Ever since human beings had conscious awareness of themselves, they have wondered what purpose brought them into being. Why does life exist? What is the meaning of our lives? What are we in existence to accomplish? There have been many potential answers ranging from 42 to it’s all random and consciousness is just a development of nature. Perhaps our purpose is to procreate and pass on our genes/assure the survival of our species Perhaps our purpose is to praise and... Read more
The baraat is the procession of the groom and his family to the wedding. Often it includes riding an elephant or a white horse, being surrounded by people dancing and singing, instruments playing, to be met at the ceremony location by the bride’s mother with a thali to greet him. I had not planned to do this aspect of a Hindu wedding ceremony, yet I keep on getting questions about it! It seems like everyone really wants to do this.... Read more
Sri Ramakrishna is a well known teacher from the 1800s who is often referred to as a Hindu saint. It is said that he helped start a renaissance in Hinduism. Background Born Vaishnava in 1836, he was spiritual from the time he was a child and was more interested in spiritual pursuits than a “bread winning education.” He had many periods of feeling universal consciousness and getting lost in that feeling (samadhi). As a young man he began working as... Read more
I spent the past week at one of my favorite places, a small beach in South Carolina called Garden City. It’s a place where my father’s family used to gather every summer to share a house and enjoy the water. The tradition fell off in recent years and it became clear to me that it was up to me to revive it. I have always loved the family beach trip. I swim long hours just jumping in the waves of... Read more
I love saris. There’s no piece of clothing more elegant or noble-feeling in my opinion! Sometimes people see them as too fiddly for every day wear, but when I went to India, I saw women wearing them for any kind of task from carrying cement at a construction site to washing floors at the mall to guarding the security of a temple dedication. I’ve found that I can easily wear them for every day and they make me feel more... Read more
My father always told me not to ever act from a place of fear. I can see why. Fear clouds our judgment and obscures the truth of a situation. There’s a lot about media that tries to encourage fear and I find it a miserable way to live! One place that I see a lot of fear is about Hinduism being lost. And it’s a fear that I can totally understand! Many other religions believe in proselytizing and some will go... Read more
There is a tradition in some Hindu cultures to wear the “chura” bangles from the day of the wedding for some amount of time after. Some communities wear them for a month after the wedding, others for four months, and still others for a full year. Wearing these sets of bangles (usually ivory and maroon) mark a woman as newlywed. My cousin participated in this tradition, wearing her chura for a year after her wedding. Here is a post I discovered written... Read more
Agni is a very old God and one that was heavily featured in the Vedas. By the time of the Upanishads, his importance had lessened considerably. His name is synonymous with fire and the frequent use of sacrifices into fire in Hindu ritual all connect to him. Agni is the first word of the first prayer of the first Veda. He is said to be a messenger between humans and Gods. While some Gods are distant and in the realm of the subtle... Read more
I’ve noticed that how I dress has a strong correlation with my mood. Have you ever noticed this in yourself? Maybe it’s a girl thing, because we have so many options of things to wear. Each outfit I put on is a costume of sorts. It transforms how I feel and behave. On different days and different moods, different outfits feel right. On any given day I could be any one of these characters… ... Read more
Bravo has a new TV show that is exactly the sort of thing I love to watch! It’s a reality show where four couples are followed through their first year of marriage. Not only is that exactly the sort of thing I watch, but there’s even an Indian woman in one of the couples. Her name is Tina and she’s a pop singer. You can watch the first episode here: http://www.hulu.com/watch/486883 It’s great to see the clips from their wedding. She’s... Read more
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