HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
DON’T FORGET TO CELEBRATE!

http://edition.cnn.com - The calendar is overflowing with occasions to mark. It seems like there's a special day for almost everything. For example, September 19 is celebrated by some as International Talk Like a Pirate Day. But the surplus of observances shouldn't detract from the really important ones, like Friday, March 8, International Women's Day. The first International Women's Day was held in 1911, but it was international only in the technical sense that women in four European nations marched. 
These activists were ahead of their time in thinking about women's economic and political equality; they may not have been so far ahead of their time that they envisioned what it has come to mean for many of us today. Now, International Women's Day represents a movement that is for every woman and girl, no matter where they live.

This year, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee in history by risking her life for the cause of universal girls' education. Her courage has inspired women across the world. Some of the bravest, most revolutionary voices about empowerment are coming from women and girls like Malala who are calling the world's attention to social norms that prevent women from realizing their full potential. Here is the reality we must confront on International Women's Day: The decisions women make about their families are the key to improving life for many of the poorest communities in the world. 
The evidence shows that in the developing world, women play a different role than men and are more likely to take care of their family's health care and nutrition, things that children need to become productive adults and contribute to the economic and social development of societies. In fact, research has shown that a child's chances of survival increase by 20% when the mother controls the household budget.

Today we celebrate International Women's Day by highlighting favorite quotes from famous women and recognizing their rights in many countries, however, in several places sexual violence is still used as a weapon of war, forcing tens of thousands of women to flee the war-torn countries. Zillah Eisenstein, a feminist theory writer, says "Although many women have more choices today than their mothers did, there are also greater economic inequalities and therefore greater burdens to bear." Despite all the supposed "equality among sexes", the world needs to recognize that the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women is still an outstanding debt. The body of man or woman is external, temporary and it doesn’t touch the real self. We must understand that we are all spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of God. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Who is a woman here may not be a woman there in that higher realm; who is a man here may not be a man there. The body is only a dress. The soul has its mental dress, and according to that, we wear this physical dress, the flesh dress. Sexual identity means the flesh and the mind. In the soul, who will represent which type of sexual identity there, is uncertain at present here in this plane. But women there in the higher realm have a higher prospect, a brighter prospect in the spiritual world. 
In the spiritual realm, those souls that are female - who have attained that formation of the soul's realization - hold a better and higher position than men. Here in the plane of exploitation, men hold the better position. But there, in the plane of submission and surrender, the female form of mind is more rewarding than the male's form of mind. 

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja : 

“Subjective Evolution of Consciousness”

Chapter Nine: ‘Spiritual Evolution’

http://bvml.org/SBRSM/books/index.html

Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library

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

MYANMAR FOSTERS PEACE PROCESS

ETHNIC RECONCILIATION
AND PEACE PROCESS IN MYANMAR

www.eurasiareview.com - In a landmark talks between the Myanmar government and the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) held at Chiang Mai on 20 Feb 2013, the government, perhaps for the first time, officially agreed to initiate a political dialogue with the ethnics after six decades of civil war. “This is the beginning. They (ethnic groups) see that a political dialogue must be facilitated in order to solve these problems. But we didn’t manage to make it happen under the previous governments” said Aung Min, the Chief Negotiator, at a press conference after the meeting. 
Till date, the government has entered into ceasefire agreements with 10 armed groups which have only resulted in suspension of hostilities. A full-fledged war is in progress since June 2011 with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) which is the only major group that has not entered into a cease fire agreement.

The last ceasefire agreement with the KIA that lasted for 17 years was broken by the government troops in June 2011. Minor skirmishes still happen with some other groups also on some pretext or the other. The peace committee has always harped on economic development and evaded the issue of political dialogue for the reason that it was beyond the purview of the peace committee and that it is the prerogative of the parliament to initiate the political dialogue. 
The peace process has also gained momentum in the first ever Myanmar Development Co-operation Forum held at Naypyidaw on 20 January 2013 wherein a number of representatives of the International Community met with President Thein Sein to sign an agreement for a smooth process for international aid to flow into Myanmar for the next few years.

