Hatha Yoga Video Tutorial:

Surya Namaskaram & The Chakra Asana Series 

1. Introduction To Hatha Yoga 

Synopsis: Benefits of Hatha Yoga, History and Spiritual Science behind It. 

2. Hatha Yoga Practice Guidelines

  Synopsis: Practice Guidelines and Diaphragmatic Breathing

3. Surya Namaskaram

  Synopsis: Steps of doing Surya Namaskaram, the Hatha Yoga warmup exercise.

Click here to view the entire Hatha Yoga Video Tutorial

Hatha Yoga Lessons Directory

Hatha Yoga Lessons Content

Hatha Yoga is commonly know as yoga exercises. This ancient form of exercise is part of a Hindu yogic system – Ashtanga Yoga – that ultimately leads an aspirant to God Realization (Enlightenment). In the eight step practices of Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga is the third step. It is practiced to keep the body healthy and also prepare the body and mind for meditation. Hatha Yoga was therefore designed to keep the body fit as well as to harmonize it with deeper spiritual energies that are inherent within it. In this section of Hindu Lessons, the Hatha Yoga Lessons will start with an entire yoga video tutorial. Later more specialized lessons will be created including, Hatha Yoga for beginners, for the elderly, stress busting and so forth. 

Click here to go to the Hatha Yoga Lessons Directory @ MyHinduPage.

Yogic Personal Development Seminar One

Concentration:

The Key to Success in Life's Endeavours

Introduction

What is Yoga? Yoga is Hinduim's personal development program. Literally yoga means to unite, or to become one. In Yoga's context, this union refers to the yogi achieving oneness or uniting his or her consciousness with God. This in fact is the goal of Hindu practice, that is God Realization and the achievement of enlightenment. 

According to Hindu philosophy, the soul reincarnates on earth many times for it to gain spiritual evolution, or spiritual growth with each life. The ultimate goal of the soul on Earth is to complete its spiritual evolution and gain liberation from the process of reincarnation. This liberation from rebirth is known as moksha. After moksha our soul lives in the Heavens until we unite with God in Vishvagrasa (total union with God). 

Coming back to Yoga, Yoga practices are the practical application of Hinduism that lead to the devotee's achievement of the goals of Hinduism which are God Realization (Samadhi) and Liberation from the cycle of reincarnation (Moksha). In the pursuit of these goals developing concentration is cardinal.

When Yoga is mentioned, most people will generally think of meditation and yoga exercises. Actually, Yoga contains all the practices of Hinduism, including worship, virtous living and scriptural study. Yoga is in fact the science behind Hinduism, while Hindu living is the art of practicing Yoga.

The entirety of the practices of yoga is contained in the system codified by Sage Patanjali in the Patanjali Yoga Sutras more than 2,000 years ago called Ashtanga Yoga. Ashtanga means eight limbs or eight parts. The eight parts of Ashtanga Yoga are 1. Yama; 2. Niyama; 3. Asana; 4.Pranayama; 5.Pratyahara; 6. Dharana; 7. Dhyana; 8. Samadhi.

In this seminar, we are going to focus on 3 parts of Ashtanga Yoga that are most pertinent to developing concentration. They are Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara.

Asanas are yoga exercises contained in Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga is an exercise system that harmonizes the physical body with the spiritual energies within it. When done properly Hatha Yoga is able to remove stress, lethargy and  depression from the mind. It is also a form of physical exercise for the body to keep it fit and healthy. When done in sync with breathing techniques and colour visualization related to a particular asana, Hatha Yoga can bring about amazing results in both our body and mind, including enhancement of concentration.

Pranayamas are breathing techniques that effect the state of our mind. It is mainly done to focus the mind into deep states of concentration. There are hundreds of Pranayama techniques that create all sorts of effects from increasing body heat to stimulating the kundalini force. In, and of itself, Pranayama is a very potent practice. Its potentness increases when done after preparing the mind for concentration by doing Hatha Yoga or doing pranayama after prayers.

Pratyaharas are techniques that focus the subconscious mind into a singular purpose. There are many varied techniques in pratyahara to achieve concentration of the subconscious (which is a much more powerful state compared to the concentration of the conscious mind). These techniques include japa yoga, colour meditation and affirmations. Pratyahara techniques aim to clear the mind from cumbersome or negative tendencies that obstruct the ability to concentrate the subconscious. It also works on the causal potential of our life, through auto suggestive techniques such as affirmations to develop a positive future for ourselves.

