anyone interested in Sanskrit lit-

practical manual for under-
standing, conducting and
SA14SKARA
MA. RRlAGE RITES AND RIt UALS OF HIN DUS
Autobiography of a Yogi).

HIMALAYAN
ACADEMY
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erature and culture will be overjoyed by this remarkable reference work of Hindu recording the marriage USA Tour Dates in 1997:
belief and culture .... Quite simply-the best English overview of Hinduism avail- experience. Dr. Sahai gives
step-by-step procedure in a June 21
able today.-Napra Review
clear and organized but not San Francisco, California
The swami concisely answers 155 key questions, ranging from "What is the ulti- overly complicated manner. Benefit Concert for the Shree
mate goal of earthly life?" to "How are Hindu marriages arranged?" By studying this book, a Haidakhan Babaji Charitable
... a 40-page timeline, a 200-page lexicon of Hindu terms, a comparative guide to couple can deeply appreciate and Research Hospital. Venue
major religious traditions, and a primer for teaching religious principles to chil- the profound step they are to be announced.
taking in their lives, and PREM SAHA)
dren ... enriched by extensive scriptural quotations and reproductions of Rajput Contact: 818-991-8645
art.-Yoga Journal
1,008 p.• $19.95 paper. lavishly illustrated. ISBN 0-945497-47-4
.. consciously embrace with joy
the fullnes of this noble rite of passage. It is designed not
merely to inform, but also to become a lifelong part of the
June 24-26
Rural Malmo, Nebraska at Haidakhandi Peace Center.
Shipping: to USA, add 10%, to other countries, add 20% family archives. Contact: 402-642-9238, fax: 402-642-5240.
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HEALING EVOLUTIONS

Boys Wi II ,Be Boys, DEPARTED: Dr. Cheddi Bharat dagan, 79,

Guyana's "man of the people," of a
heart condition, on March 6, 1997. Af-
ter a lifetime leading

But ' No~ for Long the struggle for in-

dependence from
British rule, Dr. Ja-
gan was elected the
first democratic
A boys puberty is a time to prepare him for president in 1992.
He devoted his en-
the responsibilities of adult life tire life in service to
his people, who ad- Father of nation
mired his energetic
BY DEVANANDA TANDAVAN, M . D. ways, wit, humor and brilliance.