The Myanmar government has taken a welcome step to initiate political dialogue with the ethnic groups which has been their main demand. According to C. S. Kuppuswamy, the author of the article, the ethnic groups have also perhaps realised that they have to work on a common agenda despite the differences in their demands and views for achieving their goal. The reaction of the Myanmar armed forces on these developments are yet to be known. The outcome of the present initiative will very much depend upon the cooperation of the armed forces.  We should all leave our sectarian views and expand our vision of things and thus contribute to a more peaceful world than the one we live in. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Though the vocation of each individual is different, everyone’s goal is the same - the attainment of peace. If we ignore the Emperor of Peace and simply devote ourselves to worldly duties or to our work, thinking that peace will come to us through material learning, wealth or riches, then we are destined to fall into the pit of misery. The consequences of this attitude are clear - people are becoming more and more selfishly oriented and thus actually ignoring the interests of their society and country. They have forgotten that the struggle for enjoyment or renunciation is not the essential struggle in life. We achieve real enjoyment by renouncing our own selfish interest in favor of higher purposes like society, country and God.  The real struggle in life is to find a harmonious relationship between enjoyment and renunciation. ... If we do this, we can make our lives successful.

Śrīla Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Mahārāja :
“Sanatan Hindu Dharma - The Way to Harmony”
http://www.gopinathmath.com/book/export/html/53
http://www.gopinathmath.ru/katha/Sanatana%20Hindu%20Dharma%20way%20to%20harmony.pdf

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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MINORS' RAPE AND MURDER IN INDIA

RAPE AND KILLING OF 3
YOUNG SISTERS SHOCKS INDIA

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com - In the wake of outrage over the alleged rape and murder of three minor girls in Murmadi-Sawari village in Bhandara district last week, the Centre as well as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have reacted sharply on Thursday. "We have asked the Maharashtra government to send a report on the unfortunate incident," Union minister of state for home R P N Singh said in Delhi on Thursday. Taking a suo motu cognisance of a media reports, the NHRC issued a notice to the state chief secretary seeking the report within four weeks. "They belong to a poor family. Quoting the villagers, the media report said that the post-mortem of the bodies was done only when they protested," the NHRC said in a statement. The girls, aged 11, 9 and 6, went missing on February 14. A day later, their brutalized bodies were found in a well three km from their home.

It was only after the villagers staged an agitation by blocking roads and protesting outside the police station that the cops finally lodged a case of murder, kidnapping, rape and other serious charges. Though the police initially registered a case of accidental death, post mortem report confirmed sexual abuse and murder, police said. Additional director general of police Javed Ahmad who visited the village on Thursday said there is no breakthrough yet even after seven days of the incident. The victims' mother met Bhandara superintendent of police on Wednesday and demanded arrest of her mother-in-law and others in the case. Ahmad said the police teams are investigating all possible angles in the case, including the allegations made by the mother of the victims. "Efforts are being made to nab the culprits. Several persons have been quizzed in this connection," Ahmad said.

Police were searching villages in western India on Friday for suspects in the rape and killing of three young sisters. The bodies of the sisters - aged 6, 9 and 11 - were found at the  bottom of a village well in Bhandara district in Maharashtra. Initial medical reports inform the girls were sexually assaulted. The shocking news comes as India is still reeling from the horrific case occurred last December in New Delhi, in which five men and a juvenile are accused of gang raping and murdering a 23-year-old woman. Another heinous sexual attack which shows that during the terrible age of Kali-yuga men are increasingly devoid of good qualities, as described in many Puranas.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In Kali-yuga it is seen that women become stronger, bolder, and  more independent. In some cases, women are forced to become strong and independent due to being mistreated or left unprotected by men of little character. The Bhagavatam (1.16.21) explains that  women and children are left unhappy and forlorn by unscrupulous men who often search for young girls with whom they might have illicit sex. ... The Vishnu Purana (Book Four, Chapter 24) also confirms this, stating that union between the sexes will be based on passion alone, and women will be mere objects of gratification.  ... By the time this takes place in Kali-yuga, child pornography, rape, and other sexual crimes will be out of control. Politicians and law officers will be bribed into impotence, some even participating in  and profiting from these perverse activities.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
 “The Vedic Prophecies: A New Look into the Future”
Vol. 3 - “Changes During Kali Yuga”
“The Depravity in Family Life ind Relations Between People”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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GLOBALIZING TORTURE, REPORT

REPORT GLOBALIZING TORTURE
CIA SECRET DETENTION OPERATIONS

www.eurasiareview.com - Globalizing Torture. CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition, Open Society Justice Initiative, New York 2013, pp 212. “Today, more than a decade after September 11, there is no doubt that high-ranking Bush administration officials bear responsibility for authorizing human rights violations associated with secret detention and extraordinary rendition, and the impunity that they have enjoyed to date remains a matter of significant concern. 
But responsibility for these violations does not end with the United States. Secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations, designed to be conducted outside the United States under cover of secrecy, could not have been implemented without the active participation of foreign governments. These governments too must be held accountable.”

