Samvad संवाद

S H R I V I S H W A N I K E T A N
Kartik Shukla 8, Vik.Samvat 2075, Yugabda 5120: 16 November 2018

1. FESTIVALS: Diwali
Diwali , the festival of lights was celebrated with all
the fervor and gaiety not only across Bharat but
across the globe wherever Bharatiyas reside.
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi reached Harsil
near the Bharat-China border in Uttarakhand to
celebrate Diwali with Army and ITBP personnel on

November 7. Greeting the jawans on the occa-

sion, Pradhan Mantri ji said their devotion to
duty in the remote icy heights, is enabling the
strength of the nation, and securing the future
and the dreams of 125 crore Bharatiyas. In the morning, Pradhan Mantriji offered prayers at Kedar-
nath temple before closure of its portal.
Swarna Mandir at Amritsar celebrated Diwali with fireworks and an LED light show as Bandi

Chhor Diwas or prisoner liberation day. On this day, the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind, returned to
Amritsar after being released along with 52 princes from imprisonment by the Mughal emperor Ja-
hangir from the Gwalior prison in 1619.
 P a g e 2 S a m v a d सं वा द

….Diwali
The Ayodhya Deepotsav 2018 made its the light gave the power to fight injustice in
way into the Guinness Book of World Record the society. “There is slogan in South Korea
after 301,152 diyas, or earthen lamps, were that light leads to prosperity and on the eve

lit on November 6, the eve of Diwali, at ‘Ram of the festival of light your faces are aglow
Ki Paidi’ on the banks of River Sarayu. A with happiness which is a sign of a prosper-
massive 30-feet statue of Bhagwan Ram was ous nation,” she added.
also installed on the banks of Saryu on the
occasion. South Korean First Lady Kim Jung US President Donald Trump lit a tradi-
-sook, who was the chief guest at the event, tional Diwali lamp in the Roosevelt Room at
began her tour by offering tribute at the White House on November 13, calling Bhara-
Queen Heo Memorial. Kim visited the site, tiays ‘very, very special people’.
along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Adityanath, and attended a ground-breaking
ceremony for upgrade and beautification of
the memorial dedicated to the legendary
princess of Ayodhya who went to Korea.
Later, Kim garlanded ‘Sita’ and Uttar
Pradesh Governor Ram Naik and Adityanath
welcomed Bhagwan Ram and Laxman by
garlanding them as they descended from the
helicopter at the banks of Saryu. Dressed in a
pastle green saree, the First Lady said that
P a g e 3 S a m v a d
…. DIWALI
In Victoria province of Canada, Premier
John Horgan lit a diya at the legislature hall.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Sena-
tor John Cornyn, who is co-chair of the Senate
India Caucus, also wished Bharatiyas a happy
Diwali. Prime Minister of St. Kitts and
Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris wished Bharati-
yas a ‘Happy Diwali’.
The 1,250 ft high iconic Empire State
Building in New York City, one of the tall-
est in the world was lit orange in celebration of
Diwali. The United Nations Postal System is-
sued stamps in the $1.15 denomination with
'Diyas' to mark the celebration of Diwali.
2. THE PRINCESS FROM AYODHYA WHO BECAME THE
QUEEN OF KOREA
The legend of Princess
Suriratna continues to con-
nect Bharat and Korea af-
ter two millennia; cultural
unity transcends the geo-
graphical distance. Accord-
ing to the legend, Princess
Suriratna, also known as
Heo Hwang-ok, went to
Korea in 48 AD, some
2000 years ago, and started the Karak dynasty
