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August 2011
Raksha Bandhan Edition
In this Edition
DasaMahavidhya #8 - Bagalamukhi, by Deepak Saagar
News and EventsInspired by the spiritual thoughts of Vivekananda, Sunnyvale Hindu YUVA decided a seva prayog at Second Harvest Food Bank -Warehouse Food Sort in Santa Clara County.
Donated food from several departments is collected at the Warehouse. The YUVA volunteers helped them to sort food for the further distribution. Read more...
The University of Washington chapter of Hindu YUVA is organizing its annual Suswagatam program to welcome the incoming students this fall. We hope that this little helping hand from our side will help the new students feel at home. Read more...
The Hindu America Seva Charities (HASC) held its first-ever White House conference entitled 'Dharmic Seva: Catalyst to strengthening and building pluralistic communities on July 29.Read more...
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From the Editor's Desk
In his April 2009 article, "A Sacred Knot," Anand Jayanti describes the power of the rakhi-tying tradition:
"Rakhis have traditionally embodied that sacred bond between brother and sister, but today, it has the capacity to mean a lot more. Rabindranath Tagore began a practice of Rakhi Utsavs in 1905, in which rakhis were tied to neighbors, friends, and loved ones in an effort to bring the entire community together in harmony. Such an action of innocent but convicted love and faith brought societies together, little by little. Such actions can bear significance to the neighborhoods we live in today as well. Brotherhood and sisterhood and camaraderie are more necessary now than they ever have been. And the emergence of such issues as faith, nationality, and belief as agents of division have endangered the colorless, origin-less, religion-less bond of love from potentially forming between us."
We hope you find inspiration and celebrate joyously, on this Raksha Bandhan day.
- Tattva Team
Lifestyle of a Monk in NYC (Part 1 of 3), by Chris Fici
There is an anomaly in the middle of all the pulsating beats, sizzling woks, and careening car horns of the East Village of Manhattan. Within a humble brownstone building at First Avenue and First Street is a monastery, with simple, humble monks attempting to focus their entire being on connecting with God. The anomaly goes further: these monks are not of any known Western tradition, but instead they carry forward in the line of bhakti-yoga, the devotional expression of the monotheistic schools of the Hindu/Vedic tradition.
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A Higher Fight, by Anand Jayanti The question of a citizen’s proper role in his or her state is one that creates a good deal of debate. The role of citizen in a state under revolution? Even more so. Recent events in Egypt challenge us, as Hindus, to answer this question through our own ideals. In what direction does a diligent consideration of dharma point us? How can a citizen justify protesting his or her header? How can a citizen justify killing or dying for such a cause? How far do such actions reach in their impact, and do the benefits outweigh the detriments as per a dharmic calculus?
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Western Condescension of Hinduism, by Foram MehtaAs a child, I moved around frequently. My parents emigrated from India to the U.S. when I wasn’t even five years old, and we moved from place to place. When most kids my age were toting around new lunch boxes, I was carrying moving boxes. It seems that, for most of my life, I’ve perpetually been stuck with the “New Kid Syndrome”.
Unfortunately for me, the schools I attended weren’t ever very religiously diverse. Christians usually made up the vast majority of my peers, and at times it was quite lonely for a little Hindu child like me not having anyone or anything to which to relate. Ah, but then there was always Social Studies – my favorite subject! No matter what book we learned from, we always covered India. As the second most populated country in the world, it was guaranteed to have a spot on the year’s lesson plan. Finally, something I could relate to! With the mention of India also came mention of Hinduism, the religion that millions of families like mine practiced. I always looked forward talking about Hinduism in school because I was almost always the only Hindu around, and this meant instant stardom.
The Double Standards of Polytheism, by Ravi Often a point of contention in religious debates, the idea of God being manifested in various forms is greatly misunderstood. There are some who believe that Hindus worship “330 million different gods” with Hindu verses taken out of context and misconstrued. It needs to be emphasized that the main point of this piece is not whether religions are polytheistic (belief in more than one God) or monotheistic (belief in one God). This is irrelevant – the objective is to show that multiple forms of the Creator are written about in the sacred texts of ALL major religions, not just in Hinduism. The essence is the same. The conflict is merely an issue of language/semantics. Before detailing what exactly Hinduism says on this subject it’s important to first examine the three religions which are usually labeled monotheistic.
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Gopi Prem Bhajan, by Eshita Gupta
Shyam teri akhiyan badi-badi
Dekhein yein sab kutch gadi-ghadi Shyam teri mor pankhi hari hari
Nishkam bhakti ho gadi-gadi Shyam teri baiyan khuli-khuli
pyar yein barsayein ghadi-ghadi shyam tere karnda bade-bade
sune yein man ki ghadi-ghadi shyam teri bansuri khadi-khadi
maya meri todhe ghadi-ghadi shyam mera swami ghadi- ghadi
main teri dasi ghadi-ghadi
Mahavidhya Sketch 8 - Balagamukhi, by Deepak Saagar
Bagalamukhi is a goddess of paralyzing power. Her name literally means "one who has a face that can capture others" and she essentially represents the hypnotic power of the goddess. Bagalamukhi's speech is so powerful that it leaves others silent and grasping for words. She gives the decisive statement, the irrefutable conclusions, the pronouncement of ultimate truth. Hence, she is propitiated for success in discussions and debates. Bagalamukhi turns each thing into its opposite. She represents the knowledge whereby each thing must in time become its opposite. Bagalamukhi is the secret presence of the opposite wherein each thing is dissolved back into the Unborn and the Uncreated. She is clothed in yellow, with bright olden ornaments and sits in the midst of an ocean in a decorated gazebo on a golden throne. She is shown holding the tongue of an Asura with one hand and lifting a club to hit him with the other, paralyzing the evil in this world, paving the way for good. |
