Category Archives: Ancient Hindus

Do You Have Any Plans For Your Rebirth or Reincarnation?

by Jayaram V For a non-believer this is but one life, but for a believer of Hinduism, this is one of the many. This may be the final one for a self-realized yogi, or the seed for another for those in whom desires are not yet cremated in the fire of renunciation. This discussion is not about what you want to achieve in this life. It is what you want to do in your next life, or how you want to shape it. If you believe in rebirth, planning for your next life is as important as planning for your Read more [...]

The Importance of the 10th Chapter of the Bhagavadgita, Day 38

by Jayaram VNotes: I have translated the Bhagavadgita twice. The first one was a loose translation. The second one was a word to word translation with a detailed commentary. The commentary is however different from what you will find here. In this section I will share with you my thoughts about the knowledge, philosophy and wisdom of the Bhagavadgita as I understand it from my perspective. Jayaram V  The Bhagavadgita has 18 chapters. Of them some are considered more important than others. One chapter Read more [...]

Kaivalya, the State of Aloneness

by Jayaram VSo long as there is a limitation, deficiency or imperfection, that far one should serve the teacher. Kaivalya Upanishad, From the Selected Upanishads by Jayaram VWhen the self-restrained ascetic attains the state of mental inertia then only he reaches that highest state. Wherever the mind of the self-restrained ascetic rests that alone is the highest state. Kaivalya Upanishad, From the Selected Upanishads by Jayaram VFor a spiritual person who knows the nature of pure Self, knowledge Read more [...]

Hinduism And The Evolution of Life And Consciousness

by Jayaram VThe evolution of life in Hinduism through the transformative and diversification process of Prakriti is not only about the evolution of the physical body, but also the evolution of the mind, ego, and intelligence in which desire and dynamism are the first manifestations, bondage and delusion, the intermediary, and liberation, the final. Jayaram VHinduism believes in the concept of evolution of life on earth. Although it is not the same as the one known to modern science, in many ways Read more [...]

Symbolism of Ganga As the Purifier and Liberator

by Jayaram VNote: This is next in series to the Symbolism of the Descent of Ganga (Gangavataran) in which I have explained the deeper symbolism hidden in the descent of the River Ganga from the highest heaven and its manifestation upon earth. Here I have explained the importance of the river as a purifier and liberator. I may keep improving this essay as the knowledge of the Ganga flows into my mind. Jayaram VThose who are familiar with the beliefs and practices of Hinduism know that the River Ganga Read more [...]

The Hindu Story of Creation: Which One?

Host Morgan Freeman searches for the stories of creation as part of his understanding of God and spiritual practices from various religions around the world, in the upcoming episode of “The Story of God,” airing Sunday, April 24 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, on the National Geographic Channel. His guide in India, scholar Binda Paranjpe, explains something that most people don’t realize: Hindus don’t have a single story of creation… There is no single scripture that starts with “In the Beginning,” Read more [...]

Are We A Hindu Rashtra?

Are We A Hindu Rashtra? By Samuel Dhar 16 April, 2016Countercurrents.org Hinduism is not a religion. For that matter neither are Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkhism and so on. These are all COMMUNITIES. Literal meaning of the Word, 'Hindu', coined by the Persians of the 7th century, is ‘universal’. By this definition, most of us who firmly believe in one Universal Read more [...]

Does unique geology make Hindu sacred sites marvellous?

By Pallava Bagla NEW DELHI: What makes the Kailash Parbat, the Ram Setu and the Kedarnath temple such hallowed places? Scientists, believe it is the unique geological locations where they are situated that makes them stunning and worthy of veneration. Kailash Parbat made of shale rocks resembles a Shiva Lingam; Ram Setu connects India to Sri Lanka and visible from space is a unique set of coral islands; while Kedarnath temple that withstood the 2013 flash floods sits on an unstable glacial moraine, Read more [...]

Mahakala statue discovered in Boyolali

Officers from the Cultural Heritage Preservation Center (BPCB) discovered on Thursday a Mahakala statue and the foundation of a building at a temple excavation site in Gunung Wijil, Giriroto village, Ngemplak district, Boyolali, Central Java. The statue, suspected to be a relic of the Hindu Shiva era of the 9th century, was found just 30 centimeters under the ground’s surface. The discovery is not far from the location where a Nandeswara statue was discovered at the end of March. “We suspect Read more [...]

The Shramana Tradition Predates The Vedas

Rahul Gandhi’s demand and the cabinet’s decision to declare Jains a national minority is a welcome but overdue decision. It rectifies an inexplicable omission since a community based on a unique faith comprising less than 0.5 per cent of the population was nationally not recognised as a religious minority! Apart from the general apathy of successive governments and the absence of a persistent demand by the Jain community, the main reason was the 2005 decision of the apex court in Bal Patil vs Read more [...]