by marrying a local king. A popular South Ko-
rean book comprising fables and historical sto-
ries, Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three
Kingdoms), mentions that Queen Hwang ok
was the princess of "Ayuta" kingdom.
सं वा द
Diwali was celebrated in a joyful fashion at
Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in New
Zealand by Bharatiya students and staff, in-
cluding several international students.
Thousands of revelers poured into Artesia
Park on November 3 to attend the annual
‘Diwali Festival,’ hosted by the Federation of
Indian American Associations and the City
of Artesia in California. Congressman Luis
Correa, who was among the dignitaries pre-
sent at the event, wished everyone present a
“Happy Diwali,” adding that he was looking
forward to working with the Bharatiya
American community. Thousands cele-
brated it at Balboa Park, San Diego, Califor-
nia and Sugarland Texas.
The royal couple prospered. They
had 10 sons. An anthropologist
named Kim Byung-mo Ayuta ap-
peared to confirm the widely held
belief that Ayuta was actually
Ayodhya, as the two names are
phonetically similar. Every year
people who claim to be from the
queen's lineage come to Ayodhya
to pay tribute to the princess at
her motherland. In 2016, a Korean delegation
sent a proposal to the Uttar Pradesh govern-
ment to further develop the memorial. Queen
Suriratna's story has been and can be the
"foundation for building better relations" be-
tween South Korea and Bharat.
P a g e 4 S a m v a d
3. GIANT ‘DIYA’ USHERS IN DIWALI IN GUYANA
Diwali, was ushered in on November 4 night at
Rahaman’s Park, Greater Georgetown, with
the illumination of a giant diya created by the
4. CITIZEN GROUPS MUST HOLD NETAS ACCOUNTABLE –
DR MOHAN BHAGWAT
RSS Sarasanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat
said that people's organizations have a role to
play in holding accountable those in power
and should not become subservient to author-
ity. Speaking at an event in New Delhi on No-
vember 10, organized to commemorate vet-
eran RSS pracharak Dattopant Thengadi,
founder of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bhag-
wat said the governing system has to work as
per the Constitution and vigilant citizens led
by "Lok Sangathan" (people's organizations)
will have to ensure it. Bhagwat said there
could be individuals in power who want to
bring about change but were bogged down by
flaws in the system. "Changing the system will
सं वा द
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh-Hindus for
Selfless Service (HSS).The diya is touted as
the country’s National Diya and this is the
fourth National Diya created by the HSS.
Along with the creation of the diya, there
was a cultural evening of dances, skits and
music to portray the significance of the na-
tional holiday. There is an ‘Om’ at the top of
the structure, which represents Hinduism.
Youths of the HSS spent about three weeks,
sometimes working until 1 0’clock in the
mornings to get the design perfected.
Bharat’s High Commissioner to Guyana
Venkatachalam Mahalingam said, “The
most important significance of Diwali is the
spirit of togetherness.”
come from awakening people and strengthen-
ing people's organization and from such peo-
ple who shun power...this is what Dattopant
Thengadi believed in," he said. Speaking
about the life of Thengadi, Bhagwat said that
everyone should follow his life. "We have to
see his (Thengadi) life as per his ideology. We
also have to see what emotions he filled in the
organizations.
 P a g e 5 S a m v a d सं वा द