UBERTY IN BOYS PROC- may occur with concomitant CONFESSED: Abigail Boettcher, the
eeds about the same as in blushing, something which reigning pork spokesperson of Buena
girls, except the changes seems to develop slightly more Vista County, Iowa, that she is a vege-
are more external due to the with boys. Of course" this oc- tarian. A cheerleader,
differences in anatomy. On the curs at all of the inopportune athlete and daughter of a
average, puberty begins between moments, again leading to teas- pig farmer, the veggie- SEE OUR ELEVEN PAGE ADVERTISEMENT ON THE INTERNET
12 and 13 but may occur as early ing and moderate discomfort. loving college freshman
as nine. In some cases, the
process of growing into man-
hood may be delayed as late as
the 14th and 15th years.
One of the earliest changes
develops in the sex organs. The
testicles tend to enlarge. It is
normal for one tp be larger than
stunned 200 assembled
hog producers when she
told her secret in a
farewell speech at the
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Parents should help prepare their sons the other, and it is also normal for one to annual banquet. Pork Queen OR FAX INQUIRIES To: 1-310-837-0243 (USA)
before puberty on what to expect. One of hang, wben standing, lower than the other.
the first signs is some swelling of the mam- The male organ is made of erectile tissue ELECTED: Sister Nlrmala, 63, a former
mary glands. This often leads to a brief but and when it is filled with blood becomes Nepalese Hindu brahmin who convert-
very sore and swollen nipple area. It gradu- hard and erect. This may occur at any time ed to Roman Catholicism, by 132 se-
ally recedes and returns to a normal flat- without provocation or apparent cause. nior nuns to replace the ailing Mother
ness, and the underlying muscles become This leads to blushing and teasing which Teresa as the leader of her religious or-
harder and more prominent. This period of should be understood by everyone. der, church authorities said. Sister Nir-
change may take up to one and half years As the external organs are growing in mala was trained as a lawyer before
to complete, but some boys may not go prominence there are internal hormonal joining the Missionaries of Charity.
through this phase. changes occurring which eventually lead to Since 1979 she has led the contempla-
Concurrently hair will begin to grow in the production of semen. There may be tive wing in which nuns devote their
the pubic area and the armpits. The sweat spontaneous, sometimes nocturnal, emis- lives to meditation.
glands in these areas will tend to produce sions. Yogis say this is perfectly normal, but
copious amount of sweat, more than in masturbation should be discouraged. Boys RECOVERING: From a stroke, Richard
females. The facial hair starts as a very fine should be taught to save the sacred seed Alpert, a k a Ram Dass, is partially
fuzz; and in late puberty it may not only be and ,trained prior to puberty to re-channel paralysed, with some speech loss but
more coarse but also be quite visible. The sexual desire by learning to transmute their mentally well. A Harvard University
boys take a lot of teasing about their vital energies and sacred fluids. colleague of LSD guru Timothy Leary
"peach fuzz" from their peers and adults. Other internal changes are in the boys in the '60s, he met his spiritual master,
The gangly gait and awkwardness pro- perception of girls. The childhood joshing Neem Karoli Baba, in India in 1967.
duced by the rapid growth of the lower of "those dumb girls" changes to a new His book Be Here Now sold over one
extremities may be much greater than in appreciation for them. But the ~tallife million copies and introduced many
girls. But what boys lack in grace they force must be focused on studies and spiri- Westerners to Eastern spirituality. His
make up in speed. The musculature of the . tual pursuits. The sexual drives and im- Hanuman Foun-
upper body is emphasized with a square- pulses are natural but should be confined dation developed
ness to the shoulders and hardness of the within a sanctified marriage. Celibacy until the "Prison-
muscles, unlike the soft curves of the fe- marri~ge will enable the boy to merit a Ashram Project" to
males. Another change that opens the boys good wife and a happy life together. help inmates with
to teasing and ridicule IS the change in the ,,- their spiritual
voice. It begins by becoming deeper and DR. TANDAVAN, 77, retired nuclearphysi- growth, and the
deeper in pitch, but it is not a smooth tran- cian and hospital staff preSident, lives in "Living-Dying Pro-
sition. The boy may be speaking or reciting Ch~cago, where he specializes in alternative ject" to provide
in class when the voice 'breaks" and re- healing arts. Visit his home page at the support for con-
turns to its soprano pitch momentarily. This HINDUISM TODAY Website. scious dying. Ram's guru Baba

PH OTOS, FROM T QP: RA ME SH D . K AL I C H A R RA N ; HA RR Y B AU M E RT ( COPYRI G HT 1997 TH E D ES

44 H.INDUISM TODAY JUNE , 1997 MOI NE S REG I S T E R AND TRIBUNE C OMPAN Y , R E PRINT E D WITH PERMISSION ); BALARAMDAS
 Dhilaurma Graphics CD
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The Master Course, Level One By Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

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any images are or-
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Fetch browser to get a 107 Kaholalele Rd • Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA
quick overview, then Tel: 1-800-890-1008, ext. 238Fax: 1-808-822-4351
double clic on a page for E-mail: sadhaka_haranandinatha@hinduismtoday.kauai.hi.us· Web: httpllwww.HinduismToday.kauaLhi.us/ashram/
a detailed preview.
Also available' English-Hindi-Tamil version: UK: Hinduism Today, tel: 0171 9379163, fax: 01714601819 email:
easan1@aol.com. Fiji: Then India Sanmarga lkya Sangam, Mr. N. K. Naidu: tel: 679 660199, fax: 679 660 761' English-
Malay-Tamil version: Malaysia: Uma Publications, tel: 603 441 1617, fax: 603 4419395' Sanatana Dharma Publications,
tel: 033319242' Singapore: Sanatana Dharma Publications, tel: 957 66 012' English-French-Tamil version: Mauritius:
Saiva Siddhanta Church, tel: 230 412-7682, fax: 230-412-7177 • Denmark: Abhirami Amman Temple clo Mrs. V. Sri
Palan, teVfax: (French or Tamil spoken) 45 9718 0192.
Macintosh format only. No PC version available.

