THE HINDU GOD & THE UNIVERSAL TRUTH

Hinduism is considered to be the oldest and the third largest religion of the world.

Yesterday I was in discussion with my good friend, Nadipuram Srinivasan of Hindu Reflection, about Hinduism in general. He was focused on the Sindhu River and its connection with Hinduism while I was focused on the intellectual and spiritual part of the Hinduism. In my communication to him, I explained my thoughts that I want to share with you.

Today mark the 14th Punya Tithi (death anniversary) of my late mother, Dhanuben Natwarlal Tailor. Her soul departed for her Lord’s kingdom, Akshardham, on March 16, 2002 against the will of her husband and children.

Where is she now? Can she come back and talk to us again? The Universal Truth is that she is gone forever, never to return back as Dhanuben, the loving mother I knew. So with the help of few tears I tried to comfort my soul while recalling her wisdom and virtue.

Which brings me back to Hinduism and its teachings. My parents were religious people and devoted Hindu all their life. They remained vegetarian, while staying away from alcohol, meat and tobacco according to the teaching of their Guru, Pramukhswami Maharaj.

So what is Hinduism? How does it differ in comparison to other religions of the world.

During my life I have always observed the intellectual and spiritual part of Hinduism and neglected the ritualistic, sometimes idiotic, practices of Hinduism. It is my belief that the founders of Hinduism were highly intellectual scientist and mathematicians. philosophically they were highly complex and accurate that is good even today. They defined the individual soul as part of the supreme soul.

Isha Upanishad starts with the famous and insightful verse about the supreme Soul.

Om.
That (supreme soul) is the absolute, this (individual soul) is the absolute;
from the absolute, the absolute becomes manifest;
when the absolute is added to or taken away from the absolute,
the absolute remains.
Om. Peace! Peace! Peace!

It is therefore, I believe that the individual soul of all matters and the supreme soul are one and the same. It resides in the micro as well as in the macro matters. Hinduism calls it Brahman, Science calls it Cosmic Energy and some religion calls it Spirit and/or God. They are one and the same.

Hinduism precisely explains the relation between the Supreme and individual soul and therefore I believe that the five basic principles of Hinduism is highly intellectual and philosophically complex.

THE HINDU GOD & THE LAWS OF THE MORALITIES

1. GOD – Hinduism believes that there is only one God called Brahma, in the neuter form, is abstract supreme soul/spirit. Modern science calls it Cosmic Energy.
   • Modern science has concluded that the universe is controlled by Cosmic Energy that can not be measured, seen, touched and explained, however it does exist and control the discipline of the entire universe.
   • Religions of the world refer the Cosmic Energy as GOD. The God is not a human as we all believe, however, it is that supreme power, Cosmic Energy, responsible for the existence of the entire Universe and beyond.
2. PURPOSE OF LIFE – Hinduism believes that every living being has one objective, to find Moksha (ultimate union with the God) and liberation from the cycle of birth, life and death. In order to achieve the Moksha, Hinduism introduced three-part deities and countless rituals to please them.
   • GODS – Hinduism explain that our existence is three-part, birth, life and death. Therefore three controlling entity (Devta/God), Bhahma (not to be confused with the supreme soul) the creator of life, Vishnu the protector of life, and Shiva the destroyer of life were introduced as God.
   • GODDESSES – Hinduism provided each Devtas with a consort.   As a creator, Brahma needed knowledge and so Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge, became his consort. As preserver, Vishnu needed wealth and therefore Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, became his consort. Lastly power/energy was needed for destruction and therefore Parvati, the Goddess of Power, became Shiva’s consort.
3. LAWS OF KARMA AND REINCARNATION – Karma is the law of cause and effect and soul reincarnates until all karmas have been balanced.
   • REINCARNATION AND MODERN SCIENCE – Modern science has established laws of energy. It is therefore I believe that the cosmic energy is an absolute system and constant; that energy can be transformed from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed. How convenient? If the above statement  is true then the theory of soul’s reincarnation will be easier to understand as individual soul can be transformed from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed.
   • KARMA –Theory of Karma is to effectIvely control the morality within society. It is a fear based theory that reward/punish each individual based on their Karma. This award based system explains the present day life condition due to Karma of  past life and future day life condition based on present day Karma. Based on the final balance of Karma, one’s soul can travel from animal to human to devta or vice versa. If properly balanced, the soul will find liberation from the cycle of birth, life and death and ultimate union with the Supreme.
4. PRACTICE OF AHIMSA – All life are sacred and to be loved and revered. It is therefore human should practice Ahimsa.
   • Practice of Ahimsa is to create harmonious living among all. All life are sacred and one must respect all God’s creation with ultimate respect and restrict their actions that can intentionally harm them. Ahimsa is discipline to not hurt others with violence and disrespect. This is the reason Hinduism put animal Gods in the temples and regular rituals to protect trees.
5. GOD IS ONE WITH MANY NAMES – All religions provide pathway to salvation and no religion should claim ownership over God.
   • Hinduism teaches that you can call God by any names and worship him the best way you are taught. It is wherefore Hinduism has many Gods and respect all the religions of the world.