5. HSS VIJAYADASHMI UTSAV IN KENYA

A march past consisting of 125 participants in-
cluding the band commenced at Ram Mandir in
Parklands and en route Jamhuri High School on
October 28 and passed various important reli-
gious landmarks like East Africa Satsang Tem-
ple, Jain Shwetamber Munisuvratswami Tem-
ple, Shree Vishwakarma Mandir, Mangal
Mandir and Shri Digamber Jain Mumukshu
Temple etc. Demonstrations of Yoga, Martial

highlights at the Vijayadashmi Utsav organized

Arts & Dumbells (Women’s Wing – mixed age
groups), Yoga by BalGokulam (3 – 6 year old
children) and Surya Namaskar by all were the
by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh – Kenya at Jam-
huri High School, Nairobi. Chief Guest, Shri
Sathyamoorthy Rajagopalan addressed the
gathering with appreciation and touched on the
importance and meaning of Vijaya Dashmi.

6. YOU ARE BHARAT'S CULTURAL AMBASSADORS:

VENKAIAH NAIDU
Upa-rashtrapati M. Venkaiah Naidu interacted
with the Bharatiya community in Botswana's Ga-
borone town on 1st November and called them
"Bharat's cultural ambassadors.""You have ven-
tured out into the global arena and made a mark.
I would suggest that you should also look at how
you can contribute to the exciting growth story
unfolding in India today," Upa-rashtrapati ji
said."You are India's cultural ambassadors and
the world sees you as the representatives of In-
dian values and way of life," he added.
 P a g e 6 S a m v a d
7. HSS BALAGOKULAM, JAPAN
Balagokulam supported by Hindu Swayamsevak
Sangh HSS Japan organized its 3rd annual
marathon in Tokyo on November 3. 90 runners
participated in it, beginning from the age group
of 4. Winners of all age categories were given
gold, silver and bronze medals. Participatory
medals and Balagokulam certificates were given
to all children who took part in the marathon.
There was around 20 percent increase in the
number of participants this year compare to last
year’s event.
8. SANTS DEMAND ORDINANCE FOR MANDIR
The Ram temple movement gathered further
momentum with 3,000 seers, including Baba
Ramdev, Jaggi Vasudev, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar,
passing a resolution asking the Government to
either bring an Ordinance or enact a law for the
construction of the temple in Ayodhya. The
resolution also said that five lakh Ram Bhakts
will gather at a ‘Dharma Sabha’ in Delhi on De-
cember 9 to put pressure on the Government
for building the Ram temple. Several top BJP
leaders, including Yogi Adityanath, Uma Bharti
and Giriraj Singh, also called for construction
of the temple without any waste of time. The
demand for a law for construction of the Ram
temple has intensified after the Supreme Court
सं वा द
refused to entertain plea for speedy hearing of
the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dis-
pute case. The resolution was passed at two-day
seers’ sammelan ‘Dharmadesh’ organized by
the Hindu seers and sants at the Talkatora Sta-
dium on 3-4 November. Seers and sants who
spoke on the occasion also criticized the Su-
preme Court for deferring the hearing on
Ayodhya issue for January 2019. As per resolu-
tion, a large number of seers and sants will
gather in Ayodhya, Nagpur and Bengaluru on
November 25 to press their demand of Ram
temple. After that, similar gathering by seers
will be held in at least 500 districts across the
country. Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar denounced the Supreme Court’s inter-
vention as an option in order to build the Ram
temple at the dispute site in Ayodhya, citing
continued talks between the primary players
should be of prime importance. In his valedic-
tory speech, Jagadguru Ramanandacharya
Hansacharya narrated the “Dharmadesh” to the
Government. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath also advised people to “light a diya
in the name of Bhgwan Shree Ram.
P a g e 7 S a m v a d सं वा द

9. RSS WILL FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND

WATER CONSERVATION
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has de-
cided to focus on environment protection and
water conservation in near future. The Sangh’s
Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal meeting
was held from October 31 – November 2 began
at Keshav Srushti at Uttan near Mumbai. Sar-
sanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat and Sarkary-
awah Suresh ‘Bhaiyaji’ Joshi garlanded the
images of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and
Bharat Mata at the beginning of the meeting.
RSS Sah Sarkaryawah Manmohan Vaidya Ladakh to Andaman and Tripura. Sangh
briefed the reporters after the meeting started. work is spread across 850 districts and
He said that the Sangh has undertaken several 6,000 talukas. Sangh shakhas are running
initiatives since 2010 to expand its horizon. regularly at 90 percent blocks. In last three
years, there is 5 percent increase in the work
in number of mandals and 3 percent in the
shakhas. In all, around 31,000 villages have
shakhas.
At present, Sangh is running 1.5 lakh social
projects. Sangh has started an activity for
protection of Bharatiya cows, cow oriented
farming and health care on the basis of cow
products. Vaidya informed that rural devel-
opment activities are going on since 1998.
Today, there are around 55,000 shakhas from Their effect is visible in 600 villages.

10. RAM TEMPLE IS A MATTER OF SENTIMENTS OF CRORES

OF HINDUS - BHAIYAJI JOSHI
“The issue of Ram temple in Ayodhya is con-
nected with the sentiments of crores of Hin-
dus. The Supreme Court (SC) should realize
this and expedite the proceedings of the mat-
ter,” said RSS Sarkaryavah Suresh ‘Bhaiyaji’
Joshi addressing a press conference after three
-day Akhil Bharatiya Karyakari Mandal meet
in Mumbai on Nov. 2.The society expects that
a grand Ram temple should be built and all
hurdles associated with it should be removed.
However, the wait has been inordinately de-
layed. The three-member SC bench, which
was hearing the case, has delayed the hearing
for a long period. When the court was asked ated and pained. SC should rethink on this
when the hearing would take place, they said matter. It is for the government to enact a law
that they have other priorities. It is their right or promulgate an ordinance on the issue of
to decide when to hear a case, but the court’s Ram temple.
reply has left the Hindu society feeling humili-
 P a g e 8 S a m v a d सं वा द