Surrounding Iraivan Temple is an
extraordinary botanical garden par-
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contemplative. natural beauty.
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http://www.HinduismToday.
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RUDRAKSHA
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SAN MARGA IRANAN TEMPLE
107 KAHOIALELE ROAD
KAPAA. HI 96746-9304 USA
A TEMPLE BUILT TO LAST I. 000 YEARS
j
India, launched "Project Positive Change" at (1993), Karnataka, (1994), Punjab (1995),
the afternoon youth session. He told the and Himachal Pradesh (1996). Most states
Ready for, youth that at a time whe'n we enjoy a high-
er standard of living there is a lower stan-
dard of life. Mothers, scriptures and the lives
design an ornamental gate which is con-
struc~d at the entrance to the exhibition.
Next, the participants are selected from a
60 More and works of great people should guide our
life, thoughts and actions, which are increas-
ingly being contaminated by material con-
datil-base which mela authorities update reg-
ularly. The selection precess is critical, with
each participant allowed to participate only
siderations, violence,an\f vices. three times and not more than two years in ,
India's VIPs praise Rajyogini Dadi Pi'akashmani, administra-
tive chief of the Brahma Kumaris, presided
a row: This year, 76 national award winners
and 22 state award winners filled the stalls,
. Brahma Kumq.ris over the conference. She told the group that ensuring top guality and creativity.
-, the inculcation of divine qualities and the A sample of the variety at Surajkund: Em-
demolition of devilish traits in ones thoughts broidery comprising Banjara "gypsy" and
By M. P. M I;)HANTY, NEW DELHI . and deeds was the key to a balanced and Bunni work in the form of bedsheets and ,.,
HE PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER blissful life. This was:t>ossible through spiri- cushion covers (Rajasthan and Gujarat); tra-
of India headed a ~ong list of digni- -..iual practices and Rajyoga meditation. - ditional Kantha work in/the form of sari!>
t.aries gathered February 9, 1997, at the Mr. Feodar Starcevic, director of the Unit- (West Bengal and Tripura); Chikan embroi-
.:-World finale to the Brahma Kumaris' ed Nations Information Center in New Del- I dery in the form of Salwar Kameez (Uttar
-60th year celebrations. They were there to hi, spoke on the years of cooperative effort ·Pradesh) ... just to name a few: In woodwork,
honor the ' dedication and determination between the UN and the Brahnla Kumaris Pr.omenade: Vendors vyingfor sales and shoppers searchingfor bargains--all's fair here! you'll find a dazzling array of sandalwood,
with which the organization has pursued its in the areal! of peace, education, develop- , '" rosewood and cane from Punjab, South In-
goal of creating a "value-based society" ment and promotion of values. Others who COMMERCE dia and other states, carved into statues,
through social, spiritual and educational addressed the conference were Jagatguru plaques, tables, chairs, treasure chests and
programs. It began in the 1930s when its Balagangadharanathaswami, head of Adi-
fopnder, Prajapati Brahma, had a vision in chuchanagiri Mutt, Karnataka, and Brahma
wnich he saw a society, of spiritual love and Kumari' chiefs Rajybgini Dadi Janki, Chan-
A.Colorfully Crafted 'Fair much more. And let's not 1'orget carpets:
Punja dhurries from Haryana; wool carpets
from Mirzapur and little rugs from Kashmir
perfect harmony. Creation of such a society dramani and Hriday Mohini. p,erfect for meditation! You'll find oxidized
became his life's goal and is now that of his I The'core of the Brahma Kumans' teachings .. Once a year, India celebrates a festival of arts jewelry, colorful wooden toys, temple paint-
thousands of followeJs. , and mission was set forth by the group's ./ ings from Orissa .... The list goes on and on.
Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma, President of f0under, Prajapita ~rahma, from a series of Working through the maze of stalls, I sud-
India, opened the event at Indira Gandhi - visions and spiritual experiences. While Hin- By SHIKHA MALAVIYA, MINNESOTA
'"
ously bargruns for an ornate hand-embroi- denly fimi myself in front of the -beautiful
Staruum. He said, "Moral character and con- du-based in their beginnings and teachings, S OUR TAXI RUSHES THROUGH THE dered bedsheet. "I will only give Rs250," she Maheshwar Devta gate. Walking further, I
duct, wgich are the foundations of peaceful and still worshiping God as Siva, the Brahma dusty streets of Delhi, my heart goes avows. I smile knowingly as the craftsman spot a group of men dressed in orange, their
