BENEATH BURQA, A MANGALSUTRA AND CHOODA

CONFLUENCE OF CULTURES
HINDU AND MUSLIM WOMEN

The Times of India - (New Delhi) As burqa-clad Sumaira walks past the streets of Jama Masjid, there's nothing really striking about her. That's until she flashes the bright red bangles she's wearing - the kind that newly married Hindu women have around their wrists. Young Muslim women in India, and even Pakistan, can be increasingly seen sporting the chooda, mangalsutra and often the sindoor. And they see no taboo in it, taking it as a fashion statement, something that adds to their 'just married' look.
''Wearing a chooda doesn't make me a Hindu or a lesser Muslim," says 21-year-old Sumaira. "See, among Muslims there is nothing that differentiates married women from those who are still single. I have been fascinated with choodas ever since I was a kid. So that was one of the first things I bought after my engagement. In fact, my cousin Saima, too, wore one at her nikah."

It's not only the chooda. The demand for mangalsutras is picking up, and not just in India but also in Pakistan where many of those who ask for it attribute it to the influence of India's enormously popular saas-bahu soaps. "Mangalsutra is a beautiful neckpiece and goes with every suit," Naseema Aziz, a resident of Karachi, explains. "If one is wearing it out of choice, there's nothing wrong in it. In Pakistan everyone knows I am a Muslim. Merely wearing a mangalsutra won't have me confused for a Hindu." 
With the mangalsutra and chooda finding favour among Muslim women, how can the sindoor, that eternal sign of a married Hindu girl, be left behind? But while most Hindu women prefer red sindoor, Muslims tend to go for orange. Interestingly, in parts of Kolkata the two different shades have come to distinguish women from the two communities. In Bihar, however, many Hindu women also use orange sindoor.

This confluence of cultures can these days be witnessed during Muslim weddings too. Some of them come complete with what resembles the Indian Sangeet ceremony which is a musical evening organized before wedding. Rizwana (a Muslim young woman), who works as a nanny in Kolkata, has seen her mother with orange sindoor. She followed suit when she herself got married in 2010. "Hindu women use red and we orange. Don't women in Delhi do the same?" the 24-year-old asked. As regards mangalsutras, jewellers in Delhi confirm this trend. "Many Muslim women, some in burqas, ask for the mangalsutras which have diamond pendants," says Ankit Kohli, owner of Raj Jewellers. If we avoid segregation, we will see that all cultures have beautiful things to contribute to the peaceful unity of the world. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A Hindu wedding is essentially a ceremony of sacred rites and rituals. ... The bridegroom adorns the bride with Mangal Sutra, by putting the auspicious black-beaded ornament around her neck. Panigrahan - holding hands to accept the vows and exchanging the places - is a ritual of sacred vows. The bridegroom applies sindoor, vermillion, in the parting of the bride’s hair as an auspicious symbol of her married status, followed by Shantipath - the peace invocations. ... Hindu scriptures implore upon every man to love and care for his wife, despite any shortcomings. He is forbidden to strike or speak harshly to her or ignore her needs. ... Hindu theology regards the ideal marriage as a spiritual journey, where the man and woman must complement and help one another toward divine realization. The path is often long and arduous; the spiritual awakening comes through many experiences on the physical plane.

Dr. Hiro Badlani:
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 50: “Hindu Wedding”
“Nuptials for Eternity”  -  http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-50/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

5 FESTIVALS OF THE HOLY COW

HINDU FESTIVALS

PAY HOMAGE TO COWS

www.boldsky.com - Hindus do not eat beef for religious reasons. This is because cows are holy to Hindus. The pun or sarcastic phrase 'holy cows' has sprung from this religious belief of Hindus. According to Hindu culture, cows are holy because they are milk giving animals. We get our first milk from our mother and that is why cows are equated with mothers. In fact they are also called 'Gau mata' which means 'cow mother'. Many Hindu festivals revere cows. Everything coming from the cow is considered holy, even the cows piss and dung. Some festivals require cow dung to cleanse the atmosphere. Let us take a deeper look at the festivals that require the holy cows to complete them.
1. Pongal: The biggest harvest festival of Tamil Nadu is incomplete without the presence of cows. The third day of Pongal is allocated to cows. Women from every Tamilian family worship the cows and feed them sweet Pongal.

2. Gaijatra: This is a festival dedicated to cows celebrated in Nepal. Numerous cows are marched on the streets of Nepal in the memory of family members who have passed away. 3. Gowardhan Puja: The day before Diwali is the famous Gowardhan puja or the festival of cow dung. On this day, cow dung is the deity to which food (vegetables) and money is offered.  This custom stems from the fact that cow dung is considered holy by the Hindus. 4. Deepali-Tihar: Deepawali or Diwali is a pan-Indian festival that is celebrated with great pomp and show. Our neighbour Nepal also celebrates Deepawali, but they call it Tihar and celebrate it differently. In Nepal, the customary Lakshmi puja for Diwali is incomplete without cows. 
5. Shivaratri: Don't be surprised because we are talking about the cow's male counterpart, the bull. No worship of Lord Shiva is ever complete without paying homage to his pet bull, Nandi. Especially on Shivaratri, women pay their respects to Shiva's bull and then move on to the Lord himself. Do you know any other Hindu festivals that pay homage to cows?.