11. "IDEA OF BHARAT IS OUR AGE-OLD LEGACY”

- J NANDAKUMAR
The valedictory of the 2-day Mangaluru Lit Fest was attended by J Nandakumar, National Convener
of Prajna Pravaha, Dr Gopal Obiraya, Educationist and was moderated by Dr BM Hegde, noted car-
diac surgeon. “It is mentioned in the Vedas that this Rashtra was formed with Lakshya by those
saints who performed Tapasya for the welfare of whole Universe,” said J Nandkumar at the event. Dr
BM Hegde said that we should be proud of our heritage and we are a nation with culture and tradi-
tion of thousands of years. Editor of Organizer weekly, Prafulla Ketkar said in the keynote address in
the inaugural session that we are a spiritual democracy, and we have been such a nation for long.

12. HINDU TEMPLE WITH CAPACITY OF

7,800 PEOPLE OPENS IN
A magnificent two-story Hindu temple covering scaping. It is
40,000 square feet on a 28-acres plot, which operated by
claims to accommodate 7,800 devotees opened non-profit New
in Groton (Massachusetts) with 12-days of cere- England Shirdi
monies ending on October 20. New England Sai Parivaar
Shirdi Sai Temple is designed in traditional style formed in
following Vastu Shastra and whose main wor- 2006; whose
ship hall can hold 500 devotees and will cater to vision includes
about 5,000 families of the area. Ground floor of “spread the
this temple, whose groundbreaking was held in message of
2015 and which contains three golden spires, love, kindness, and unity and make a meaningful
will be used for community activities/functions. contribution to the welfare of the mankind” and
There are plans of fountain pools in the land- beliefs include “Faith and Patience”.

13. AT 41M, SIKKIM UNVEILS TALLEST STATUE OF BUDDHIST

DEITY CHENREZIG
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on No- government has spent about
vember 1 unveiled the tallest statue of Chen- 70 crore. “The foundation
rezig - a manifestation of the Buddha, in the stone was laid in 2009 and
world. Nestled in the snow-capped mountains, the Dalai Lama consecrated
the 135-feet (40m) statue of Chenrezig is lo- the statue,” said Pawan
cated at an elevation of 7,200 meters at Sangha Kumar Chamling, the long-
Choeling, 1.7 km away from Pelling, a tourist est serving Chief Minister in
destination in West Sikkim.“This is the world’s the country who has been in
tallest statue of Chenrezig, for which the state power since 1994.

14. STATUE TO RECOGNISE SIKHS’ CONTRIBUTION

IN WW I UNVEILED IN UK
A 10-foot bronze statue of a turbaned Sikh sol-
dier has been installed outside the largest gurd-
wara in Europe to recognize the contributions
made by Sikhs in World War I. The monument,
Lions of the Great War, was unveiled on public
land outside Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smeth-
wick near Birmingham on November 4, just
days ahead of the centenary of
the end of the war. It was funded
by the gurdwara’s congregation.
Thousands of British Sikhs, as
well as local leaders and British
soldiers, attended the ceremony.
 P a g e 9 S a m v a d सं वा द

15. WITH ARIHANT, BHARAT JOINS N-MISSILE CLUB

With Bharat’s first indigenously developed nu- enemies of the country and peace” that they
clear submarine INS Arihant successfully com- should not resort to any adventurism
pleting its first deterrence patrol, the country against Bharat
has joined the elite club of nations which pos-
sess a minimum deterrent ‘nuclear triad’ — the
ability to fire nuclear-tipped missiles from land,
air and sea. The Army’s Agni ballistic missiles
and the Air Force’s fighter jets are already capa-
ble of carrying nuclear warheads. And now INS
Arihant provides the Navy with the maritime
nuclear strike capability.
Announcing this in New Delhi on November 5,
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi told the crew
of Arihant the development is a “warning to the

16. ISRO’S MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BY SUCCESSFULLY

LAUNCHING GSAT-29 COMMUNICATION SATELLITE
Marking its fifth launch for the current year,
the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) successfully launched the GSLV Mark
III rocket carrying the GSAT-29 communica-
tion satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space
Centre at Sriharikota on November 14.The
satellite carries high throughput communica-
tion transponders in the Ka and Ku bands
which can expand high-speed data transfer in
the remote areas of Bharat. The satellite
launch is the second test flight for the GSLV
Mark III rocket, which is also ISRO’s heaviest
rocket.

