From: editor@rbhatnagar.csm.uc.edu (digest editor)
Subject: The Hindu Digest
Organization: Univ of Cincinnati
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 09:11:45 GMT

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KNOWLEDGE              UNITY             PROGRESS           DHARMA
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Topics: 
	Current Events: Statement on Ban on VHP in India
	Spirituality: The Philosophy of Action in Hindu Dharma
	Question: Request for Vedic marriage rituals
	Current Events: Seeds For Future Unrest Planted
	

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--------------------------------
From: ajay@mercury.aichem.arizona.edu (Ajay Shah)

		Statement On Ban on VHP in India

Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America Strongly Deplores the Ban on Vishwa
Hindu Parishad of India

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of America strongly deplores the ban on
Vishwa Hindu Parishad of Bharat (India).  VHP of America Inc., is an
American organization.  We are completely unaffected by this ban.  We
would like to assure Hindus in America that our constructive activities
in USA including Support-A-Child, Balvihars, Seva (service) projects
(donation of money and material to hospitals and charitable
institutions in USA), youth camps, conferences etc. will continue
without any interruption.

VHP of Bharat has several million members all over the country, and
hundreds of thousands of workers dedicated to the enlightenment of the
Hindu community and upliftment of the downtrodden.  VHP of Bharat and
its sister organizations run several thousand service projects,
including orphanages, schools, colleges, rural and slum development
projects, health care camps, hospitals etc.  VHP of Bharat has also
been in the forefront of flood and hurricane relief operations.  It has
been estimated that VHP of Bharat along with its sister organizations
has served over 100 million people of all religions in past three
decades.

VHP of America believes that the ban on Vishwa Hindu Parishad in
Bharat, is unconstitutional and immoral.  Censorship of nationalist
ideas and movements do not solve centuries old problems.  They can only
exacerbate them.  This ban is reminiscent of the ban imposed on Hindu
organizations and some political parties by Mr. Narsimha Rao's
predecessor former Prime Minister Ms. Indira Gandhi when she imposed
Emergency in 1975.

Once again, Government of India, in its infinite ignorance has taken a
stand that will only silence the Hindu voice temporarily.  The voice of
Hindus in Bharat will not be stifled for long and such blatantly
political moves will not be sustained by the masses.  In 1975, the
nation emerged from the pain of Emergency and Prime Minister suffered a
humiliating electoral defeat.  People's resolve prevailed over an
autocratic agenda.  Democracy, we believe will always prevail.

The events in Ayodhya were precipitated by inactions of the Prime
Minister's Government.  Instead of taking moral responsibility of the
entire incident the Prime Minister has seen it fit to use this issue to
his political advantage.

We sadly note that the Government has not strongly protested to
Pakistan, Bangladesh Afghanistan, United Kingdom and other countries
where Hindu lives, properties and places of worship have been
destroyed.  Hindu School children have been stoned to death in Pakistan
and several Hindus have been burnt to death.  While Pakistan has sought
to internationalize the events in Ayodhya, Prime Minister of India, Mr.
Narsimha Rao and his government are mere spectators.
--------------------
From keshav@ccu1.aukuni.ac.nz 


    THE PHILOSOPHY OF ACTION IN HINDUISM.  Action or activity is
charecterestic of all living beings on earth. In fact nature abhors
inactivity in living beings.All beings are driven to some activity
 or the other by nature at all times.

na hi cascit ksanamapi jAtu tisthat yakarmakrt kAryate hyavasah karma
sarvah prkrtijair gunaih    Geetha III.5 (No one can possibly remain
actionless even for a moment. Every one is driven by the qualities of
nature, under the power of the Lord.)

When activity is something inescapable, it is desirable to regulate it
scientifically and chanelize it for benefit rather than letting it
drift in an aimless manner for the well being of the world. And if
humanity is to live in peace and prosperity , man has to act always
keeping in view the welfare of the world.

karmanaiva hi samsiddhim AsthitA janakAdhayaha loka sangraham evApi
sampasyan kartumarhasi              Geetha III.20 (It's well known that
Janaka and others attained salvation by performing their duties, having
an eye to the welfare of the world, you should do the duty befitting
you)

The Geetha, which contains the quintessence of Hindu philosophy,
describes the nature and ways of action as very subtle and deep. It is
necessary, there- fore, for man to understand clearly what constitutes
"action" and "wrong or prohibited action".Right action is what one
should perform keeping an eye on the welfare of every one concerned. It
is by no means easy to determine what constitutes right action in a
given circumstance. Logical reasoning and analysis may not prove
adaequate for arriving at an unique answer. For this we have to seek
the guidance of the Shastras in order to understand the finer aspects
of the nature of action.