life and-society, should be cultivated for our Kumaris have declared themselves an inde- pitter patter. We are gQing to the fair! gives in and says, "Okay. But only this time! " turban-clad heads moving from side to side.
individual and world welfare. A\ country pendent reli,gion. Eight thousand full-time fair my uncle ~escribes as, "a cul- What is a crafts fair without a bargain? It is the Haryana Orchestra enthralling the
does not becElme great by men of mean workers oversee 4,000 branches and 400,000 tural kaleidoscope of music, dance and art." Standing on a hill, r survey stalls dis- crowd with their mystical music and snake-
character but by persons of noble character fGllowers in sixty countries. Together they Within minutes we cross the border, enter. guised as thatched huts spilling over with like ·dance. The Surajkund meta is well
and integrity. They do not merely preach work at the individual and social level to cre- . the state of Haryana, and everything from colorful known for its folk the~re. In naty.ashala, an
a
but" practice values like truth, nonviolence, ate a peaceful, loving v.:orld and to be van- . . pull'/into th~ small town of Kashmiri shawls to marble open-air theatre, dance and music groups
nonpossessiveness and fearlessness-all on guard of the impending new age of peace, Surajkund. Colorful banners - statues. The mela, hosted by perform throughout the day. Today it is a
the basis of realizatien of the immortal na- foreseen by Prajapita as the "Gol(;Ien-aged wave back and forth in the Haryana Tourism, began in Rajasthani folk dance about Lord Krishna
ture of the soul." He expressed deep appre- Deity World"-the Sat Yuga of Hindu philos- bright winter sky. We park . 1987 to promote and expose and His Gopis, who are getting back at Kr-
ciation for their work. ophy. Global Headquarters: Pand1fv Bhawan, our car along with a sea of the many arts and crafts of ishna for His naughty antics.
Mr. H. D. peve t;owda, Prime Minister of M?unt Abu, Rajasthan, 307 501, India. ...' others and follow the stream India. The Surajkund Mela After two hours of scoping the fqir, I spy
of people toward an intri- Authority, a non-profit orga- a stall displaying beautiful tantric motifs.
vanguards of es: Dignitaries honor Dadi Prakashmani (center) and other BKchiefs catelY-9afved wooden gate nization comprising the 'Nle craftsman has come from Ladakh to
flanked' by two turbanned Union Ministry of T011fism, sell hand-painted scrolls with the eight sym-
men playing the tutuhi, tra- and the Deyelopment Com- bols of good luck and dragons painted on .
ditional horn. The Su.w- missioner of Handlooms wood. I bargain for both)l scroll and a drag-
jkund mela beckons'us in all ,!nd Handicrafts, is res- on flainting. By now, it is dusk rufd the
its splendor. ponsible for organizing the crowd is thinning. We arrive at the food
The mela, or fair, spreads Let's talk: A Tamil Nadu ever-successful eve'nt. With stalls to be greeted by a welcome feast. The
across a hilly terrain. Walk- artist's display of deities award-winning craftsmen mouth-watering food from Punjab, South
ing along its dusty paths, I bri~ging their wares from India and Gujarat would satisfy even the
feel as if I' have entered a 'bustling village. every part of India for the past eleven years, most discriminating pl}late.
Each year the mela has a t.lJ.eme which is is it any surprise that-word of the Surajkund
represented by a state in I~dia. This year . mela has' crossed the Indian Ocean? Jam-
By the. time we finish our meal, Suraj-
kund village is retiripg in a blanket of dark-
Gujarat has tIie honors, and it has added to packed With tourists in the fifteen days that ness. Workers spray water on the,dirt roads,
the n1.ela's village charm' by designing a it runs, an estimated 20-40,000 peop~e vis- getting ready for the thousands of soles that
street replete with authentic havelis (village it on an average day. . , will trample these trails tomorrow. As we
mansions) decorated with c.arved bal1,ls- So how do they do it? The planning starts walk out the gate, my uncle looks at me
trades, antique wooden doors and embroi- nine months in advance. First the theme wit4 a glint in his eye and says, "So was I
dered wall hangfngs. People crowd around state is' decided. Past states have been Ra- right? Have you seen anythlng like this be-
the havelis where. craftsmen proudly display jasthan (1989), West Bengal (1990), Kerala fore'?" I smile and reply, "Sure I have. .. In
their goods. The woman in f~ont of me furi- (1991), Madhya Pradesh (1992), Orissa storybooks!'; ...'
f
JUNE, 1997 HI'NDUISM TODAY 49
,
 /