17. SWADESHI “RUPAY” TAKING ITS OWN MARKET

The American financial services corporation
Mastercard has complained to the US Presi-
dent Donald Trump against Bharat PM Nar-
endra Modi for ignoring Mastercard and pro-
moting domestic payment network “RuPay”
by invoking nationalism. Mastercard said
that they are finding it difficult to maintain
their market share in Bharat due to increas-
ing use of domestic RuPay, BHIM and SBI
app. Modi launched these apps and card at
the ‘Business, Innovation and Community
Event’ in Singapore in May this year. The rise
in the use of the RuPay network due to Prad-
han Mantri Modi’s support in the recent
years have broken the dominance of US pay-
ment giants such as Mastercard and Visa.
More than half of Bharat’s 1 billion debit and
credit cards are reportedly using the RuPay
payment system, making it a difficult for
companies like MasterCard to maintain its
foothold in Bharat.

18. BHARAT SURGES 23 PLACES IN EASE OF DOING

BUSINESS RANKINGS
Bharat has leapfrogged 23 places to 77th rank in the World Bank’s global Ease of Doing Business
rankings, a feat which is likely to boost the government’s reform credentials and raise the coun-
try’s attractiveness for investors. The report lists Bharat and China as the two large economies
which are among the 10 biggest reformers among 190 countries. New Zealand, Singapore and
Denmark were on top of the list.
 P a g e 1 0
19. ANZAC JAWAN CENOTAPH MEMORIAL DEDICATED TO
BHARATIYA SOLDIERS
Dedicating the memorial to the Bharatiya Sol-
diers who fought for Australia in the First AIF
in World war one at Greenway Park, Cherry-
brook, NSW, Australia on November 10, Julian
Lesser, Federal MP for
Berowra said that the
memorial is the first of
its kind in New South
Wales. “It will remind
Australians that the In-
dian community is not a
new community but one
that has been in Australia
for a long time and al-
ways makes a contribu-
tion to our country in
times of war and times of peace.
20. BHINDI FAMILY’S $12 MILLION PHILANTHROPIC EFFORT
GIVES 300 FIJIAN SQUATTER FAMILIES A FRESH START
New philanthropic efforts that will forever
change the trajectory of the lives of 300 squatter
families in Fiji are now underway by the Bhindi
family, owners of the Southern California-based
Bhindi Jewellers. Poor sanitation and unhy-
gienic living conditions are the main problems
21. 4 BHARATIYA-AMERICANS RE-ELECTED TO US HOUSE
Four Bharatiya-American Congressmen from
the Democratic party were re-elected to the
US House of Representatives and more than a
dozen others won various other races across
the country in the highly polarized midterm
elections held on 6th November. In the eighth
Congressional District of Illinois, Raja Krish-
namoorthi was re-elected for the second term.
Three-term lawmaker Dr Ami Bera was re-
elected for a record fourth consecutive time
22. OBITUARY
Veteran Swayamsevak and one from the first
batch of pracharaks in Karnataka, Shri Cham-
paknath passed away at Bengaluru on 7th Novem-
ber. Union Minister and former ABVP activist
Ananth kumar breathed his last at Bengaluru on
12th November after prolonged illness.
S a m v a d सं वा द
Second, it will be a
permanent re-
minder of the way in
which the Indian
community has em-
braced the ANZAC
Spirit – that that
spirit lives on even
for those who have
no direct family con-
nection to the Aus-
tralian and New Zealand Army Corps. And
third it will be a reminder that Australia and
India have marched together in the past to
defend freedoms in time of war and we will
always march together in the future to de-
fend our freedoms,” she said.
that plague the current squatter settlements.
The prospect of a real home that will cost the
squatters zero money is an indescribable one.
The squatter resettlement program, the first of
its kind, will cost the Bhindi family $12 million.
from the seventh Congressional District of
California. In the Silicon Valley, Bharatiya-
American Ro Khanna defeated Ron Cohen of
the Republican Party with a massive 44 per-
centage point difference in the 17th Congres-
sional District of California. Congresswoman
Pramila Jayapal, the only Bharatiya - Ameri-
can woman lawmaker in the House of Repre-
sentatives, defeated Craig Keller by a massive
66 percentage points.
Shri Champaknath Shri Ananth Kumar
 P a g e 1 1
HINDUISM IS A RELIGION, BUT IT IS SOMETHING MORE:
When you understand these cosmic forces, you see that they exist everywhere.
The crowd that gathered at David Frawley's Why I
Became A Hindu, braving the afternoon heat,
