Ramana Maharshi is a very well known Indian guru of the Advaita Vedanata philosophy. He died in 1950 but his quotes and books of his teachings continue to influence people today. (His birth name was Venkataraman Iyer and he is also sometimes called Ramanasramam). Background It is said that he became self-realized/enlightened by self-reflection (incited by ruminating on his father’s death) and did not seek to go out and teach. Rather, students slowly began to flock to him because of... Read more
As we know, Ganesha is one of the most beloved of Gods and seems to reside in every Hindu home regardless of sect or region and it’s his birthday today! The festival of Ganesh Ghaturthi stretches over ten or eleven days starting today. Different sites are giving different dates for the final day, Ananta Chaturdasi, so it is either September 18th or 19th. However, preparations have already been under way for weeks. People are busy creating new Ganesha statues from clay and... Read more
August was a lot of fun with interesting discussion on a number of posts. This community is best when it’s talking, so I love to see people engaging and wondering and explaining from their own perspectives. 1) Happy Birthday, Krishna. I posted a short guide to the Hindu holiday of Krishna Janmashtami and it seems like everyone really enjoyed that one. It’s gotten more hits than any other post on my blog ever and it’s only been up since the... Read more
I’ve been perusing through Yahoo answers and it seems like every page or so someone is asking “What do Hindus believe?” Quite an enormous question! I tried to find a post of mine to direct the questioners to, but found nothing. It seems I have not done a broad overview post for those entirely unfamiliar with Hinduism. So here it is: the big overview… What is Hinduism and What Do Hindus Believe First of all, Hinduism is a word that... Read more
Today I want to talk about this article I saw on Twitter over the weekend: India and A Blonde Tourist. Lately there have been some scary articles about how dangerous it is to be a female tourist in India. This article is a wonderful counterpoint to that, speaking for the many female tourists who have a wonderful and safe time in India. She makes some wonderful points, including that in many cases the expectation you have going in is going... Read more
Swami Sukhabodhananda is a modern-day guru who follows a model closer to a motivational corporate speaker than a traditional guru. He addresses businesses and conferences to speak on Hindu philosophy. Background As a young man he was a student of Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, which is an organization I have been part of and liked a lot. He was born in Bangalore to a Kannada-speaking family in 1955. Teaching He gives the message of the Gita and other Hindu... Read more
Brad and I had a great, though brief, trip to Massachusetts for our Vedic wedding ceremony. (See the previous post for details of our larger intercultural ceremony) It started with a wonderful airport experience. We flew JetBlue and I think that was my first time with them, but it was very nice. I can see why they are known for customer service. Even making the announcements they used as an opportunity to be cheeky and just…human. Plus they gave us... Read more
Place: Indian Clothing Store Time: Noon on Sunday Me: We need to get a sherwani for my husband. We got married last weekend, but we’re having another ceremony in my parents’ mandir and we need an appropriate outfit for him. Saleswoman: Sure, sure. [While Brad is trying on clothes] Saleswoman: Your chura are nice. Me: Thank you. Saleswoman: So you got married in Hindu ceremony? Me: Yes. Well, it was kind of interfaith. Half Hindu and half western. That’s why... Read more
Love is something that I have a shaky understanding of. My parents are practical, grounded scientists and I don’t recall talking much about love. Not as a child. Though by the time I was a teenager, I was getting some intense messages about it from the culture around me. No, I don’t mean American popular culture. I mean the spiritual organization I grew up in. In the general American culture it seems that the way people understand love is that... Read more
Now that I’m a married lady, I’ve been putting sindoor in the part of my hair. Why? Mostly because it is tradition. Where in the west there is just the wedding ring to tell you someone is married, in Hinduism there are a number of elements and different ones or combinations used in different regions and communities: toe rings, a particular bangle, the mangalasutra necklace, nose ring, red bindi, and sindoor in the part of the hair. (For men there... Read more
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