February 2011
In this EditionGov. Bentley, I may not be your brother, but you're mine, by Sai Kolluru
That Other Goal for SNY, by Sanchay Jain
'Take Back Yoga' Campaign is an Act of Giving, by Rudra Upadhyaya
What I Do, by Debjit Dutta
Forgotten Women of the Ramayan, by Aparna Garg
Mahavidhya Sketch 7 - Dhumavati, by Deepak Sagar
Shloka: Nidra Samaye (Before Going to Bed)News and Events
 Make a difference with Yuva for Sewa service internships! This summer, Sewa International USA is offering volunteer internships in India and USA through the Yuva for Sewa (Youth for Service) fellowship program. YFS aims to connect young adults with service projects in the fields of education, self-employment, healthcare, women’s empowerment, environmental awareness, micro-finance and others. Learn more here!
Another Year of Surya Namaskar Yagna! Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh concluded its fifth annual “Health for Humanity" Yogathon” on January 30, 2011. During this two-week Yogathon, despite unusual wintry weather throughout the US, over 10,122 participants warmed themselves up with 988,302 repetitions of the yoga routine known as the Sun Salutation, or Surya Namaskar, in 225 cities and towns from 40 states. Read more!
Southeast Universities Organized a Surya Namaskar Lahar!Students across five universities in the Southeast continually did Surya Namaskar for 4 and a half hours to conclude the annual Health for Humanity Yogathon. The five universities that particiapted were: UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte, Goergia Tech, Florida International University and Nova University. A total of 20 participants performed 1,117 surya namaskars. This was the third annual Surya Namaskar lahar organized by the Southeast universities.
Trip to Vedanta Society. The San Jose State University and Sunnyvale, California branches of Hindu YUVA took a trip to the Vedanta Society last month for the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary. About 20 youth listened to Swami Prabuddhananda speak about Swami Vivekananda's life and his message to youth. Hearing him speak with such energy and conviction was very inspiring for all those who were present.
Intern with the Hindu American Foundation! The deadline for the HAF Capitol Hill Leadership Initiative has been extended to February 25th. Take this opportunity to spend eight weeks as an intern in a Congressional office this summer. Learn more here!
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From the Editor's Desk
Dear Readers,
The next couple months we will be celebrating many festivals - Maha Shivratri, Varsh Prati Pada, Ram Navami, and more. In the midst of the prayers and festivities, let's take a moment to reflect on the true meaning behind all these festivals. Swami Vivekananda said, "They who see Shiva in the poor, in the weak, and in the diseased, really worship Shiva. They who want to serve Shiva must serve His children — must serve all creatures in this world first."
Opportunities to serve come up in our daily lives all the time - whether it's preparing and serving food for needy families, raising money for children's education, or helping an elderly person carry their groceries. One such service opportunity offered every year by Sewa International is the Yuva for Sewa service internship program. Youth have a chance to spend their summer volunteering for different projects in India and the United States. Check out project and application details here.
Take care,
Tattva Team
Gov. Bentley, I may not be your brother, but you're mine, by Sai Kolluru
Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, “The world is one single family.” – Hitopadesha 1.3.71 Ekam Sat Vipraha Bahuda Vadanti, “Truth is one, sages say it differently.” –Rig Veda
Divine and Respected Governor Bentley of Alabama on the day of celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King had this to say, “…anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother and you’re not my sister.” When I first heard this, I was immediately reminded of the small speech I gave at the Interfaith Youth Core Leadership Institute conference in Washington, D.C. At this conference, I spoke of the two universal concepts practiced in Hinduism and insisted not on religious tolerance but religious celebration. Being one of the most secular and pluralistic societies in the world, it still surprises me to see people of great moral responsibility and power insist on viewing things only from their side. This ideology of “my faith is better than yours and since you’re not following what I follow, you are bound to go to hell” is still prevalent in the minds of many. In addition, fundamentalism in every religion continues to eclipse the idea that reason and experience make the belief in the divine power plausible. The issue here lies not in religion but in the lack of a sense of belonging. As soon as we start demarcating in the name of religion, we deprive ourselves of the sense of belonging that is held within idea of “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam”.
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Aum Mithraya Namah.
 This short phrase is the beginning of a rigorous and balanced exercise that is essentially the amalgamation of ten yoga postures, repeated in a cycle of thirteen repetitions.
Surya Namaskar, which literally translates to “Salutation to the Sun,” is more than just a cardio workout. With equal emphasis placed on balanced, even breathing and the mantras that proceed each set—each an alternate Sanskrit name for the sun—Surya Namaskar is truly a holistic exercise that strengthens the mind and body.
Anyone who has attended a Hindu Yuva activity would likely be familiar with Surya Namaskar, and so it would come as no surprise that Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, during the month of January, promoted its fifth annual Surya Namaskar Yagna (SNY), or Yogathon. From January 15th (Makar Sankranti) until January 30th, events like the opening Lehar to twenty-four-hour Surya Namaskar Marathon promoted the benefits of Surya Namaskar and yoga in general.