seemed almost geared for battle. In the end, they
simply listened, spellbound. There were others too,
seeking comfort and hope, who found their eyes well
with tears as Frawley, one of the most acclaimed
Vedic scholars of the day, described "the religion not
of one God, but innumerable Gods. Hindu dharma
recognises the unity of the universe but accepts the
diversity of everything within it." Later, his wife,
Shambhavi, gracefully draped in a red saree, un-
wrapped a set of bangles with some ceremony, re-
marking, "It is Karva Chauth," almost daring her au-
dience to defy her. Their journey has had its share of
challenges, as different narratives of history compete
for dominance, heavily influenced by political sway.
Frawley's attempt to debunk the Aryan invasion, for
instance, fetched him a great deal of flak, although
the validity of his claims are being acknowledged to-
day, by scholars and Indologists. Then again, as con-
troversy keeps up its relentless courtship of David
Frawley and his yogini wife but they shrug off the
criticism with great elan - the wisdom of the Vedas is
simply too precious to relinquish over petty political
struggles. David Frawley, the author of several books
on Hindu dharma, astrology and Vedic History, tells
Darshana Ramdev about a journey which began with
the young boy who liked to look up at the stars...
How did it all begin?
When I was nine years old, I taught myself all the
constellations in the sky (no, it's not too difficult!). I
can take a telescope with a laser point and even now,
show you about two or three hundred objects in the
sky. What I really enjoyed, though, was meditating
under the stars, which led eventually to an interest in
astrology and Jyotish. I began to read works by
Swami Yogananda and B.V. Raman but to me, astrol-
ogy has always been integrated with sadhana and
understanding planetary deities. The seven planets
in astrology are cosmic forces, each planet is a relay
station. When you understand these cosmic forces,
you see that they exist everywhere.
The symbology and metaphor of Hinduism has been
reduced to a limited, literal interpretation. Would
you agree? There is a story from the Upanishads,
about the Ashwins, the healers of the Universe. They
approach the son of Atharva, seeking the knowledge
of immortality, the only thing that had been kept
S a m v a d सं वा द
DAVID FRAWLEY
from them. The seer said he couldn't, for fear of
being beheaded by Lord Indra. The Ashwins told
him then, that they would give him a horse's head,
learn the secret to immortality and when Indra ap-
peared to behead the seer, the Ashwins could give
him back the original. All of this is deeply meta-
phorical - even the concept of agni, or fire, is highly
nuanced. The sages refer to the agni of the mind,
the agni of the body - agni was a concept, a way of
correlating everything to cosmic unity. We say to-
day, that something is here or there. The ancient
seers said, "It's here, it's there and it's also every-
where. Carl Jung was perhaps the first thinker in
the West to bring Eastern wisdom into mainstream
Western thought. You have had a lot to say on
Jung and Psychology, for that matter…
Jung borrowed a great deal from Eastern wisdom
but that never got the point of paramatma or tran-
scendence. He borrowed a great deal from our wis-
dom and in the end, turned against it. He was in-
vited to see Ramana Maharishi, which he declined,
saying his wisdom would suffice. His vision of evo-
lution was merely to be a better person.
He did great work, yes and brought in the concept
of the collective unconsciousness, that is true.
What they didn't have, however, was the concept of
samadhi and collective transcendence. Freud was
limited too, he never got beyond the first two chak-
ras - everything begins and ends with sex. Yes,
Jung thought beyond that but even then, their psy-
chology is very primitive, is limited to one's per-
sonal life and tied to the physical.
Developments in Science, especially Physics, seem
to be in keeping with ancient Vedic ideas…
The Western civilisation is caught up in the idea of
the physical but science seems to be saying some-
thing else. Physics has reduced the world from
matter to energy and information.
Is there a universal principle that holds religions
together?
Would you say all art is the same? Or that all peo-
ple are the same?
Religion is as varied as any other aspect of life -
you can't say all laws are good or that all political
leaaders are bad. …. pg 12
 Vistitors: Deoraj Sooken and family - Mauritius