In conclusion, I belive my mother’s soul has found the union with the supreme soul and therefore I will only meet her when my soul also unite with the supreme soul. It is in that spirit I have improved my attitude, behaviours with an anticipation to unite my soul with my mom’s soul. In that spirit, I love you mom and miss you a lot.

 

Last Monday of the holy month of Shravan is considered an auspicious day in Hinduism. Today Hindu prays to God Shiva, the creator and destroyer of universe. Earlier mankind, especially Hindu, believed that fertility in all beings is “The God” and therefore Hindu begin worshipping Shiva-Lingam to receive blessing from the God for fertility and healthy children.

The smaller Shiva-Lingam is oval shaped and an independent version of fully formed Shiva-Lingam that has Pedestal, Yoni and Lingam, normally found in all Shiva temples. Among the smaller Shiv-Lingam, Narmadeshvara Shiva-Lingam is considered as the holiest that can only be found in Narmada River that flows through Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and then into Arabian Ocean. It has been said that these Lingams were created millions of years ago when a Meteorite collided with the earth at a place that is now the source of the Narmada River. The Narmadeshvar Lingam has red marking on them representing crypto crystalline quartz, the meteorite material. These unique materials blending from earth and space has excellent density and rhythmic vibration that brings positive energy and fertility in a house where it is being daily worshipped. Traditionally the Lingam is passed on from one generation to next or put back in the river of its origin.

Let us not confuse Shiva-Lingam with Shaligram that represent Lord Visnu and found only in Kali Gandaki River in Nepal and India. Shaligram represent the change in Hindu philosophy from creation to evolution. Hinduism struggle heavily while making a transition from older creation philosophy to newer evolution theory and ultimately settled with the TRINITY concept of GOD, elevating Vishnu to be amongst the highest God. Thus BRAHMA became the creator, VISHNU became the protector, and SHIVA became the destroyer. However the One God concept remained the core philosophy of Hinduism and the Trinity only represented the three personality of one God.

It is believed that part of India was drifted from the African Continent and collided with China’s boarder creating the tallest Himalayan Mountains in the world. It is also believed that there was an ocean between these two lands and all the sea creatures were buried in the molten lava. On the far eastern side of impact lies the Kali-Gandki River where the lava stones are found with an impression of sea creatures, normally identified as holiest Shaligram.

Hinduism believes that there is only one God and every life forms objective is to become free from the circle of life and death by balancing the karma that can provide an ultimate liberation (MOKSHA) making it possible to be with the GOD forever. I find comfort in praying to a real object representing the GOD and its theory because with my limited capacity I am unable to understand the complex nature of the formation of the UNIVERSE and LIFE FORMS. In my opinion neither the creation nor the evolution theories brings as good closure to me as the theory of GOD. Until I am introduced to another proven option, I remain firm believer in GOD. OM NAMAHA SHIVAYA.

Typical Shiva-Lingam found in all temples.

I also want to thank the following website for their contribution to my article.

1. Narmadeshvara Shiva-Lingam
2. Kali-Gandaki- Shaligram
3. Shiva-Lingam with Pedestal

TARUN N. SURTI

September 2, 2013

FROZEN TEARS

As tonight brings closure to year of 2012, I can’t help but to remember the last world of the brave young girl, who was gang raped in New Delhi on December 16, 2012, to her father, “aap so jao, main bhi ab soungi (you go to sleep, I will also sleep)”.

