An orange flag with the traditional Indian swastika on top of ancient Hindu temples in the Himalayas. (Shutterstock) The swastika, an ancient and innocent symbol in many cultures for hundreds of years, now represents racial hatred. By Dr. James M. Skidmore / 08.31.2017 Director, Waterloo Centre for German Studies University of Waterloo The images from Charlottesville, Va., of white supremacists marching with Nazi[…]
The Susruta-Samhita or Sahottara-Tantra (A Treatise on Ayurvedic Medicine) / Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons Specialization in certain diseases or practices was prevalent and the physicians enjoyed a high status and respect in the society. By Dr. B. Rama Rao Abstract It appears that from medieval period onwards the subjects having practical[…]
The Hindu god Ganesha. Anant Nath Sharma, CC BY-NC-ND Offering food to deities in Hinduism has deep religious significance. And most Hindu deities are not served meat. By Dr. Jeffery D. Long / 09.19.2017 Professor of Religion and Asian Studies Elizabethtown College Animal sacrifice and Hinduism Vegetarianism is an important part of Hindu religious worship. To be sure, not all Hindus practice vegetarianism. According[…]
Shore Temple, Mamallapuram, India (photo: KenWalker, CC-BY-SA-3.0) By Dr. Anisha Saxena / 04.24.2018 Consultant for Northern California on the South Asian Diaspora Project Syracuse University Seashore as canvas The Bay of Bengal (map: NormanEinstein, CC BY-SA 3.0) Along the shores of one of the largest bays in the world, the Bay of Bengal, stands a temple complex that[…]
Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, Tamil Naidu, India (photo: Jorge Royan, CC BY-SA 3.0) By Edward Fosmire / 04.03.2018 Assistant Professor of Art Santa Ana College Imagine approaching a temple complex where you are greeted by a soaring gateway more than fifteen stories tall, covered in 1500 brightly painted sculptures of divine and demonic figures. It’s overwhelming and[…]
Mahesh Yogi (seated in front) gained a following in the United States with musicians and artists, including members of The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Ben Merk (ANEFO) (GaHetNa (Nationaal Archief NL), via Wikimedia Commons By Dr. Vasudha Narayanan / 02.02.2018 Distinguished Professor of Religion University of Florida This week marks the death anniversary of Mahesh Yogi,[…]
MS Sanskrit gamma 194 / Wellcome Library Description Sanskrit is the oldest language known to man. It is considered to be the very origin of language itself; that from which all languages have arisen or evolved. The Vedas, the universally accepted first scriptures of humanity, were written in the Sanskrit language. There is also a deeply[…]
Wikimedia Commons Hindū Dharma or Hinduism (Sanskrit: हिन्दू धर्म, is often referred by its practitioners as Sanātana Dharma, सनातन धर्म; Vaidika Dharma, वैदिक धर्म; or Vedic Tradition) is the spiritual, philosophical, scientific and cultural system that originated in Bharatavarsha (the Indian subcontinent), that is based on the Vedas, and it is the oldest of all living religious traditions still practiced today. A Hindu, as per[…]
Wikimedia Commons Hinduism (Sanskrit: Hindū Dharma — हिन्दू धर्म, also known as Sanātana Dharma, सनातन धर्म and Vaidika Dharma, वैदिक धर्म) is a religion originating in bharatavarsha (the Indian subcontinent), based on the Vedas. Modern Hinduism evolved from the ancient vaidika paramparā (Vedic tradition). Brief Overview Hinduism is mankind’s oldest spiritual declaration, the very fountainhead of faith on the planet. It emphasizes dharma (the right way of living) rather[…]
Samadhi Mandir of Srila Prabhupada (back side) at ISKCON, Mayapur, West Bengal, India / Photo by Joydeep, Wikimedia Commons By Dr. John Fahy Junior Research Fellow Woolf Institute University of Cambridge DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14318/hau7.2.030 Abstract Since the early 1970s, the small town of Mayapur in West Bengal has been home to a multinational Gaudiya Vaishnava community of[…]
Holy Men attending the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela in Nashik, India. Photo by David Baxendale/Flickr By Ariel Sophia Bardi / 10.24.2017 ‘Hindutva,’ explained Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923, is ‘not a word, but a history.’ It was introduced in a lengthy pamphlet, Essentials of Hindutva, which Savarkar wrote on the walls of his prison cell, and re-published[…]
A sister tying the protective thread. Vikram Verma By Dr. Matthew Schmalz / 08.07.2017 Associate Professor of Religion College of the Holy Cross This year, Monday, August 7 marks one of the most important celebrations for Hindus throughout the world: Rakshabandhan, a ceremony honoring the bond between sisters and brothers. The date of Rakshabandan varies from year to[…]