This report provides for the first time the number of known victims of secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations and the number of governments that were complicit. 136 individuals were subjected to maltreatment and severe torture. And 54 countries, which equals 28 per cent of the member states of the United Nations, have taken part in this criminal and unlawful undertaking by the US government and the CIA initiated in the course of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 
However, up until now, the full scale and scope of foreign government participation - as well as the number of victims - remains unknown, largely because of the extreme secrecy maintained by the United States and its partner governments. 
Up until now, none of the “Bush warriors” have been brought to justice, not to speak of other heads of states that supported this largest illegal torture program. The list of the countries shows how successful and smoothly the cooperation between democracies and dictatorships can be.

This report, edited by the “Open Society Foundation”, a New York-based human rights organization, gives a severe problem an airing that’s unflattering for democracies and should lead, at the end, to massive indictments of many heads of states before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. The author of the article, Dr. Ludwig Watzal who works as a journalist and editor in Bonn, Germany, says this report also shows that torture was not only done by CIA interrogators but also by African and Middle East dictatorships governments, while many Western democracies were very helpful to give active and logistical support for the secret CIA flight around the world to bring “terror suspects” for a “special treatment” to the dictatorial friends. Many times governments maintain a cruel and callous attitude towards human beings by submitting them to torture and great sufferings.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Political prisoners are often tortured by rulers or their military to keep people in line with the particular agenda of the regime. Some leaders have such a mentality that they enjoy keeping their subjects in a miserable condition. Or there is torture and fighting of people for being of a different religion. This type of thing goes on much more than we think, and has been going on for hundreds of years. From time to time we all have to watch as we ship our young men and women off to be killed or maimed in the slaughterhouse of war. As long as there are large numbers of innocent animals being unnecessarily killed and tortured day after day throughout the year, there will never be peace for long, for war will always exist somewhere, in which we will be forced to become involved. ... These reactions affect many millions of people every day around the world, and it is nothing more than the workings of nature as it reflects the consciousness of the people who inhabit this world.

Dr Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“Karma of the Nation”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/books_by_stephen_knapp.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/karma_of_the_nation.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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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"
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AUSTRALIA AND INDIA, GENETIC LINKS

ANCIENT MIGRATION: GENES 

LINK AUSTRALIA WITH INDIA

www.bbc.co.uk - Australia experienced a wave of migration from India about 4,000 years ago, a genetic study suggests. It was thought the continent had been largely isolated after the first humans arrived about 40,000 years ago until the Europeans moved in in the 1800s. But DNA from Aboriginal Australians revealed there had been some movement from India during this period. The researchers believe the Indian migrants may have introduced the dingo to Australia. 
In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they say that the fossil record suggests the wild dogs arrived in Australia at around the same time. They also suggest that Indians may have brought stone tools called microliths to their new home. To study the early origins of Australia's population, the team compared genetic material from Aboriginal Australians with DNA from people in New Guinea, South East Asia and India.

By looking at specific locations, called genetic markers, within the DNA sequences, the researchers were able to track the genes to see who was most closely related to whom. They found an ancient genetic association between New Guineans and Australians, which dates to about 35,000 to 45,000 years ago. At that time, Australia and New Guinea were a single land mass, called Sahul, and this tallies with the period when the first humans arrived. But the researchers also found a substantial amount of gene flow between India and Australia.
Prof. Mark Stoneking, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said: "We have a pretty clear signal from looking at a large number of genetic markers from all across the genome that there was contact between India and Australia somewhere around 4,000 to 5,000 years ago." "Our results show that there were indeed people that made a genetic contribution to Australians from India," Prof Stoneking explained.

A new study states the existence of a genetic contribution to Australians from India about 4,000 years ago. Researchers compared the DNA of Aboriginal Australians with Indians' genetic material. They looked at fossils and other archaeological discoveries that date to this period and concluded that changes in tool technology and new animals could possibly be attributed to the new migrants. The genetic data could not establish the route the Indians would have taken to reach the Australian continent, but it was evidence that Australia was not as cut off as had been assumed, Prof Mark Stoneking explained. Archaeological evidences confirm that since 4,500 B.C. or earlier, people moved from India to the west, and there was a lot of contact between India and Egypt, Sumeria, Mesopotamia, and others.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