The first thinng we should address is whether man has full freedom to
act or not. The Geetha says that the individual who is deluded by
egoism fancies himself as the 'doer' when in fact his action is
propelled by the promptings of his intrinsic nature controlled
simultaneously and differentially, by nature.

prakrteh kriyamAnAni gunaih karmAni sarvasah ahankAra vimUdhAtmA
kartAham itimanhyate          Geetha III.27 (Ignorant man deluded by
egoism, fancies himself as the doer in respect of all actions brought
about by the Lord, in accordance with the inherent nature of the
souls).

It is also said in the Geetha, albeit in a subtle manner, that the
person is the man of wisdom among men and a yogi who has performed his
duties fully and completely, if he is able to see the absence of
(independent) activity in the (apparent) activity (of the jiva) and
activity (of God) during (apparent) inactivity (of the jiva, as during
sleep )

karmanya karma yah pasyed akarmani ca karma yah sa buddhimAna manusyesu
sa yuktah krstna karmakrt            Geetha IV.18 (Meaning as above)

Although the real actor is the Lord, this does not detract the jiva's
freedom of choice of action. The Lord directs all actions of the jiva
but not like one operating a mechanical device. Since the jiva is
endowed with the faculty of 'thinking', it is allowed to excercise this
faculty to choose it's own course of action.

At the end of the Geetha sermon, Sri Krsna says to Arjuna that He has
imparted to the latter the knowledge, more secret than any secret, and
that Arjuna could act as it pleased him after having fully reflected on
the teaching.

iti te jnAnam AkhyAtam guhyAd guhyataram mayA vimrsyai tad asesena
yathe cchasi tathA kuru           Geetha XVIII.62 (Meaning as above)

Though tgiven the freedom to do as he pleased, Arjuna says that he
would the bidding of the Lord.  what does Lord want from men ?  The
Geetha answers: unsullied devotion and performance of prescribed duties
with complete non  attachment to the fruits thereof. We have also to
act with balance of mind and equinamity towards sucess and failure.

yogasthah kuru karmAni sangam tyaktvA dhananjaya siddhyasidyoh samo
bhUtvA samatvam yoga ucyate            Geetha II.48 (Meaning as above)

This can be achieved by vanquishing the enemy called desire after
restraining the mind through wisdom.

In the final analysis, the message of the Geetha gravitates to the
performance of action in a true spirit of service to the Lord, who is
the source of all activity and who prevades everything.

All the examples above are from the Geetha,  simply because it was the
only scripture that was taught to me and I belive that it encompasses
every thing one needs to know to lead a sane life.

I hope the misguided youth of India going about demolishing places of
worship, understand the real message of the Lord and act peacefully.

Keshav S.Bhat.
--------------------

From: Varsha Mainkar <mainkar@netcom.com>

		Request for Vedic marriage rituals

 A friend of mine is looking for a description of Vedic
rituals for marriage. He is getting married in about two weeks
and would like to himself read and learn about these rituals
and not necessarily consult a Pandit. Does anybody have a
description, including the hymns (hopefully translated into English)
of the Vedic marriage rituals?

 Please send replies to mainkar@netcom.com.

 Thank you,any help will be greatly appreciated.






--------------------
From: ajay@mercury.aichem.arizona.edu (Ajay Shah)

Seeds For Future Communal Unrest And Political Gains Planted

	Even before the nation recovers from the bloodshed brought
	about by political forty-five years of impotance the
	politicians have started vying each other in minority
	appeasement for obvious political gains.  The Prime Minister
	has announced, with total disregard for the sentiment of
	majority of the Hindus in the nation that the Government will
	build a mosque at the temple site.  A member of parliament
	belonging to ruling Congress(I) Rajesh Pilot said "..the only
	way to restore the confidence of the  minority community was to
	rebuild the mosque."  Former Prime Mimister V. P. Singh has
	gone one better, promising the Muslims that he will built a
	mosque five times as big at the very same spot.

	VHP General Secretary Ashok Singhal, has warned the
	politicians, saying "any attempt by the govt. to impede the
	construction of the temple would create a dangerous and
	explosive situation."
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