By Malathy Krishnan (CHAKRA) Never being a religious person, though born into a house that revered gods; and married into a family that was orthodox, traditional and staunch believers of Vaishnavism… For many years, my life went on, with just a prayer or two before an exam and / or before an important occasion – […]
Beauty and the ‘Beast’ of Sufism
(CHAKRA) Sufism is contrasted with more intolerant strains of Islam, notably that advocating jihad, proscribing of dancing and music, intolerance towards the kuffar, and strict interpretation of sharia. Unlike the stern teachings found within Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia or the Shia strain in Iran , Sufi Islam holds a more mystical approach in which the […]
Sri Satya Sai Baba Message: Love all Serve All
Dearest Sai Brothers and Sisters, Sai Ram. Below is the text of a message that trickled in my inbox on an interview of Professor Anil Kumar, a long forty year old devotee of Swami and also His official interpreter of lectures whenever He delivered them after the passing away of Professor N. Kasturi. I have […]
Incense, the Important Indian Attribute that has Influenced the World
By Yogi Baba Prem Yogacharya, Veda Visharada (CHAKRA) Of all the eastern teachings, deities, terms such as ‘OM’ and philosophies that have emanated from India few people recognize the important role that incense has played in spirituality and health in India and the west. Of all the senses, the most powerful and primal is the […]
Sathya Sai Baba and Mother Teresa: Saint or Sinner?
By Ranbir Singh On the death of Sathya Sai Baba, Hindu holy man and spiritual guide for millions for worldwide, the coverage was almost wholly negative. Little was mentioned of his philanthropic activities such as providing fresh clean drinking water for thousands of poverty stricken villages in India , nor the state of the art […]
New Age practices, Yoga and Baba Ramdev
By Prashant Saxena Yoga Guru – Baba Ramdev The word yoga is derived from the root yuj, which means to unite or to join together. A man who seeks after this union is called a yogin or yogi. There are four manin division of yoga: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga. Panini, […]
The SAI Evolution: A Dharmic Odyssey
By Tina Sadhwani He is never born, and he never dies. He is in Eternity: he is for evermore. Never-born and eternal, beyond times gone or to come, he does not die when the body dies… When one sees this Eternity in things that pass away and Infinity in the finite things, then one has […]
Enlightenment for Sale! All credit cards accepted (except Hindu)
By Gia Kerensky The popular ‘New Age’ movement of this era is a vast network of individuals, groups, organizations, cults, foundations, etc. who expound and preach a watered-down patchwork of borrowed spiritual beliefs and rituals which present a dazzling array of luring theories and practices, yet somehow fail to capture the depth and intended essence […]
Sathya Sai Baba, the Divine Alchemist
By Tina Sadhwani Sathya Sai Baba represented in a portrait – Sai master of the universe It has been said that at every turning point and every great epoch of the earth’s existence there has often been one extraordinary being standing at the leading edge of light, unravelling the consciousness in which the transcendent descends […]
Hindu Spirituality Versus Monotheism
It is an intuition ingrained in the Hindu psyche to inhabit our entire environment – celestial, physical, vegetable, animal, and human – with innumerable Gods and Goddesses. Some of these divinities are installed in temples as icons, and worshipped with well-defined rituals. Some others are worshipped as and where they are invoked. Hindu shastras, saints […]