Ramayana: Victory of Virtue Over Vice

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and an important part of the Hindu canon. The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos and tells the story of Rama, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravan. Like its epic cousin Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just an ordinary story. It contains the teachings of the very ancient Hindu sages and presents them through allegory in narrative and the interspersion of the philosophical and the devotional.... Read more »

Bhagavad-Gita: The Song of God

The Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God, is a conversation from the Mahabharata, comprising of 700 verses and 18 chapters. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanisads, The Gitopanishad. Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as Bhagavan, or The Supreme Personality of Godhead. The verses themselves are written in a poetic form that is traditionally chanted; hence the title, which translates as “the Song of God”. The Bhagavad Gita... Read more »

Srimad Bhagavatam: The Activities of The Ten Incarnations

The Srimad Bhagavatam, or the Bhagavad Puran, is considered the main Puranic text of Vedic literature. Its main focus is on the process of bhakti yoga (loving devotion to the Supreme Lord) in which Krishna is understood as bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brief Scientific Overview: Known as ‘the ripe fruit of the Vedic literatures’, Srimad-Bhagavatam is the most complete and authoritative conclusion of Vedic knowledge. It covers vast subject matters from the nature of the... Read more »

Chaitanya Charitamrita: The Biography Of The Golden Avatar

The Chaitanya Charitamrita is one of the three main biographies detailing the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Krishna as a devotee, and revivor of the Gaudiya Vaishnava culture. It was composed by Srila Krishna Das Kaviraja Goswami (1496), in Bengali language, but also includes some Sanskrit verses within the composition. Twining together with the pastimes of Mahaprabhu’s life are deep philosophical teachings detailing the process of Bhakti Yoga, with focus given to... Read more »

Bhagavat Gita And The Philosophy of Reincarnation

Millions of people all over the world are finally taking interest in the Bhagavat Gita. In this article, we shall take a closer look at the recent, enlivened edition titled “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” with commentaries and translations by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Text 23 Nainam chindanti sastrani nainam dahati pavakah Na caiman kledayanty apo na sosayati marutah. Translation: The soul can never be cut to pieces... Read more »

“What Is Reincarnation?” A Hindu Perspective

Reincarnation is the belief that when one dies, one’s body decomposes, but the soul travels to another body. It is a belief that one has lived before and will live again in another body after death. The bodies one passes through need not be human. One may have been a Doberman (dog of German origin) in a past life, and may probably be a little rat in a future life. From a philosophical point of view, what is it that reincarnates? Presumably, it is the Soul. As per Hinduism, a lifespan on earth... Read more »

Hinduism, Karma and the Law of Attraction

The law of attraction has been around for centuries, however, only recently has it come into the eye oif the world through the book and DVD ‘The Secret’. Once known only ny successful business men and women of our time, and times before us, the law of attraction has become a wide-spread phenomenon, allowing just about anyone to benefit from the vast powers of the universe. The secret law of attraction works by you believing in something so strongly that it manifests itself into reality.... Read more »

Meditation: The Power Of Doing Nothing

Meditation is not well understood. If it were, it would be practiced with the same regularity with which people take care of the other elements of their lives. In this brief article, I hope to explain the value of this Eastern idea of doing nothing as a way to experience inner depth and wisdom. The inner person has often been called the soul. This is like a seed. This seed carries the power of life. It also has potentiality that is not known. Sometimes we glimpse this potentiality in those who... Read more »

Diwali At Governor’s Mansion in Utah, Arizona

Saturday evening Vaibhavi and I attended the second annual Diwali celebration and dinner (vegetarian) in the Governor’s mansion. This year Dinesh was present with Kalpana, Governor Jon Huntsman and First Lady Mary Kaye (radiant in a sari), Congressman Chris Cannon, and Scott Anderson (CEO of Zion’s Bank). Others present were Lalit and Bobby Kumar, Bhaskar and Sanchaita, Jagdish Gil, Jayaraman and Rukmini, Joe and Panna Goff, Srinivasan, Sneha Kasera, Jaya Prakash and Satya, Ranjan and... Read more »

Need to Revive Preaching in the UK

Two recent articles posted on Dandavats, “Tory Leader to visit Hindu temple” and “20,000 to celebrate Diwali in a blaze of lights,” highlight the urgent need for a revival of preaching. The United Kingdom, especially London, needs innovative methods in preaching to the masses. I appreciate the effort of the present leadership, and their intentions are commendable. Many Hindus are taking to Krsna consciousness, and this is great. However, there is a misconception that politicians... Read more »