I do not know the last words of the 20 innocent children and 6 adult-educators who were killed on December 14, 2012 by a young gunman in Newton, CT. I presume they probably utter these words, “mom and dad I love you”.

I could not stop crying during those days. I was so outraged with the news that I was unable to understand the satanic behaviors of these monsters. In my opinion, such monsters live with one and only one intention- To Harm the Harmless.

It has been several days and now my tears have frozen and they don’t flow anymore. I am sure that the parents of these victims must have used up all their tears by now, I just wish I can loan them mine.

One nation will discuss their policy towards women while the other nation will discuss their policy towrads violence and gun control. Government will not discuss the power of love because constitutionally Government can not force people to love each other. Government will prevent Religions of the World from teaching the power of love in school and other places. Government will draft multiple laws, all of them will be punitive and applicable only after the crime is committed. No one will address common and preventive solutions. In my opinion, if we really want to minimize/eliminate violence from the society, we must teach values that ancient Hindu have preached, “One should not harm other livings, including human and animals”.

Every life form is born with dual personalities/behaviors that we know, Godly and Satanic (non-Godly). The World Religions have taught us to increase Godly personality in our daily life. I wish our socio-political system also adopt a way to increase Godly personality in our daily life.

We don’t need an armed officer to protect our children, a grandpa and grandma in every house, every society and every school will be a better choice.

I am confident that all those people who lost their lives during 2012 have found better life in God’s Kingdom. Let us not forget them. Let us pray to our Lord and ask him to grant us the serenity in 2013 and beyond so that we all can live in peace and harmony. Happy New Year.

Frozen Tears picture:

http://www.deviantart.com/morelikethis/332253394#/d59m1o5

End of 2012

During the holidays, our family spent time with one another for several days at our house in Nashville, Tennessee. Everyday we eat vegetarian food with water according to the Hindu tradition and the values that were preached and practiced by our parents. We watched old family movies and photo albums. No matter how painful it was to realize that we have lost our parents in last decade, watching the old movies also reminded us that little innocent kids have grown into beautiful young adults, worthy of parents and grandparents pride.

My father prayed to our beloved Lalaji (Young Lord Krishna) all his life and left Lalaji with us to remind us our daily responsibilities to the Creator of the Universe. After dinner, we talked about our parents and the values that they had preached to us. Our children remembered the love they had received from their grandparents but most importantly the values that the children had learnt from their grandparents. It is good to know that old values are still alive in our family and hence the continuation and promise of religiously peaceful & ethical cycle of life while living in harmony with modernistic changes and challenges.

I thank you LORD for your creation of this universe, my parents, my children and my family. May we ask for your blessing so our family stays together and the entire mankind live in peaceful harmony.

Creation (GOD) and Evolution (Science) – My perspectives

Several days ago  I received an interesting  re-twit by billionaires Sri Vinod Khosla. I have tried to understand the antagonism between these two groups, Creation (GOD) and Evolution (Science), in search for an answer that can bring an ultimate harmony between these groups.

Here is the full twit:

“@vkhosla We have a Presidential candidate with gaps! Please retweet broadly”  #RickPerry : “Evolution is ‘theory’ with ‘gaps’ and “I agree with Perry, God is better choice then Evolution”

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/08/rick-perry-evolution-presidential-race-/1 ”

I debated between these two arguments and made my choice. I believe in GOD.

Hindu Rishis were very intellectual and methodical group of Brahmins who collectively gave us the world’s oldest religion, HINDUISM.

It is obvious that they seriously discussed the theory of Creation and Evolution because the story of Vishnu and his ten incarnations is nothing but a theory of Evolution. Evolution may explain the changes in physical forms, however, it does not explain the spiritual form that is the base of every life on this planet. It is therefore, in the end, they decided to remain with the theory of Creation (God), the supreme soul, because it made perfect  sense to them.

