Spiritual Traditions Archives - Yoga, Meditation and Hinduism

May132019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

Why India Must Celebrate Shankara [Excerpts]

Adi Sankaracharya, Gyana Yoga, Hinduism, Indic Religions

Source: - Swarajya Magazine. मा गच्छ त्वमितस्ततो गिरिश भो मय्येव वासं कुरु स्वामिन्नादिकिरात मामकमनःकान्तारसीमान्तरे | वर्तन्ते बहुशो मृगा मदजुषो मात्सर्यमोहादयस् तान् हत्वा मृगयाविनोदरुचितालाभं च संप्राप्स्यसि || (Śivānandalaharī of Ādi Śankara) Primeval Hunter, Shiva! Why wander here and there in search of game ? The wilderness of my mind harbors many beasts like pride, jealousy and lust; Come, kill them, you’ll enjoy the sport. People have been praying since forever for God to reside in their hearts, but it took Ādi Śankara’s pluck to suggest the offer as a favour to God! Śankara Jayantī was celebrated last week, and now is a good time to ruminate upon the ideas of this philosopher. Śankara is also a poet of the firs

May102019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

Put Down That Painkiller, Pick Up A Yoga Mat: VA Study Finds Yoga Helps Chronic Back Pain Without Pills [Excerpts]

Health & Wellness, Yoga, Yoga & Meditation

Source: - San Diego Union Tribune. By Jeanette Steele Aug. 6, 2017 2:20 PM In the middle of a prescription painkiller overdose crisis in the United States, a San Diego VA study finds that veterans with chronic pain would be well-served to put down the pills and pick up a yoga mat. After six months of twice-a-week yoga sessions, San Diego veterans reported a significant drop in back pain — one of the signature complaints of a demographic that suffers higher rates of chronic pain than the general population. Also, the number of patients in the study on opiate-based pain pills dropped from 20 percent to 8 percent. It’s a potentially important finding, as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs weans its members off of long-term addictive painkillers such as hyd

May62019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

Evidences Show That Yoga Helps Students Having Autism Spectrum Disorders To Perform Better At School

Health & Wellness, Yoga, Yoga & Meditation

Source: - Subahsh Kak / Twitter. https://twitter.com/subhashkak1/status/1124851863994753026?s=12 Featured Image Source: - https://yogadigest.com/yoga-for-improving-behavior-in-children-with-autism/

May22019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

An Australian Woman In India Shares Her Journey Of ‘Living The Bhagavad Gita’ [Excerpts]

Bhakti Yoga, Converting to Hinduism, Hinduism

Source: - https://www.sbs.com.au Braja Sorensen is an Australian who has been living in India for the last 20 years. An author, pilgrim and spiritualist, Ms Sorensen's latest book is Living the Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life where she states the 5,000-year-old teachings hold the answers to the stress, anxiety and confusion that many face in modern life today. Braja Sorensen is an Australian who has been living in West Bengal for the last 20 years. It was in the early 90s when Braja first visited India. The country captivated her. A few years, in 1997, after having worked in television, tourism, and publishing in Australia, London, and the U.S, Braja returned to India to make it her home. In 2000, she met her Swedish husband and the duo has never looked ba

Apr302019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

Hinduism: Religion Or Way Of Life – Swami Chinmayananda Speaks

Advaita, Featured, Hinduism, Swami Chinmayananda, Videos, What is Hinduism

Source: - Dharma Raksha Vedi / YouTube Channel “ISN’T HINDUISM SIMPLY A WAY OF LIFE?” This is a question I am frequently asked at satsang gatherings. It invariably makes for spirited discussion, as there is avid interest and a lively diversity of opinion. Years ago, Swami Chinmayananda, founder of Chinmaya Mission, gave a dramatic lecture on the subject https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJcpEvmruOQ

Apr82019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

What are the Contents of Agamas?

