By Dinesh Nath

Last month tragic and one of the most heinous and horrific crime happened in India's capital New Delhi, a 23 year old medical student was brutally gang-raped and assaulted almost to death (and later died) by six young man including one juvenile. This incident caused country wide protest and even caught attention of foreign media. This incident also served as ignition point for and anger and rage which has been building in civilized men and women around the world about women safety and dignity. Protesters were out on street in chilly winter of Delhi and demanded for harsh punishments and fast-track court to punish the culprits of this horrific crime. A committee headed by former Chief Justice of India J S Verma was constituted for revising the laws to deal with this perverted mind set which involve in rape. Suggestions were asked from the public in general. Media houses ran debate on this issues and day in an day out more rape cases around the country was reported. All had one int...

“The soul has neither sex, nor caste nor imperfection.” “The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women.” ” There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved.” “Woman has suffered for aeons, and that has given her infinite patience and infinite preserverance.” “The idea of perfect womanhood is perfect independence.” “Soul has no sex, it is neither male nor female. It is only in the body that sex exists, and the man who desires to reach the spirit cannot at the same time hold sex distinctions. (CW ,V.4, P.176) It is very difficult to understand why in this country [India] so much difference is made between men and women, whereas the Vedanta declares that one and the same conscious Self is present in all beings. You always criticize the women, but say what have you done for their uplift? Writing down Smritis etc., and binding them by hard rules, the men have turned the women into manufactu...

Many times conversation turn into argument when we have divergent view points. In such time Mr. Right in us takes up the charge to prove our view point as the correct and righteous on the subject. Any sentence which can win over others view point bring an elated feeling while anytime we feel the argument made by other person is stronger, either it bring aggression and mind racing even faster to find better argument. During such conversation, are we really happy and peaceful, answer perhaps in not that affirmative. We might have win the arguments with the force of logic but what it has done to other person over whom we feel psychological or social victory whether expressed or latent in mind. It has done exactly what we feel when we feel lost in making our point, perhaps sad, frustrated and even grumbling in mind and looking for chance to prove our point back. Even if you won the argument, does it really make you happy. Being or proving Mr Right comes at the cost of many lost oppor...

Yama and Niyama are the do's and don'ts, or ethical disciplines, which have existed in the human race since the beginning of civilizations. Patanjanli, the father of yoga has very clearly specified these 10 commandments of Sanatana  dharma  or  Hindu  religion for  harmonious human life  but they have nothing to do with the ideas of sin and virtue or good and evil as dictated by some cosmic potentate . They are the first two level of his eight fold yoga system known as Ashtang yoga. The first two levels  are known as Yama (precepts of social discipline) and Niyama (precepts of individual discipline). Yama and Niyama are practical whether one is from the civilizations of the East of the West. By following these practical and relevant precepts, we can create a harmonious human society and  can work toward individual development of the body, mind and soul.  They are the foundation of our practice without which no spiritual p...

Adi Shankara gave road map for the success on the spiritual path. He prescribed four qualifications to gain spiritual wisdom. Once practices with sincerity and surrender, success is ascertained.   1. Viveka (Discrimination) : First qualification to walk on the spiritual path is to have viveka (power of discrimination): Discrimination between what is real and what is unreal. Whatever that changes is unreal and whatever doesn't change is real. 2. Vairagya (Dispassion): The second qualification to gain spiritual wisdom is to have vairagya (dispassion), once the first qualification (ability to discrimination between real and unreal) is gained, dispassion automatically follows it. Dispassions is not droping things in life it is just droping the feverishness to gain or get rid of something. It is simply going beyond craving and aversion. 3. shat Sampatti (Six Wealth): The third qualification to gain spiritual wisdom is to have what is called shat Sampatti (...

As the part of tradition, we have been celebrating different festivals, following different rituals and sometime our intellectual mind doesn't agree following these age old traditions and ask what is the meaning behind all this and at that time the only what can quench our intellectual thirst is somebody wise de-codify the deep meaning behind these rituals and restore the faith. The following talk by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual Master from India whom millions of people around the world revere as Guru, has helped  to understand the meaning the traditions of navaratri and elaborate pooja performed during these nine days. I hope you also enjoy this. :-) DEVI MAHATMYAM ‘The Glory of Divine Mother’  A portion of the Markendeya Purana is called Chandi or Devi Mahatmya. It is also called Sri Durga Saptasati, which means 700 verses to Sri Durga. These sacred verses are recited during Navaratri, Durga Puja and chanted during the Chandi Homa. It extols the...

There is ever increasing movement waking up in India, my love against the corruption. People are just fed-up with the system, whether political leaders, bureaucrats, babus, officials and it seems this poison is rotting and eating every fibers of humanity. This problem does not only limit to the boundary of India, it pervades beyond boundaries and it pervades in the limitless mind. Cleaning the system, putting strong laws, checks and balances are necessary to run the system efficiently in just yet it is also equally important to clean up the mind and habits of people who are going to run that system. Now who are those people, it's me myself, you and all other people who are there in the system. Because we altogether make the society. Definitely higher the position one hold, higher the moral standards one need to live because of their higher positions one get the ability to influences other people lives to greater extents. Yet it's applicable to all. Reading an article in T...