Therefore, the Rishis concluded the philosophies of Hinduism and introduced its five core values:

1. God is one and you can worship him by any names. This is the reason why Hinduism accepts all religions of the world.
2. God created this universe; he is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent.
3. The purpose of life is to find Moksha (an union with the GOD), a liberation from the circle of  life and death (theory of reincarnation),
4. Live Dharmic (with Ethics and Morality) life because Karma (action) is the law of cause and effect. Positive actions produce positive effects; negative actions produce negative effects. This karma is cumulative: one accrues karma, positive and negative, not only throughout the course of one’s life, but throughout the course of one’s multiple rebirths. It is karma that determines one’s rebirths.
5. Respect all life because GOD resides in all. Forcing society to practice Ahimsa (non-violence, especially to non-humans) and vegetarianism

Science have tried to convince us that there are some life pieces that has been the result of Evolution, however, it fails to identify each and every piece on this planet to be the product of evolution. Like Governor Rick Perry’s statement “there is a “GAP” in the theory of  Evolution.” It holds no franchise values that can serve the societies needs and  fill their quest of Faith and Hope.

Agree, both theories are created by mankind because no one has seen GOD, except few, and no one can prove for sure that the entire world has been a result of Evolution. In my opinion,  the theory of Creation, GOD, has been universally accepted and practiced for many centuries. It is the most powerful franchise in the world that has provided laws of ethics and morality. It has brought communities together to do good and provided hope for those who became victims of times. No other franchise has done more for the betterment of the societies. It is time we stop resenting its existence.

My mother and father always told me that no matter what happens in life, keep your GOD in front of your life and let him lead you so you can enjoy the journey. Lord Krishna told similar message to Arjuna in Gita.  Gandhiji learned early in his life the power of prayer and faith in GOD. The list can become very long if I include people from all over the world who believes in GOD and have faith in GOD that brings them healing power. I have always found comfort in GOD’s feet and my faith in him is unshakable, just the way my parents had taught me. It is therefore I made my choice based on superiority of these two enterprises. We live in a world where each decision is measured by these fundamental rules:

1. Does the enterprise have customers (followers, Devotees)?
2. Does the enterprise have franchisee (Temples, Churches, Synagogues, and
   Mosques etc.)
3. Is the enterprise profitable (sustainable over long term from
   donations)?
4. Is it beneficial to the society (Laws of Ethics and Morals)?
5. Does it have Global acceptance?

I do not claim that theory of Evolution is wrong, but I do claim that it has GAP. It is an inferior theory to the God’s theory. Such enterprise is non-sustainable and not profitable. In a capitalistic society, I refuse to endorse such theory. It is therefore : “GOD TUSI GREAT HO”

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORD KRISHNA”

* I did not include arguments from other religions of the world for the lack of my knowledge and space on this page. Please accept my sincere apologies.

* I also want to thank the webpage where I found the beautiful picture of Krishan and Radha. I lost the track of that page but if I find it, I will give you the link to it. Sorry.

PURPOSE OF LIFE, MY THOUGHTS

I was born Hindu and therefore have been heavily influenced by the core values of Hinduism. According to Hinduism the purpose of life is to attain the ultimate union with the GOD called MOKSHA. Moksha can be attained only by going through the circle of life and death until your soul find the ultimate balance of KARMA that bring freedom from the circle of life and death.

So how do I balance my Karma?

First of all, we need to understand what we are? I did not say who we are for a specific reason. We will discuss that later. What we are, as a life form, has two part scenario, Spiritual and Physical. There is a force beyond our comprehension and we do not know its identity and therefore the World’s major Religion call such force the GOD. Spiritual relationship is easier because it is between two parties, one of them is unseen, the GOD. Historically it has been understood by all civilization that every behavior has a moral obligation to the GOD.

The physical part is something that can be seen, touched, and felt. It is the physical body and its presence that allows us to be part of society. However, the physical bodies must behave, in addition to the moral obligation, according to the teachings of their religious leaders, governmental laws and expectations of their immediate society. That is where each life becomes very complex forcing individual’s Karmas to be unbalanced.

I am convinced that purpose of our life is to balance our Karma. In order to balance our Karma, we need to understand who we are. We are a life form that has to establish its presence in the group of other life forms. Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa were well balanced presence amongst other life forms and Hitler was rather an unbalanced presence. In our family we always discuss the difference between “wants” and “needs”. My parent had taught me to try and balance the two without burdening one over the other. My father was extremely spiritual and had supreme control over sensational and materialistic enjoyment. He had gone deeper into the spiritual ocean of God consciousness and had enjoyed so much spirituality that nothing of this worldly possession had ever competed with it or given him more pleasure.