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Editorial on Hindu American Foundation’s “Take Back Yoga” campaign which has received attention in a recent New York Times article and coverage aired on CNN. The HAF press release can be found here: http://www.hafsite.org/media/pr/takeyogaback
Does it really matter? Is it important that the 15 million practitioners of Yoga in America and the millions more who have some interest in the subject acknowledge that Yoga has its origins in Hinduism? Even if it’s true, so what? We’re not really trying to convert anyone. Those 15 million people won’t suddenly become Hindus. And it’s not as if we want them to stop practicing it either. After all, Yoga was formed for the benefit of mankind, not for the benefit of those who call themselves Hindu. So if people are already doing something good by practicing Yoga and if we don’t really expect anything to change, then what’s the point? Why should we care?
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What I Do, by Debjit Dutta
 One of my favorite childhood dreams was to do research in a science lab in the US. I don’t remember when I first dreamt about this but surely it was before I actually started understanding what science is all about. Currently I am doing my graduate studies in the chemistry department of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill working towards a Ph.D. in chemistry. I started working under Prof. Muhammad Yousaf during the fall of 2007 and it has been a wonderful journey till date. Outside my time devoted to research I am also a volunteer for Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and try to devote time in coordinating and participating in different Sangh activities. My current responsibility is to coordinate the youth activities in the South East zone of USA ranging from the Carolinas to Florida. I enjoy interacting with people and spreading the awareness of Hindu Dharma in the society. Apart from that I am also a very adventurous person and love to do crazy things like rock climbing, hiking, parasailing, etc.
Forgotten Women of the Ramayan, by Aparna Garg Though Ramayan literally means “the path of Ram,” many of its messages are illustrated through the words and actions of other characters, particularly the women. When asked to name exemplary women from the Ramayan, most people would stop after Sita. However, in addition to Sita, there are several other characters who exemplified the principles of dharma. These women set examples for generations to come, and they serve as ideals for men and women of the 21st century.
Urmila
 Of all the women in the Ramayan, Urmila made one of the greatest silent sacrifices. She initially wanted to go with her husband Lakshman to the forest, but she realized that with her presence, Lakshman would not be able to completely fulfill his responsibilities towards Ram and Sita. So she instead stayed in Ayodhya and bore the pain of separation from her husband for 14 years; all the while, she took care of her mothers-in-law with love and affection. Lakshman asked Urmila not to shed a single tear when he left, so that he could carry in his heart the image of her face which would keep him inspired for 14 years
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Dhumavati is the eldest of all the goddesses, the grandmother who provides the ultimate lessons of birth and death. She is the opposite of revelation, obstructing the known to reveal the unknown. She is Shakthi, without Shiva, the energy without the will and thus represents all our latent energies that need to be identified. Dhumavati shows the feminine principle of negation in all of its aspects. On an outer level she represents poverty, destitution, and suffering, the great misfortunes that we all fear in life. Hence she is said to be crooked, troublesome, and quarrelsome – a witch or a hag. Yet on an inner level this same negativity causes us to seek a greater fulfillment than can be achieved in the limited realms of the manifest creation. After all, only frustration in our outer life causes us to seek the inner reality. Dhumavati is whatever obstructs us in life, but what obstructs us in one area can release a new potential to grow in a different direction. Therefore, she is the good fortune that comes to us in the form of misfortune. She represents time or the life-force dissociated from the process of manifestation. She is the timeless which never really enters into the process of time. Dhumavati is portrayed as a tall and thin old woman with disheveled and matted hair, a widow lacking all aspects of Mangala. She is fearful, unattractive and dark in complexion, with a wrinkled face, and her limbs are red. She has a harsh look in her eyes and she is missing a number of her teeth, which are otherwise large in size. Sometimes she is portrayed with fangs and her nose is long and snout-like. She is dressed in old or dirty clothes and her breasts hang down. She rides a chariot whose insignia is a crow. In her left hand she carries a winnowing basket and blesses with the other. She is the very void where every form has been dissolved and can no longer be differentiated, free from the duality of object and subject.
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निद्रा समये - Nidra Samaye (before going to bed)
रामस्कन्धं हनुमन्तम वैनतेयं वृकोदरं |
शयने यः स्मरेन्नित्यं दुःस्वप्नम् तस्य नश्यति ॥ ramaskandham hanumantam vainateyam vrkodaram
sayane yah smarennityam duh swapnam tasya nasyati
Sanskrit to English Word Meaning: ramaskandham- Rama’s loyal follower; hanumantam- Hanuman; vainateya- Garuda; vrkodaram- Bhima; sayana- sleep time; yah- this; smaren- chant; nityam- always; duh- bad; swapnam- dream; tasya- then; nasyati- detroyed
Translation: Meditating upon Hanuman, Garuda and Bhima before going to bed ensures a sleep without disturbing dreams. Brief Explanation: It is always good to have positive thoughts in one’s head before going to sleep. Lord Hanuman, Garuda and Bhima are symbolic of great courage, valour and strength; hence it advised to visualize and meditate upon them so that this drives away bad dreams.
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