Baro maashe tero porbon is a Bengali saying meaning ‘twelve months and thirteen festivals.’ This indicates how many Hindu festivals there are within a year: from short ones lasting for one day to lengthy ones lasting for ten days, the variety is endless. When I worked in West Bengal, the major Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and […]
Author: omriseadmin
Yoga and Moral Rules: Some Thoughts on the Yamas
It is well-known that yoga has become immensely popular all over the world since the middle of the twentieth century. Yoga is perhaps one of the most successful cultural exports of India. It is also well known that many Western practitioners associate yoga mostly with postures (āsana) and breathing exercises (prāṇayāma). There are many varieties […]
Signs of Hope in the Present Crisis: Perspectives from Hinduism
The past months have shown how vulnerable human life can be. Many are faced with the harsh consequences of a lockdown due to the pandemic. This lockdown is not a local but a global phenomenon. Some countries are still hit hard, other countries seem to have the situation somewhat under control, for the time being. […]
Book Review: Ken jezelf: Het einde van je nepik
Gerrit Broekstra. 2020. Ken Jezelf: Het einde van je nepik (Know Yourself: The End of the fake I, Dutch translation of the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā) Leidschendam: Uitgeverij Quist. ISBN 978-94-91918-24-7. Pp. 448. Some classical Sanskrit texts can be translated dozens of times without losing their timeless relevance when a new translation appears. The best example is the […]
Mahālakṣmī-Stotra
Translated by Dr. Victor van Bijlert, Faculteit Religion and Theology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Praise of the great Goddess Lakṣmī. नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते । शंखचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ||१|| namaste’stu mahāmāye śrīpīṭhe surapūjite / śaṃkhacakragadāhaste mahālakṣmi namo’stu te /1// 1.You are the great creative magic power (māyā); salutation to You, Who are the seat of […]
Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad 1 – 7
This Upaniṣad is a meditation on the sacred word ‘Om’ and its significance in relation to one’s own Self. How do we discover within ourselves the higher Self? This is what this brief but very important Upaniṣad clarifies. ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद् भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव यच्चान्यत् त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ॥ १॥ oṃ ityetadakṣaramidaṃ […]
Looking beyond daily reality
This Upaniṣad invites us to look beyond our daily reality as revealed by our senses and our mind. Our real truth lies beyond speech and imagination. But this truth is what connects us to the rest of the cosmos. Kena Upaniṣad I: 1-5 केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः । केनेषितां वाचमिमां […]
Bhagavadgītā and Leadership
Śri Kṛṣṇa teaches His disciple Arjuna true spiritual leadership ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते । आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥ ५-२२॥ Bhagavadgītā V: 22 The enjoyments that stem from [the sensory] contacts [with objects] are the birthplace of suffering: such [enjoyments] begin and then they end, Son of Kunti! The one […]
Navarātri, Spring 2020
Many Hindus celebrate the nine nights dedicated to the Goddess Durgā twice a year; in spring and autumn. In the east of India, it is mainly only the autumn celebration that is very important. Surinamese and Dutch Hindus also worship the Goddess during the nine nights (Navarātri) in spring. For some people, spring Navarātri is […]
Kaṭha Upaniṣad
न जायते म्रियते वा विपश्चिन् , नायं कुतश्चिन्न बभूव कश्चित् । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो, न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥ १८॥[1] हन्ता चेन्मन्यते हन्तु हतश्चेन्मन्यते हतम् । उभौ तौ न विजानीतो नायं हन्ति न हन्यते ॥ १९॥[2] अणोरणीयान्महतो महीया – नात्माऽस्य जन्तोर्निहितो गुहायाम् । तमक्रतुः पश्यति वीतशोको, धातुप्रसादान्महिमानमात्मनः ॥ २०॥[3] Kaṭha Upaniśad Chapter 1 Valli […]
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