Jaffna's Sage Yogaswami's

MINISTER'S MESSAGE Saroe sant-u niraamayaa
Saroe bhadrani pashyant-u
Maa kashchid d-ukhfnaapn-uyaat.
1997 World Tour
Eternal Partnership' "Mayall be happy, healthy, cultured, wise,
peaceful and reach the aim of perfection."
All includes women, who were, in ancient
times, equal participants in all affairs of
And Birth Celebrations
For a rfealthy SOCiety society and politie:s, shoulder to shoulder
with their husbands, like Arundhati, wife of
sage Vashista, and Kaikeyi who went to the
battlefield and saved her husband King
In this 125th birth anniversary year of Sri LWka's
great spiritual leader, a small, gold-plated, five-metal
Dashrath, father of Ram. Later, when India bronze statue of Siva Yogaswami begins a world tour
Men and women have equal rights and ciuties was invaded, it was essential for ladies to
remain cloistered at home, only doing to join devotees at the many Sivathondan Nilayams
in making a better world through high conduct housework. Over time.this became·a way of
and more than 35 Tamil temples and commUnities.
, living widely acceptell by society for its
-Convenience in the division of work and for As he travels, celebrations and satsangs will 'he held
BY H . H. MA . YOGA SHAKTI SARASWATI the sake of the children's upbringing.
Men and women both should aspire to a in Canada, USA, Europe, Africa, Australia, New
RIGINALLY, A LONG, LONG TIME AGO, THE ANCESTORS very high code of conduct to be able to give
the Hindus settled in the lush and spiritually corn- right direction to future generations. If both Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Seychelles
land of India to pursue their continuous
search for Divine Light and Wisdom. The warm,
•••

. . partners are good, loving, caring and share

the joys and responsibilities equally, noth- and finally Jaffna, Sri Lanka, where the statue will be
ever-green and fruit-loaded land and climate was well ing can go wrong. The problems arise when
~~- ~;: permanently installed.

•
suited for their purpose, ~hich was the search for knowledge. ' one partner is idle, bad-natured or has a

. ..~ \ ~,.
The Sanskrit name of India, Bhaa-rat, explains i\ very well: bad character: From childhooa both men SATGURU SIVA YOGASWAMI 1872-1964
Desirous of Seeking Divine Light. , and women should be trained to be effi-
In those days our rishis and sages were married. All work . cient in work and should develop good na-

