Spirituality/Culture

WASHINGTON: The White House has wholeheartedly embraced Yoga as a worthy physical activity at a time some schools in America are railing against the ancient Indian practice, saying it promotes Hinduism. The White House announced last week that President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will include a ‘yoga garden’ for children and their [...]

Holi – the festival of colors – is undoubtedly the most fun-filled and boisterous of Hindu festival. It’s an occasion that brings in unadulterated joy and mirth, fun and play, music and dance, and, of course, lots of bright colors! Happy Days Are Here Again! With winter neatly tucked up in the attic, it’s time [...]

The Devi is twofold in her aspect as Saguna or Nirguna, with or without qualities. The Goddess, as Supreme Absolute Brahman, can be expressed with form and attributes in the manifest realm (Saguna) or without form in the unmanifest (Nirguna). Saguna Devi, we could say, is Prakriti or Lakshmi, while Kali is Nirguna Devi.  Since [...]

As the great power of time, Kali’s Shakti creates the different Yugas or world ages that humanity passes through during the long cycles of cosmic evolution. Kali is the Goddess of eternity watching over all our temporal changes and facilitating those which promote our inner growth. More specifically, Kali is the Yuga Shakti or the [...]

Every 12 years Hindu pilgrims gather at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in northern India to bathe in the sacred waters. The gathering, known as the Kumbh Mela, is the world’s largest religious festival, drawing millions of people over 55 days, and culminating this year with the Shivaratri Snan bathing day on [...]

When we look at a painting or sculpture in Western society, we don’t expect it to look back, unless we happen to be in a Scooby Doo episode — jinkies! — or walking back and forth in front of one of those paintings with “creepy eyes” that seem to follow you anywhere in the room, [...]

Sanskrit – A day of teaching Sanskrit at St James School, London More on St James School london [...]

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s amazing tour through Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Machu Picchu and Paraguay thousands come to meet and meditate with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – September 2012. Over 150 000 people in Buenos Aires and over 100 cities world wide joined Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a mass meditation. The “Planet Meditates” event was [...]

It is that time of the year where Hindus start preparations for celebrating Navaratri, the joyous festival of nine nights, which is dedicated to the Divine Mother Durga. Virtually every Hindu community in the world celebrates Navaratri. The major story associated with Navaratri is the battle between the great Goddess Durga and the demon Mahishasura, [...]

Sri Ramakrishna was one day taunted by a sceptic that the Kali he worshipped at Dakshineshwar was only a slab of black stone carved into a bizarre female figure and decked with glittering trinkets. The saint was taken aback. So far he had not cared to see the sacred icon in its supreme spiritual splendour. [...]