Pravaas: Dr Manmohan Vaidya, sahsarkaryavaha RSS and

S H R I V I S H W A
N I K E T A N
Email: vishwav@bol.net.in
TeL: 0091 11 23517373
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
— ences like Brahmin, Maratha, Asprishyas, etc., in the Sangh.
the World in One Family
JAI SHREE RAM
Saumitra Gokhale Vishwa Vibhag samyojak are on a tour to
Australia and New Zealand.
Food for Thought: Gandhiji visited Wardha District Camp
of RSS on 25th December 1934. While seeing various activities
of the Camp, he visited the sick ward and the tents of the
Swayamsevaks. He saw people of all castes and classes harmo-
niously engaged in work without any reservations. In order to
confirm his observation, he interrogated the Swayamsevaks
themselves. Their response was uniform: “There are no differ-
We are in fact not even aware of what castes many of our
Swayamsevaks brethren belong to; nor are we interested in
knowing it. It is enough for us that we are all Hindus.”
– from the pages Dr. Hedgewar the Epoch-Maker edited by H
V Sheshadri.

HINDUISM IS A RELIGION, …. Religion has Technology, leaps in communication - mankind has

good and bad too, just like everything else. It is as fallible
as the human beings who practice it. The idea of a
'religion' in itself is a very Western concept.
What is religion, then?
A Western term that at a general level, signifies Christi-
anity. Monotheism is seen as the ultimate route to salva-
tion, while Hinduism has been classified as polytheistic.
The word religion means to unite, although people don't
use it that way! About 20 years ago, we were in London,
having been asked to do a book on Hinduism. We were
given a template, a blueprint of how to define religion. It
said: Book, founder, prophet and God. We sent it back,
saying this template didn't work for us, we had to create
our own.
How is the Hindu philosophy different from the typical
notion of religion?
Both Christian and Islamic traditions place monotheism
at the very top and emphasise the idea of salvation by
belief. If you believe in Jesus, you will be saved. Hindu-
ism isn't like this, we have various concepts like dharma,
moksha, ishwara and brahman but we don't adhere to
the idea of salvation by belief. Hinduism is a religion but
something more - religions have monastic orders, places
of worship and rituals. Yes, Hinduism has all these but it
also has sadhana, art forms - it is based on santana
dharma, to use all that is relevant.
become fixated on the journey without. What about
looking within?
The senses only look at the outside. We have lost the
ability to look within. Only those who look within can
find the truth, that knowledge exists and needs to be
brought out. This idea of looking within the self does-
n't exist outside of Hinduism and a few mystics, like
the Sufis. Also, today, you can google an answer to eve-
rything, this is the age of instant information. It re-
minds me of a tale in the Upanishads, where the guru
tells his disciple: Meditate in the forest for a year and I
will answer your question. The other argument to that,
however, is that if everything you see is outside of you
then you are inside everything
What is enlightenment or moksha? How does one at-
tain samadhi?
The idea is to reach the paramatma, which is some-
thing that cannot be known directly. If we try to under-
stand it through the mind, which is embodied con-
sciousness, we can only do so through an idea or a
word. The yoga sutra, for instance, outlines the journey
to the direct understanding of the paraatma, you have
to understand the mind, the sadhana, the tapas - all
these things are part of the journey. As long as you op-
erate through the mind, you cannot attain a direct
awareness, or samadhi.
(By Darshana Namdev, Deccan Chronicle, November
4, 2018)