“The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.”–Bhagavad-gita 2.59

I am convinced that in order to balance Karma, we need to understand the quadratic equation of life. We are happy when our needs are less and spirituality is higher. We are unhappy when our needs are more that turns into greed. Most of us are driven by the short term happiness and always demand more for materialistic and sensational “wants” that only brings temporary joy and eventual greed. I am not implying that we should not have materialistic wants (desires) but simply implying the Gandhian teaching that “there is plenty in this world for every ones need but not enough for one man’s greed”.

Traditionally our physical body has five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. I would like to add the sixth sense that is called “imaginary world” created by our own imaginations. As far back as the 1760’s, the famous philosopher Immanuel Kant proposed that our knowledge of the outside world depends on our modes of perception. In order to define what is “extrasensory” we need to define what is “sensory”. Each of the 5 senses consists of organs with specialized cells that have receptors for specific stimuli. These cells have links to the nervous system and thus to the brain. Sensing is done at primitive levels in the cells and integrated into sensations in the nervous system. Sight is probably the most developed sense in humans, followed closely by hearing.

When we use these senses for spiritual enlightenment, we find happiness. When we use these senses only for sensational and materialistic pleasures, we find temporary enjoyment and ultimate unhappiness. However, when we properly use these senses and balance the two, we find the path of MOKSHA. It is therefore I have concluded that the purpose of my life is to balance the spirituality needs and materialistic wants in my daily life.

Hinduism, my thoughts

  

Sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet is regarded as the spiritual abode of Shiva.

Hinduism is believed to be the oldest of major religions of the world. Hinduism believes that there is only one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, bothCreator and Unmanifest Reality, called “Brahman or Paramatma (not to be confused with Brahma of Trinity).” However, it does not advocate the worship of any one particular deity; therefore Hinduism cannot be compared with any particular belief system. Hinduism is a collection of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India that is in continuity and in perpetual evolution even today. Unlike other religions, Hinduism is a way of life (Dharma) focused on Karma, the law of cause and effect, that allows freedom from the circle of life and death, Hindu believes in reincarnation, and eventually a Moksha, an union with the Supreme Being (Paramatma). Hinduism considers all life to be sacred therefore requires every man to practice Ahimsa (not to be confused with non-violence), restrict thinking and speaking of ill words, and killing of any life-form.

Sometimes during the era of the great sages Valmiki and Vyasji, Hinduism redefined Supreme Being and introduced a new concept of Trinity, the most fundamental of Hindu deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva – creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. The Trinity collectively represents the Only One, the Supreme Being. The sages found it as an easier explanation to common Hindu worshiper.

Each deity has a consort. Creator Brahma needed knowledge, therefore Saraswati, Goddess of Knowledge, became his consort. Preserver Vishnu needed wealth, therefore Laxmi, Goddess of Wealth became his consort and Destroyer Shiva needed Strength, therefore Parvati, Goddess of Shakti (Strength) became his consort.

Today, Hindu worships three main deities, Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti. Their followers are known as Vaishnava, Shivaism and Shakti-ism. Both, Vishnu and Shakti have been associated with Avatars (not to be confused with re-incarnation) to give platform to the section of Hinduism that worship Father God and Mother God.

Hindu also worships other forms of God, such as Ganesha, an elephant headed God, Hanuman, a monkey God. At some point in Hinduism, the sages wanted to stop killing of life-form other than human. Therefore they introduced non-human, from animal kingdom, life-forms with each deity to protect them. Killing of protected life-forms would have angered the relative deity and could have brought curse on the killer. Such message was much powerful that forced the Hindu to practice Ahimsa.

Hindu cremate their body after death because according to Hinduism the human body is made of five part, earth, water, fire, air and ether. The human body becomes lively when soul enters and becomes dead when soul departs. The body has no other function but to provide temporary housing for the soul and therefore by cremating the body the organic remains become part of the nature. One bigger advantage of cremation is that it destroys any diseases a person had prior to death, it brings closure to the family and it does not require large cemeteries.  

Hinduism must be very old if we consider arguments from Arun K. Bansal and Prof. N.S. Rajaram. According to their theory, Lord Krisha was born July 21, 3228 BC. Lord Krishna is the eight Avatar of Lord Vishnu. Does that mean Hinduism predates all other theories? What is interesting is the story of Bhimketka paintings,  that dates back to 30,000 years. In the epic of Ramayana and Mahabharata, the exact birth date is recorded for Lord Rama and Lord Krishna. We know now that in order to have such calendar, one must possess knowledge of stars position and movements in space, science to confirm such movements, and mathematics to calculate such complex information. What kind of knowledge they had? How long did it take them to finalize their calculation that is an absolute fact even today?