The presence of the holy cows is essential for many rituals in Hinduism and many Hindu festivals cannot be complete without worshiping cows. Anwesha, the author of the article, mentions that the Nepali festival 'Gaijatra' or 'cow's journey' usually takes place in August or September. Also in Nepal, on the main day of the Deepawali festival, cows are worshiped as the form of Goddess Lakshmi. Women do 'aarti' of the cows and feed them 'prasad'. On the third day of Pongal - called the Mattu Pongal - cows are adorned with kum kum and their horns are painted. As regards Lord Shiva's bull, Anwesha explains that every Shiva temple has an idol of this bull outside the sanctum chamber. The bull, Nandi, is always placed right in front of the Shiva Linga. Besides all the spiritual significances, the protection of the cow and the bull is the basis for a simple and prosperous life.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Bhaktivedanta's alternative vision of how human society ought to live could be summed up with the twin concept of protection of brahmanas and protection of cows. ... he writes: "The bull is the emblem of moral principle, and the cow is the representative of the earth. When the bull and the cow are in a joyful mood, it is to be understood that the people of the world are also in a joyful mood. The reason is that the bull helps production of the grains in the agricultural field, and the cow delivers milk, the miracle of aggregate food values." To protect the cow is more than good economics, it is a matter of principle. In the Vedic tradition she is one of the seven mothers: the real mother, the wife of the spiritual master, the wife of a brahmana, the wife of the king, the nurse, the earth and the cow. All of them should be respected and cared for.

Ranchor Prime (Śripad Ranchor Dasa) :
“Hinduism & Ecology”
Chapter 12: “An Alternative Society”
Friends of Vrindavan (FOV) - WWF
http://www.fov.org.uk/hinduism/hinduism.html
http://www.fov.org.uk/aims/aims.html

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF SWASTIKA

SYMBOL OF SWASTIKA
ACCORDING TO HINDUISM

www.boldsky.com - Swastika has become the symbol of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the 21st century. It was the symbol of Hitler's Nazi party that exterminated 6 million people under its banner. 
In the midst of all the persecution and violence, the true meaning of this religious symbol was lost. Symbols are silent speakers. They communicate without words. But the present meaning that we derive from the swastika is not its original meaning. 
This religious symbol pre-dates Hitler, Jews and even the Roman empire. There is no specific date when people started using this symbol but its references have been dated back to 3000 years. The ruins of Troy and the Indus valley civilisation have also yielded artefacts with this symbol on them. 
Whether its purpose was purely decorative or it had some cultural significance is not clear. 
In Hinduism, this religious symbol represents many different things. 

Here are some of its most important meanings. 
1. Stability & Firmness: The 4 blades of the swastika point to the 4 different directions. That is why it has a feeling of all-encompassing presence. 2. The Sun's Rays: The sun is a very important symbol in Hinduism. It is the source of light and life in the Universe. 3. Lord Vishnu's Symbol: Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe is represented by 108 different symbols. The swastika is on those 108 symbols.  
4. Peace & Prosperity: It is one of the 'holier than thou' symbol in Hinduism because all religious scriptures begin with it. It is used as a symbol of peace and prosperity in household. 5. Two Parts Of Swastika: According to Hindu dictum, every energy comes coupled pairs. If there is light there has to be dark. So even the sun has a shadow. The right side or the male side of this symbols thus, represents the suns' path of rotation. The left side or the female side represents the Dark Mother, Goddess Kali.

Nowadays, the Swastika is the symbol of Nazi war crimes against humanity, but in India or other parts of Asia it represents prosperity, auspiciousness and “good luck.” According to Hinduism, there are many other interpretations of the symbol of Swastika - This symbol aptly represents the sun with its rays shooting in all the directions. It represents stability and a sense of being rooted. That is why swastika is very important for weddings and other Hindu rituals. You would find the swastika drawn with vermilion in front of houses, under the Tulsi plant and as a decoration on hot metal pots or kalash that are used in Hindu rituals.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In ancient antiquity the Swastika, as a religious and harmonious symbol, was popular in the east as far as China and Japan and in the west its use spread from Persia [Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey] across Europe and even reached the Americas. Thus the Swastika is known to have been in use across the ancient [and modern] world as a benevolent symbol. But there is a movement in Western Europe to ban the use or display of the Swastika throughout the European Union. .... However, most people would be surprised to learn that in western countries, prior to World War II, the most popular symbol for prosperity, wealth, health, safety, auspiciousness and good luck was the Swastika. ... The Swastika was also widely circulated by the Boy Scouts of America as an honor badge for meritorious deeds and achievements and was also distributed door-to-door across America as a fundraiser. ... In essence, in early 20th century America, the Swastika symbolized for the Boy Scouts, all that a man can be. Quite a twist from how Americans and Europeans look at the Swastika today.

Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja :
“Swastika and Cross”
Jul 27 2008 - Krishna Talk 80
Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Ashram
http://gosai.com/writings/swastika-and-cross

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/