I~. . :....~~\*
.~ ~ ,~l~
>:~f.~
was shared. W<.?men ~ere equal participants in religious rites, ture, habits and character through studies Siva Thondan N'dayam, Sivathondan N'dayam
and all activities, like farming. Neglecting the children, which " '~~<.- ' ~ ~ ~: ~ and practices. One learns to become a good Edmonton
should never happen, was 'not an issue, because the family . iH~. ~~. ~ ]& citizen through the "kiss and care" of the 434 Kankesanturai Road
business was.in the home. My firm opinion is that men and parents. A citizen is one who cares for her 653 Chereton Cresent N.W.
women have eternal partnership in this universe. Beth have played country. Husband and wife must care for each other. There w.ill be Jaffna
equal parts in the promotion of civilization, culture an<;l knowl- changes and you can do anything you want. But be prepared for Edmonton, Alberta T6R 2N2 Sri Lanka
edge. All men and women have roles to play in this world. All lives the consequences, which should not be hurtful to anyone. Canada
are born with a purpose. That Divine Purpose is to explore the Tliere is so much negative publiclty today given to the evil side Tel. 403-450-1048
limits of consciousness which by nature is infinite and limitless. of our society. Crimes become the news of the day and this in turn
Are not all men and women children of the Infinite? engenders more negafive behavior. Instead let us focus on the fam- Sivathondan Nilayam
Does not history prove that civilization has been promoted by ily. Everything begins with a loving family. All,should aspire to live
individual and collective little acts of love and hate? A boy or a girl up to the high ideals expressed in this prayer: Sri Sivayogaswamy's Chenkalady, E.P.
both get a place in the womb of the mother, and both have claims Om saha naa vavat-u; Saha na-u bh-unakt-u . Sivathondan Centre Sri Lanka
upon the heritage ofthe father. Does this not clearly indicate that Saha, viryam karavaa-vahai
both have equal rights and duties to each other and as members of Tejasvi-naava-dhita-masru maa vidvishaavahai 2131 Lawrence Avenue East,
the group? A society also functions like an organism, and parts of May God protect us. May God be pleased with us. , Scarborough, ONT M1R 5G5
the bpdy need to remain healthy and strong singly to promqte the May we work together with vigor. May our studies illumine us. Canada
geneFal health and activities of the whole body. As two eyes, ears, May we have no contention or hostility between us.
hands and feet cooperate fully in the survival of the body, so do JIlen This wisdom applies not only to the Guru and disciple relation- TeL 416-293-4697 Yogaswami Center
and women both need to function individually and collectively for ship but also to other partners of life. B~t, for the sake of personal 5 Moor Road
the over-all prol!lotion of the world, which isjust a collection of freedom, people have given up so much. I seel$o much loneliness
smaller social, religious, cultural and geographical units. in America. Instead then~ should be mutual trust, mutual affection. Sivathondan Centre 6 Colombo
If we find a hole, a drawback in our society, in which society Rama and Sita are the best examples-like two bodies, but merged Sri Lanka
failed to provide comforts, opportunities and justice, both sexes as one. Like two legs they move together, one after the other. For 9 Saffron Drive 941580-584
are equally responsible. Nothip.g has ever been achieved in the this we will all have to make adjustments. Children also must be Hallam 3803, Victoria
wbrld without a price. Necessary preparations must be made to taught how to adjust to the changing times. But it can be done. We
pave the road of the future. If s$ewhere we lacked in our efforts, all have tc(work hard to maintain the harmony of our relationships.
Australia
both men and women are responsible for that shortcoming.
Instead of grieving at the past, we should focus our attention on .
a better future. Leave no stone unturned. Time, mind, money and
resources are the wealth of the universe, all to be utilized to create
a better world fOJ tomorrow. God has done a great justice by giv-
TeL 03-9796-3964

Sivathondan N'dayam
1Oi'J _:_ew_b_~_~-;m-u-is-m-1I-0-d-ay-.---
kauai.hi. us/ ashramIYogaswami.html
in~ everyone equal time and energy. Let us promote the whole
society, and we will have equal shares of joy. The Vedas and Upan-
256 B High Street North
ishads lay stress on the word saroa, which means all. It includes MA YOGA SHAKTI, 70, a renunciate sannyasini, with five'centers in Manor Park,
women as well as men. The mantras boldly proclaim: ' India and two in USA, has taught yoga, dharma and transforma- London E12 6SB
. Saroe bhavantu sukhinah tive spiritual practice throughout the world for over thirty years . England For details on Siva Yogaswami's world tour,
TeL 0181-552-6381 please call 808-639-8886.
50 HINDUISM TODA·Y J t.r"NE , 1997
 ~~------------------------~~----.-----