Photo courtsey of: wikipedia

Interesting reading about Hinduism by Huston Smith:  

Vishnu’s Avatars

Lord Vishnu in the form of Boar, third Avatar

It is my personal opinion that the Hinduism introduced the concept of Trinity during the time of either Valmiki or Vyasji, the great sages who wrote Ramayana and Mahabharata. The concept of Vishnu’s Avatars undoubtly reflects the modern day Theory of Evolution. Did the sages explore the possibilities of Evolution vs. Creation?

Lord Vishnu is prominent as the Preserver of the universe. Vishnu’s restoring, shielding and conserving powers have been apparent in the world in a sequence of ten mortal incarnations known as Avatars. The avatars appear in order to balance the effect of good and evil upon the earth. It is believed that nine avatars have already descended, three in non human form, one in hybrid form and five in human form. Of the ten universally recognized avatars, nine have already appeared whereas the tenth is yet to appear. These ten avatars are also known by the name of Dasha Avatar of Vishnu.

All the Avatars are mortal form of Lord Vishnu, who himself is eternal, consistent and undeniable. The Dasha Avatar of Vishnu are briefly discussed here:

1. Matsya Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of Fish
The first avatar, Matsya, was taken by Lord Vishnu at the end of the Satyuga (last age), when a flood destroyed the world. Through this avatar, he saved humanity and the sacred Veda text from the flood.

2. Kurma Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of Turtle
The second avatar, Kurma, was taken in the Satyuga (last age) to help the Devas and to obtain the amrut (nectar) of immortality which was also sought after by the Asuras (demons). He helped in creating the world by giving support of his back through this avatar.

3. Varaha Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of Boar
The third avatar, Varaha, was taken at the end of the last flood in the Satyuga, when Bhoomi Devi (Earth Mother) sank to the bottom of the ocean. Vishnu, in the form of varaha, dived into the ocean and raised the goddess out of the ocean, supported by his two tusks.

4. Narsimha Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of Half – Man and Half – Lion
The fourth Avatar, Narsimha, was taken in the Satyuga (last age) to kill a tyrant demon king. Narsimha is the only avatar which was Hybrid in form being half human and half animal.

5. Vamana Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of a Dwarf
The fifth avatar, Vamana, appeared in the Tretayuga in order to destroy Bali, the king of demons. He came during a huge ceremony conducted by the king and cleverly asked for just three feet of land, measured by his own small feet. Vamana covered whole of the earth and the heaven, subduing Bali into his feet.

6. Parshurama Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of a Brahmin
The sixth avatar, Parshurama, appeared in the Tretayuga to destroy the warrior caste. When the kings of the earth became despotic and started to harm people and saints in the forest, Vishnu incarnated as Parshurama and destroyed all the kings who were harassing the people.

7. Rama Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of the King
The seventh avatar, Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhaya, appeared in the Tretayuga, to rescue Sita with his loyal servant Hanuman and his brother, Lakshmana, and killed the demon Ravana. Lord Rama became one of the most popular gods in the Hindu religion.

8. Krishna Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of a Cowherd’s Boy
The eighth avatar, Krishna, along with his brother Balarama, appeared in the Dwaparyuga to kill the demon king, Kansa. Lord Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world. Krishna told the epic poem Bhagavad Gita to the warrior Arjuna ,in which he acclaimed : ”Whenever Dharma, or the situation of law and order, is endangered on this world, I incarnate onto this world to re establish Dharma, law and order, and to protect the Sadhus or saints and to destroy the evil elements of the society.”

9. Buddha Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the Form of Buddha
The ninth avatar, Mahavira Buddha, appeared in the Kalyuga, to teach the lesson of following a middle path in life. ”Buddha” means ‘the enlightened one’. He taught that all sorrow comes from attachments and desires, so it’s better to curb all attachments in order to remain happy.

10. Kalki Avatar – Lord Vishnu in the form of Horse
The tenth Avatar, Kalki, (“Eternity”, or “time”, or “The Destroyer of foulness”), is yet to appear on the earth. And it is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist.