This was also (around 4000 to 5000 B.C. or earlier) when the Vedic culture was spreading throughout the world, either because of reasons of trade, migration, or because some of the degenerated tribes were driven out of the Indian region. Some of the first tribes to have left India may include the Prithu-Parthavas (who later became the Parthians), the Druhyus (who became the Druids), the Alinas (Hellenes or ancient Greeks), the Simyus (Sirmios or ancient Albanians), the Cinas (Chinese), and others. ... These were some of the earliest of Aryans who created the most ancient form of Indo-European society. They took with them their Vedic customs, language, rituals, etc., all of which gradually changed with time due to their lack of seriously following the Vedic traditions, or because of their loss of close contact with the orthodox homeland.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
"Death of the Aryan Invasion Theory"
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/death_of_the_aryan_invasion_theory.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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TWO YEARS AFTER TAHRIR SQUARE

EGYPT OPPOSITION IN CLASHES

ON REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY

www.bbc.co.uk - Egyptian opposition supporters are gathering in central Cairo to mark two years since the start of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power. Police clashed with opponents of President Mohammed Morsi who are now converging on Tahrir Square. There are clashes in Alexandria and Suez. In Ismailia protesters set fire to the Muslim Brotherhood's party HQ. Critics accuse Mr Morsi of betraying the revolution. He denies this and has appealed for calm. An appeals court recently overturned Mr Mubarak's life sentence over the deaths of protesters and ordered a retrial. The 84-year-old former leader remains in detention at a military hospital.
Opposition supporters began converging on Tahrir Square on Friday morning. Some protesters have erected checkpoints to verify the identities of people passing through. Others have set up an exhibition of photographs of those killed in protests over the past two years.

The roads leading from Tahrir Square to several nearby government buildings and foreign embassies have been blocked by concrete walls since last November. Demonstrators tried to dismantle one of them on Thursday night, but a new wall was built to block entry to the Cabinet headquarters. The unrest continued overnight. On Friday, Nile TV reported worsening clashes outside the interior ministry near Tahrir Square. The BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Tahrir Square says there are now large numbers of protesters there, but that the violence is restricted to a small corner of it, where teenagers are throwing stones at the parliament building. 
At least 25 people have been injured in clashes in Cairo since Thursday. Smaller rallies are taking place in other cities, including Alexandria, Ismailia, Suez and Port Said. Clashes were reported in at least two locations in Alexandria, with police firing tear gas and protesters burning tyres.

In the middle of a deep economic crisis, President Morsi has urged Egyptians to mark the anniversary in a 'peaceful and civilised way', but opposition groups continue to accuse him and his Muslim Brotherhood backers of betraying the goals of the revolution. Two years ago, on 25th January 2011, it began with a big dream: Millions of people went into the Cairo streets with the aim of toppling the dictatorial Mubarak regime and establishing a democracy in Egypt. But today, according to Professor Elie Podeh, the situation can be described in six words: disappointment, disillusionment, dissatisfaction, despair, distress and distrust. As much as the hopes for a change were big, so was the disappointment. There are problems and disturbances everywhere, so we should inquire about the cause of them and find out a solution to our miserable material life. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Sanatana Gosvami, who had been a wealthy minister in the Mohammedan government in India, presented himself to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and asked, ke ami, kene amaya jare tapa-traya: "Who am I? And why am I suffering the threefold miseries?" This is intelligence. We are constantly undergoing some sort of distress, whether caused by the body and mind, inflicted by other living entities, or brought about by natural disturbances. We don't want all these miseries, but they are forced upon us. So when one accepts a spiritual master, the first question should be, "Why am I suffering?" ... Asking about the ultimate cause of our suffering is called brahma-jijnasa, inquiry into the Absolute Truth. As it is said in the beginning of the Vedanta-sutra, athato brahma-jijnasa: "Having gotten the human form of life, one should inquire into Brahman, the Absolute Truth."

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“The Journey of Self-Discovery” 
"The Self and Its Bodies"
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase Network

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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RULING ON CHRISTIAN'S RIGHT TO WEAR CROSS

EUROPEAN COURT TO RULE ON 

UK CHRISTIANS' DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS

www.guardian.co.uk - Secular groups have welcomed a Strasbourg court ruling that religious freedoms do not trump other human rights as a victory against discrimination. Keith Porteous Wood, the executive director of the National Secular Society, described the court's decision that a British Airways check-in worker should have been allowed to wear a cross at work was only a "limited" right that needed to be balanced against other interests. 
Three other UK Christians, who appealed to the European court of human rights (ECHR) claiming that their religious liberties had been infringed, lost their challenges. Nadia Eweida, the BA check-in worker, won her appeal but Lilian Ladele, a local authority registrar who also lives in London, Shirley Chaplin, a nurse from Exeter, and Gary McFarlane, a Bristol marriage counsellor, all had their claims dismissed. Porteous Wood said the ECHR rulings confirmed there was no need to change UK equality law because it had been found to be "fully compatible" with the European convention on human rights.

