Tattva (Magazine for Hindu Youth) December 2008 Edition

[Aparna Garg]

Tattva-An International Online Magazine for Youth, December 2008 Namaste, As always, we are pleased to present to you the latest edition of Tattva. Hope you all enjoyed reading the previous edition of Tattva. This edition has many interesting features, including a wonderful video on ancient temples of India, a biography, and an editorial on the recent terrorist attack in India. The Tattva team strongly condemns the coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai. More than 140 innocent lives are lost and more than 300 are injured. We offer our condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, and offer prayers for rapid recovery for those who are injured. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the Tattva feedback survey. Your inputs will be very valuable as we strive to improve the quality of the magazine. As always, if you would like to contibute an article, interview or video to Tattva, please send it to tattva...@hinduyuva.org. We are looking forward to your suggestions and contributions. Please visit http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/12 to read the December 2008 edition of Tattva. In This Issue: Video: The Wondrous Temples of India, by Navin Kumar Turning A Blind Eye Doesn’t Help, by Nithin Sridhar God-Consciousness of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, by Mahendra Mathur Real concept of “Varn” as preached in Geeta, by Shri Mrityunjayanand Comparing Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” to the Bhagavad Gita, by Amit Kshirsagar Video: The Wondrous Temples of India, by Navin Kumar When India is mentioned, the most frequent image most people get is of the Taj Mahal, but there is an India much older and not as well known, yet no less wondrous. A cultural tradition that stretches back to the dawn of mankind itself. This video captures an often overlooked aspect of ancient India..... Read the full article Not Resilience, It's Time for Action, by Nithin Sridhar On the night of 26th November around 11:30, I was sitting online chatting with friends. Then, someone told me there has been terror attack on Mumbai. I thought it must be another bomb blast. I did not feel any emotions. After hearing of blasts every other day in different parts of India, it no longer has much of an effect on me. I felt cold, but I did not bother to even switch on the TV. Later around 12 am, the same guy told me to turn on the news. So, I switched on the TV hesitantly, while my mind was thinking about the insensitive government we have. The first thing I saw was that ATS chief dead. There is a hostage situation in Oberoi and Taj hotels....Read the full article God-Consciousness of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, by Mahendra Mathur Ramakrishna Parmahansa is perhaps the best known saint of nineteenth century India. He was born in a poor Brahmin family in 1836, in a small town near Calcutta, West Bengal. He adopted the role of a renunciate and learned a no dualist form of Vedanta philosophy from his mentor Totapuri, a yogi. In this system, God is understood to be the formless unmanifest energy that supports the cosmos. Ramakrishna explained on different occasions that god is both formed and formless and can appear to the devotee either way. He died of cancer of the throat in 1886.... Read the full article Real concept of “Varn” as preached in Geeta, by Shri Mrityunjayanand Every sage-teacher, like a writer, has his own style and certain favorite expressions. Besides choosing a poetic medium, Yogeshwar Krishn has also repeatedly employed and stressed terms such as action (karm), yagya, varn, varnsankar, war, sphere (kshetr), and knowledge or discrimination (gyan) in the Geeta. These words are invested with unique meanings in the context and are certainly not divested of charm by frequent repetition. Metaphysical interpretations of these words are must to know to understand exactly what Sri Krishn intended in fact to preach to entire mankind.... Read the full article Comparing Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” to the Bhagavad Gita, by Amit Kshirsagar All saints say more or less the same things: nobody wants wars, conflicts or aggressions, but still these are the things that go on everywhere. It is instructive to see two entirely different people advise the same thing. The famous Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, in his 1973 song “Live and Let Die,” expresses a message similar to that found in the Bhagavad Gita. This was a song, he was commissioned to write for the James Bond movie of the same name. For reference I will use the Bhagavad-Gita, translated in English by Eknath Easwaran and introductions written by Diana Morrison.... Read the full article About Tattva www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog Tattva is an international online monthly magazine, published by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh’s Hindu YUVA. Tattva, which means “essence” in Sanskrit, draws inspiration from the roots of Hindu Dharma. It aims to present inspiring aspects of ancient Hindu culture and history along with related current day issues. It is an avenue to gain a better understanding and appreciate the most ancient culture thriving on this planet. It also offers us an opportunity to share our ideas and inspire others...Learn more about Tattva To join our mailing list, please send an e-mail once to subscrib...@hinduyuva.org. Contact the editor at tattva...@hinduyuva.org.