Courtsey of :  http://www.iloveindia.com/spirituality/gods/vishnu/vishnu-avatar.html

Farewell Father (Bapu-Bapuji-Father)

It was early morning of Christmas 2010. Beautiful powdery snow had fallen during night covering the ground in pure white color. My sisters and their family had gathered at our house for Christmas celebration. December 25^th was picture perfect day, just like it has been described in the Christmas stories.

It was Sunday, January 2, 2011 when my sister Indu and her husband Mohanlal visited my father.

Since that day, Bapuji begin to say things that were divine. Somehow he knew that his death is near and his telephone conversation with my sister, Indu, was absolutely precise and to the point that his Swaminarayan Lord had come to visit him and had assured him that all the preparations are in place and that the Lord had dispatched two sadhus (saint) to take him home.

Bapuji begin to have chest pain on Monday, January 3, 2011. Dr. Thatti came to visit him and only then we found out that he may have suffered heart attack. Bapuji was transferred to Williamson Medical Center for further checkup. The emergency room’s attending physician had stabilized my dad when I went to see him. I found my dad very cheerful, peaceful and fully alert. The cardiologist suggested that we do angiogram in the morning.

At about 9:47pm my dad called me and told me to take good care of myself and our family, that he was very appreciative of the hospital staff who took special care of him. He was thankful to them and our family members for taking care of him during his golden years following my mom’s death on March 16, 2002.

At about 1:00am, I received a call from the hospital that my dad’s heart had stopped working. I along with my wife, Lata and my son, Vivek, went to the hospital and bid farewell to my loving father at 1:51am, Wednesday, January 5, 2010. My Daughter, Zarna, stayed home in case of emergency and was brought to the hospital later.

My dad was a divine person, living a lifestyle based on BHAKTI (DEVOTION) and RIGHTOUSNESS. He never hated or spoke ill words for anyone. He never eat or wore new cloths without first offering to his Lord Swaminarayan.

In his final moments, such discipline brought peace and comfort to his soul. Most importantly, it brought special joy to all who came to know him. Sadhu Sobhitswaruppswami and his bhajans during the funeral brought peace to our soul, especially mine. I know that is exactly the way BAPUJI would have preferred.

Bapu, I am so glad that you gave me a privilege to be your son. I wish and pray you will give me the same opportunity in my next life. Please bless me so I can learn to live with your BHAKTI and RIGHTOUSNESS.

I bid you farewell Bapuji, may you find happiness in AKSHARDHAM with LORD SWAMINARAYAN and your life partner and my MOTHER, DHANUBA.

Merry Christmas

Last week Penelope Trunk wrote on her blog about “Why Christmas Is Destroying Corporate America”. She claims that Christmas celebration at workplace alienates employees and squashes diversity. She also claims that forcing people to take Christmas off is discriminatory and Jewish ornaments on Christmas trees are offensive.

I was born in India and practitioner of Hinduism. I came to USA in 1972 and made this country my home. I had learnt four languages including English that made my transition in American society very easy. It is therefore I also believe that American children should learn minimum of four languages before the completion of middle school.

I was exposed to all religions during the early years of my life and have developed a great amount of respect for all religions, especially their festivities. I believe in inclusivity of all religions and their festivities in our culture. Religion and their festivities provide FAITH and HOPE that plays an important part in every society. Every year my family and I have enjoyed the celebration of Christmas and its festivities. We have never been alienated by its affiliation with Christianity. I do not know the religious affiliation of Penelope Truck, but I am really alienated by her suggestions that we as an American should stop celebrating Christmas because we are a nation of diversity.

Separation of church and state does not mean that we exclude all religious based activities. We should not promote activities or teachings that take away rights of GOD loving people. As a GOD loving person, I disapprove the notion of exclusivity and disrespect for each other’s religion because in the end that will destroy the civilization and this society will become a land of violators of GOD’s teachings.

What is more disturbing is that media provides opportunities to these kinds of weird suggestions, good people do nothing about it or they are shut by the pressure from investors/donors and massive foolhardy protestors and eventually an empty headed legislator propose an amendments to the constitution where celebrating CHRISTMAS becomes offensive to the diversity and therefore must be banned.

Welcome to the land of the free. Merry Christmas, HO HO HO!