
Deepavali: How well do we know it?
Deepavali/Diwali is all about puja, festivities including light and sweets – and crackers. No, not the 1000-wala ladis that have become false status symbols, and vulgar displays of wealth giving a reason for clampdowns like #crackerban — but of light and sparkle. When we were children, Deepavali was heralded by a small cracker burst byContinue reading “Deepavali: How well do we know it?”

Temple Worship and Murti Puja: Part VI
“The image to the Hindu is a physical symbol and support of the supraphysical; it is a basis for the meeting between the embodied mind and sense of man and the supraphysical power, force or presence which he worships and with which he wishes to communicate.” (Sri Aurobindo, CWSA, Vol. 20, p. 147) It shouldContinue reading “Temple Worship and Murti Puja: Part VI”

The Fundamentals of Sanatana Dharma: Part V
In this section we deepen our understanding of Sanatana Dharma by looking at some of its fundamental ideas and distinctive characteristics. Let us begin with an important excerpt from Sri Aurobindo’s famous Uttarpara speech, delivered on May 30, 1909. This was his first speech after acquittal from Alipore jail, when for the first time spokeContinue reading “The Fundamentals of Sanatana Dharma: Part V”

Dharma or Religion? : Part IV
Having understood the Indian outlook on Religion and the fundamental characteristics of Indian religio-spiritual culture, let us now explore an important question – does the word “religion” as understood in the most ordinary sense of organised religion really make sense in the Indian cultural context, or should we invoke the uniquely Indian word “dharma” toContinue reading “Dharma or Religion? : Part IV”
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