TECHNOLOGY

·Bya.osmic
Design
Reviving the Hingu
s,cience of sacred, space
ROM J ANUARY 25 T O 29 MORE THAN
300 delegates and observers partici-
pated in the World Meet on Vastu in
Kerala, South India, convened under the
direction of the renowned Dr. V. Ganapati
Sthapati, whose family lineage goes back
more than a thousand years. Other tradi-
ti<mal architects and builders mingled with
modern architects and research prefession-
als from India, USA, Australia, Hungary,
Finland and England. The Vastu Shastra,
also called Sthapatya Veda, is a class of an-
cient writings on architectur~, and classified
as supplementary Vedic texts . Vastu has en-
joyed an unbroken history of practice in
Kerala for thou?,ands of years.
The JIlost prevalent use of Vastu is for
Hindu temple architecture. No one in India
would commence construction of a sacred
structure without cGnsuLting a Vastu Shastri
for site selection, building orientation, size,
layout, doorways, wall thickness and loca-
tions, size of icons, efc. Even outside India,
sthapatis (architects) are invariably brought
in
./
from J;ndia
. as .consultants for new temple
constructlOn projects.
But Vastu Shastras deal with much more
than temple construction. Said Dr. S.P. Sab-
harathnam, "It is an ever-relevant and fruit-
ful science capable of revealing the inner
Building by the Book
IFETIME OF RESEARCH The science of Vastu is root-
l by v. Ganapati Sthapati
is embodied in the Sci-
ence and Technology of
Vastu Shastra, released at the
January seminar. This work
ed in the Hindu cosmology of
the origin, structure and
space-time relationships of the
universe. The little material
pxeviously available on the
design consciousness that pro-
vides wholesome environments,
peaceful interiors and balanced
energies within home or office
structures.
Experience of aLifetim
Chennai architect C. Ravindran
testified that he designed a facto-
ry which proved unsuccessful.
Adopting Vastu, he went back and.
implemented design changes that
reversed the flow of products
\hrough the factory, altered door II If I were asked under what sky the i;,uman mind has
••
entrances, etc. The business now
enjoys growth and larger profits.
Australian delegate Ms. Kerry fully developed and has found solutions to some of the
Press explained her application of
the Chinese' science of Feng Shui
which; like Vastu, deals with the
greatest problems of life, I would poililt to India . .. 11
subtle energy flows of buildings,
and is having a worldwide resur- - Max Muller
gence. Fellow Aussie architect
Alan Crocker reported significant
interest in Vastu residential de-
Revivalists: Sthapati and Vastu ~ ert Sabhanithnam sign among Australians. American
Michael Peter 'Cain of Maharishi
structure and inherent nature of a sub- International University in Iowa, described
stance. It is the science of space and time, of the school's program for Sthapatya Veda.
number and numerical order, of letters and . Dr. Prabhat Kumar Poddar's research into
orthography, of proportions and proportion- biomagnetic fields revealed Vastu's inner
ate limbs/parts/con~tituents , Vastu/aims not working. He demonstrated with an instru-
only at; creation, but also -at meticulous ment that subtle energy fields exist around
preservation and maintenance. And by over- us at all times and that our bodies react to
coming the possibility of destruction, it these energies by the way we are oriented to
leads us to the point of eternal existence." them, facing one way, then another-just as
Many attending the seminar are practic- Vastu predicts.
ing architects, eager to nurture professional And the future of Vastu? A third of the
tours meet the special
associations and learn about the Vastu their delegates were young computer-smart archi-
clients are beginning to request. Ganapati tects and engineers who need little or no requirements of groups,
Sthapati noted, "The science lay unnoticed mental adjustmens> to see and utilize the
ru\d uninterpreted during alien rule, which benefits of Vastu as a superio,r approach for
stifled its growth and prevented it all along designing residences and office environ-
organizations, and
from joining the mainstream of nation- ments. I foresee a new diaspora of design
building activities." Now, he said, Vastu is consciousness flooding the world. .." individuals. We work
freely finding its rightful place in India as a By D EVA R AJAN, Cali.(omia
closely with you to
and in harmony with their en-
vin mment for: centuries.
Mayan's Aintiram by Dr. S. P
Sabharathnam. This transla- tructure an itinerary
A second book released at tion from the ancient Tamil
the seminar was the modem gives critical access to the ear- that results in smooth
Tamil and English versien of

emphasizes the theoretical or
science side of Vastu, rather
than its technical building as-
pects. Still, Vastu Shaswa is
abundantly illustrated with
schematics, drawings and ar-
chitectural plans to make the
application of the principles
evident through practical ex-
amples.
subject failed to penetrate its
depths. Sthapati adroitly pre-
sents the occult knowledge of
the silpis. They were the mas-
ter builders who created the
great temples of India, the
splendorous palaces of kings
and dynasties, and the scien-
tific layout of towns and vil-
lages that remained in balance ~
<
'~"
SDIUt' CJhnJ'l'u of
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
liest exposition of Hindu C0S-
mological science in terms of
primal space souree, time,
rhythm, f01-m/structure and,.
matter.
travel and total
satisfaction.
OF
Both books are availaDle
VASTU SHAsTRA from Vastu Vedic Research
IR.. defined. r.. interpreted and iIIullretedl
Foundation, Plot AI, H.I.G.
By Colony, New Be~ch Road,
Dr.V.Gnnapali St1mpati. Thiruvalluvar Nagar, Chennai,
'
El: '
.
.