Featured, Hinduism, Tantra, Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-EYUBoA7q4 Now every Agama has 4 types of content. One is the Kriya Pada. Kriya Pada are all the rituals, all the practices, everything, like Prana Pratishtha, like offering water, offering Achmaneeyam, doing the mudras, all of those things, everything which can be contained broadly in the category of ritual or spiritual process, that is the Kriya Pada. So Kriya Pada, this classification is actually mentioned in the Kamika Agama itself and at the end of every chapter it says which Pada it belongs to. Now, Pada, by the way, is not ‘step’. It is ‘part’. So, all four, it’s not like you go step by step, not at all. These are 4 parts and all 4 have to be practiced. Carya is the lifestyle aspects. So for example, when should you take bath, why should you take bat

Apr32019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

Basic Founding Principles of Sanatana Dharma Laid Out in Bhagwat Geeta — A talk by Sanjay Dixit

Bhakti Yoga, Books & Reviews, Featured, Hinduism, Videos, What is Hinduism

IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Sanjay Dixit, talks about the Basic Founding Principles of Sanatana Dharma Laid Out in Bhagwat Geeta. He also talks about the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam from the Upanishads, Dharma Adharma, Himsa and Ashimsa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPjm9bn1cSc

Apr32019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

[Q&A] Session of Relevance Of Shiv Agamas For Hindus Today – Srijan Talk by Arti Agarwal

Hinduism, Tantra, Videos

Q & A Session of Relevance Of Shiv Agamas For Hindus Today – Srijan Talk by Arti Agarwal Shiva Agamas are essentially the Applied Science of ancient Hindu Spirituality that offer lasting solutions to the myriad problems faced by humankind. About Speaker : Arti Agarwal is a devotee of Lord Shiva, disciple of H. H. Paramahamsa Nithyananda, a graduate of IIT Roorkee, writer, artist, photographer, content marketer, all round creative nerd & professional and iconoclast, Arti Agarwal's goal is to share her knowledge with the world, and inspire more people to be creative. According to her, she's here to reiterate our Vedic Rishis in a modern day world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeyYcmZUXQA

Apr32019 by tatvamaseeNo Comments

How Were The Shiva Agamas Revealed?

Hinduism, Tantra, Videos, What is Hinduism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tw4IaqZxeE Shiva Agamas are the Agamas which were revealed by Mahadeva Himself. The Kamika Agama which is considered to be one of the most important Agamas describes how they were revealed. It describes Mahadeva as having five faces – Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Ishana. Each of these faces of Mahadeva further had 5 five faces. The Laukika, Vaidika, Adhyatmika, Atimarga and Mantra Agamas were revealed by each of the 5 faces. These are not just names, but categories of Agamas. Thus, it makes a total of 25 faces. The Sadyojata face revealed the Bhuta Tanra (example – Kaula Tantra) with 24 variations. The Vamadeva face revealed the Vama Tantra with 24 variations; the Aghora face revealed the Bhairava Tantra; the Tatpurusha face revealed the Ga

Nov172018 by mahashuunyaNo Comments

In Search Of Bhagavati Tara – Part 2: Temples, Legends And Sadhakas

Hinduism, Shakta, Tantra, What is Hinduism

Source: Pragyata Mag The secrecy of the tantrik rituals involved in the worship of Tara have prevented her from taking a prominent place in mainstream Hindu imagination. But even a non-tantrik approach to her worship brings phenomenal benefits to the sadhaka. by Svechchachari (स्वेच्छाचारी) In the sampradāyas of eastern India where Tārā worship was most prominent, three temples were considered to be of utmost spiritual importance. First is Mahisi in the state of Bihar, known as Ugra Tārā sthana, second is Tārāpīṭh in Birbhum district of Bengal, and the third temple of importance to the cult of Tārā is in Bangladesh. These three were equated with the three eyes of the Goddess, with Tārāpīṭh being the Divine eye in her forehead. Additionally, it's reputation of bestowing quick success in sa