John O'Doherty of the Rainbow Project, a gay and lesbian organisation, said: "Religious belief cannot be used as a smokescreen for discrimination, and all service providers must recognise that they may not pick and choose which members of the public are worthy of accessing services. "While we had always supported Nadia Eweida's right to wear her cross, as a symbol of her faith, in the workplace, we were adamant that the McFarlane and Ladele claims of discrimination must fall." 
But the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd Dr John Sentamu, insisted that courts should not have any power to prevent individuals wearing religious symbols. "'Christians and those of other faiths should be free to wear the symbols of their own religion without discrimination," he said. "Christians are not obliged to wear a cross but should be free to show their love for and trust in Jesus Christ in this way if they so wish. Shami Chakrabarti, from the human rights group Liberty, said: "[This] judgment is an excellent result for equal treatment, religious freedom and common sense.

In its judgment the European Court of Human Rights said that manifesting religion is a "fundamental right". "[This is because] a healthy democratic society needs to tolerate and sustain pluralism and diversity; but also because of the value to an individual who has made religion a central tenet of his or her life to be able to communicate that belief to others." Defending the right of Christians and believers of other faiths of wearing the symbols of their own religion without discrimination, the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said: "The Equality Act 2010 encourages employers to embrace diversity - including people of faith. "Whether people can wear a cross or pray with someone should not be something about which courts and tribunals have to rule." Rather than having a religion, we need to develop spirituality. As we are spiritual souls our true happiness lies in attune with God and not discriminate the faith of others.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Communal conflicts make some people feel that the world would be better off without religion. But the plight of a godless modern world is poignantly caught by Martin Luther King Jr. in his comment several decades ago, "We have guided missiles and misguided men". While science and technology have helped us to control the external world to some extent, control of the inner world is sadly lacking, as can be seen from the alarming increase in depression, hypertension and other mental health disorders as also in addictions, criminality, violence, suicides and homicides. It is genuine spirituality alone that can provide the inner strength and fulfillment that can lead to lasting morality and real character in the individual. ... When people harmonize themselves with the essential principles of their respective religion, they learn to live harmoniously.

Śrīpad Chaitanya Charan das :
“The Spiritual Scientist” - Vol 4 Issue 15 
“Seek Spiritual Unity Amidst Religious Diversity” 
http://nitaaiveda.com/Soul_Science_God_Philosophy/Spiritual_Scientist/Volume_04/Spiritual_Unity_in_Religious_Diversity.htm

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
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PONGAL: TAMIL HARVEST FESTIVAL

PONGAL: THE 4 DAYS HINDU

FESTIVAL IN TAMIL NADU, INDIA

www.boldsky.com - Pongal is a very important Hindu festival which is celebrated with great joy in Tamil Nadu, India. Also known as the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal is a four day long festival for thanking the nature. Pongal falls in the harvesting month of January-February (season when rice, sugarcane, other cereals are harvested). The four days of the Tamil harvest festival commences with Bhagi festival and goes till Knau or Kannum Pongal day . Now, lets brief out the four days of the Pongal festival. 
First day: On the first day of Pongal, people pay homage to the supreme ruler or lord of weather (thunder, rain and storm), Lord Indra. Tamilians worship Lord Indra and thank him for the abundance of harvest that happened due to rain and air. Devotees pray for prosperity of the land for the next harvest. Even Bhogi Mantalu is observed on the first day of Pongal (when people discard old things and focus on new belongings). Waste household items are burned in a bonfire (made with cow dung cakes and wood).

Second day: On the second day, the Puja is performed. Rice is boiled in a pot of milk. This is done outdoors in an earthenware pot. A turmeric plant is tied up around the pot. The place is decorated with Kolam. Rice, two sticks of sugarcane, bananas and coconut are then offered to Lord Sun. After worshiping the Sun, the utensils that were used to prepare the offerings are disposed out of the house. 
Third day: Commonly known as Mattu Pongal, it is the day for cows. The cows are decorated with tingling bells (tied around the neck), flower garlands and colourful beads and then worshiped. The cows are offered the pongal (the dish which has been prepared) and then taken to nearby areas. After offering Pongal, women perform Aarti to ward off evil eyes. Fourth day: This last day is known as Knau, Karinaal or Kannum Pongal day. On this day, people meet their relatives and friends. People gift each other, especially workers and farmers are gifted and appreciated for their hard work.