• .l
I
. 11

I
I

: . - -

..
600041, Tamil Nadu, India.

Vastu Shastra: A modern pre-

D. R.

sentation of the ancient science

169-12 Hillside Ave.
Jamaica, NY 11432
,
52 :HJND'U~SM TODAY J U 'NE, 199 7
Tel: 718-291-9292
 RESEARCH Center's website (mem- NONVIOLENCE
bers.aol.comlyoga
Yoga resrchl) introduces the Syber
three major cultural
Online branches of Hindu Yoga, Serenity
Buddhist Yoga and Jaina
THE YOGA RESEARCH Yoga and includes an ar- AR TOO FEW WEB-
I Center is spearhead-
ing a movement to pro-
ticle explaining these
and other forms of yoga
Fsites are created to
promote the concept of
mote a spirit of unity entitled "Forty Types of ahimsa, or nonviolence.
among yoga practition- Yoga." Here you can Prince among the pages
ers and organizations. register for lectures and of peace is the Ahimsa
Founded by Dr. Georg workshops, subscribe to Home Page (wizard.netl
Feuerstein in 1996, the the newsletter, become a -ethanlahimsa.htm).
Center is located in member of the Center Its purpose is to provide
Lower Lake, California, and enroll for a 200- links to the best Internet
and now publishes an hour correspondence Gates is greeted by India's Prime Minister Gowda sources on the subject.
international newsletter teacher's training course BUSINESS Here you can find scrip-
called Yoga World for on the classical yoga of tures about nonviolence,
compassion and vegetar-
Western yoga teachers
and students. The jour-
Patanjali. Also found are
links to yoga-related India's New GatesWay ianism from Hindu,
nal's purpose is to reach web sites and affiliated Christian and Jain
those interested in organizations. In con- ICROSOFT CORP. CHAIRMAN BILL sources. Relevant Hindu
learning about the vari-
ous aspects of
yoga as part
of their per-
c sonal spiri-
junction with Sava Mul-
timedia Productions,
the Center is work-
ing on a multime-
dia CD version of
M Gates urged Indian programmers to
think globally during his three-day
visit in March. He told the heads of
500 Indian software firms in Bombay, "India has
what it takes to participate in, even to shape, the
verses can be found a-
mong 108 complete
chapters of the Tamil
classic Tirukural, trans-
lated in English. The
g tual quest. Dr. Feuer- future if it makes the necessary investments now. Hindu and Jain vjews
-=-The stein's bib- It must build a national telecommunications in- are well represented in
.
'"'"
:z;
liography
of yoga re-
frastructure, develop a robust domestic software
industry, provide Internet connectivity for the
essays on ahimsa, main-
ly one by Swami
'"
o
sources, "Shamb- consumer and invest in education." Gates said his Sivananda Maharaj and
It
{ o
0: hala Encyclopedia company was committed to establishing India as a piece dedicated to Ma-
<
'"
~
of Yoga." You can a global pool of talent and resources in computer hatma Gandhi by Arun
'"
0: link to a sample software. He encouraged the software chiefs to M. Sannuti entitled,
<
o on SMPs site. invest heavily in research and development. "Vegetarianism: The
,.
o
Road to Satyagraha."
COMPUTING Kit will allow users to most populous state, Ut- clude three Apple®
enter, edit and print text tar Pradesh, would TrueType fonts, a De-
Three Indian and graphics in three I
r ~ spend about US$l bil- vanagari typing tutor
fonts: Devanagari ,_ lion in two years and the Hindi Learning
Fonts for Hindi, ~.ra:.!~:~ on computers Stack 1.0. The kit will al-
Marathi, Nepali and peripherals if low users to create and
"7\ PPLE COMPUTER and Sanskrit; OS-level Hindi- view Indian language-
!=\announced in Feb- Gurmukhi for based computing based websites and
ruary software for six Punjabi and Gu- was possible. The Quick Time movies.
North Indian languages jarati. Apple said a US$1l9 software Claris Corp. is at http://
for shipment in April. study showed that the will be distributed by www.claris.com or fax
The Indian Language government of India's Claris Corp. and will in- 1-408-987-3932. A place for peace on the web

.----.-.
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