Pongal is a Hindu harvest festival which is a four days long celebrations. Typically, Pongal falls on 14-15 January and apart from thanking the nature, it is also a month of weddings. The place where Puja is performed is decorated with "Kolam", the traditional white lime powder used outside the house every morning after bathing. As regards the Mattu Pongal or day for cows, it is believed that Lord Shiva once asked his bull (Basava) to go to the earth and ask the mortals to eat once in a month and have an oil massage followed by bath regularly. But, Basava told people they should eat every day and bath once in a month. According to Amrisha Agarwal, author of this article, Lord Shiva cursed Basava and banished him to live on earth forever. Since then, Basava should plough the fields and help the farmers. Onam, Pongal, Makar Sankranti, and Baisakhi are regional festivals, mainly associated with their respective harvest season in India.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Regional festivals are many in the Hindu culture. In addition to the common national festivals, Hindus have many festivals that are unique to their own regions. These regional celebrations are often associated with the harvest season and also mark the beginning of the New Year. As the harvest season differs in various parts of the country, the regional New Year days are also many and, as such, have no official sanction. The importance of agriculture in Hindu society is clearly visible on such occasions. The diversity of the festivals is based on the original ethnic variety of Hindu culture. ... Pongal is celebrated with much fanfare in Tamil Nadu. It is held in the month of January or February to coincide with the harvest of rice. Baisakhi in the northern state of Punjab is its equivalent.

Dr. Hiro Badlani :
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 54: "Hindu Festivals"
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-54/

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

SOCIAL MEDIA INDUSTRY DRIVEN BY NARCISSISM

WE ARE RAISING A GENERATION

OF DELUDED NARCISSISTS, ANALYSIS

www.foxnews.com - A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey, which has accumulated data for the past 47 years from 9 million young adults, reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing. Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author of a study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years. 
This data is not unexpected.  I have been writing a great deal over the past few years about the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities. On Facebook, young people can fool themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of “friends.”

Youngster can delete unflattering comments and block anyone who disagrees with them or pokes holes in their inflated self-esteem. They can choose to show the world only flattering, sexy or funny photographs of themselves, and publicly connect to movie stars and professional athletes and musicians they “like.” Using Twitter, young people can pretend they are worth “following,” as though they have real-life fans, when all that is really happening is the mutual fanning of false love and false fame. 
Using computer games, young people can pretend they are Olympians, Formula 1 drivers, rock stars or sharpshooters. On MTV they can see lives just like theirs portrayed on reality TV shows fueled by such incredible self-involvement and self-love that any of the “real-life” characters should really be in psychotherapy to have any chance at anything like a normal life. These are the psychological drugs of the 21st Century and they are getting our sons and daughters very sick, indeed.

False pride can never be sustained. The bubble of narcissism is always at risk of bursting.  That’s why young people are higher on drugs than ever, drunker than ever, smoking more, tattooed more, pierced more and having more and more and more sex, earlier and earlier and earlier, raising babies before they can do it well, because it makes them feel special, for a while. They’re doing anything to distract themselves from the fact that they feel empty inside and unworthy. Distractions, however, are temporary, and the truth is eternal. Watch for an epidemic of depression and suicidality, not to mention homicidality, as the real self-loathing and hatred of others that lies beneath all this narcissism rises to the surface, explains the author of the article, Dr. Keith Ablow, psychiatrist and member of Fox News' "Medical A-Team". We should try to enlight young people's heart in order to combat this greatest epidemic.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Narcissism is a material condition (a psychological illness) wherein one suffers from: 1) a grandiose sense of self-importance, 2) a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, and ideal love, 3) a belief that he is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people, 4) a requirement for excessive admiration and worship, 5) a sense of entitlement - unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his expectations, 6) a despotic mentality, repressing and exploiting others, 7) a lack of empathy, unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others, 8) envy of others, also believing that others are envious of him, 9) an arrogant or haughty attitude.

Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja :
Anuvrtti Commentary of "Prakrta-rasa Sata-dusani"
by Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada
Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Ashram
Jun 22 2011 - Krishna Talk 125.
http://gosai.com/writings/prakrta-rasa-sata-dusani-part-1

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