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Yogic Personal Development Seminars Intro

Yogic Personal Development Seminar Subjects

The Yogic Personal Development Seminars focuses on self-motivation, self-inspiration and self-help subjects, such as Concentration, Time Management, Willpower, The Power of Acceptance and Forgiveness, God Within and God Realized. These seminars are based on teachings and practices contained within Ashtanga Yoga. It pieces together different combinations of Hatha Yoga, meditation and other esoteric yoga practices with the ultimate goal of empowering the participant with the knowledge and practices to help him or her gain mastery over the powerful forces of the body, mind and emotions. It is based on the yogic view that the microcosm within ourselves is ultimately reflected in the macrocosm outside us. Thus using this principle, if we are able to gain control over our body and mind; and manage these effectively we can ultimately mould the life around us to reflect likewise. It is gaining control over the forces of life by working within ourselves and empowering ourselves from inside out.

Click here for the Seminar Subject Listing

The Experience of Parashakti

Experiencing Parashakti 

The experince of Parashakti through savikalpa samadhi requires meditative mastery. However Parashakti being the Life of our life,  can also be experiened through non-meditative activities. These experiences are similar to the experience of savikalpa samadhi, though less intense. When we identify these samadhis in our life, we can appreciate just how close and immediate God’s presence is to us. These are blissful and inspiring experiences of Parashakti. Learning to identify these experiences can help us achieve savikalpa samadhi through meditation. Following are four such activities that can lead to savikalpa samadhi.

1. Acts of Devotion, Bhakti: When we perform puja, sing devotional hymns such as bhajans or thevarams, chant mantras, perform japa, our mind becomes naturally concentrated on God. As we lose ourselves in devotion, worldly tensions and worries dissolve from the mind. When this happens we can attain savikalpa samadhi. When we do, we will experience a blissful peace come upon us. It will be inspiring and exhilerating, infusing us with positive feeelings. This is experiencing Parashakti through devotion.

2. Acts of Selfless Service, Daana: When we perform a good deed for someone out of kindness without expectation of reward in return, we are sharing in God’s benevolent nature. Our mind and God’s mind merge at that moment of kindness and we feel a serene sense of joyful fulfilment and upliftment. This is experiencing Parashakti by serving others. This feeling is not to be mistaken for the good feelings we feel as a result of the gratitude from the recepient of our deed; instead the experience of Parashakti is a feeling of satisfaction that comes as we touch into God within us. This is the result of the fulfillment of the compassion that drives us to do acts of kindness. When we perform such selfless acts to family, friends, strangers and even animals we open ourselves to Parashakti.

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The Shivalingam and Its Worship

The Shivalingam (lingam for short) is an ubiquitous representation of God in Hinduism. It is as prevalent a form of worship as is Lord Ganesha. The worship of the lingam can be found in all the sects of Hinduism. Even in the Vaishnava sect, lingam worship is present as Ishwara instead of Shivalingam. In all the other sects of Hinduism the lingam is called Shivalingam. 

Shivalingam means the mark of Shiva; lingam means mark or symbol. The Shivalingam or Ishwara represents God in His/Her third Aspect of Parabrahman. In this Aspect God is absolutely transcendent. So transcendent that this Aspect of God is aloof from existence, yet mysteriously connected. The transcendence of Parabrahman limits the experience of Parabrahman to the depths of meditation–in the state of nirvikalpa samadhi. Thus one cannot experience Parabrahman through worship or in ordinary consciousness as one can the other two aspects of God. Yet the Shivalingam is an object of worship. The place for the Shivalingam in worship is more a symbolic reminder to the devotee about his or her ultimate goal of life–that is to Realize God; one gains full realization of God only after realizing God as Parabrahman through nirvikalpa samadhi. 

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The Morphogenetic Field Theory

The Morphogentic Field (M-Field),

Satchitananda Connection

Satchitananda is another name for God's second Aspect of Parashakti. Satchitananda can be described as a field of God's Divine Intelligence, Divine Consciousness and Love that is All-Pervasive. All-Pervasive refers to an attribute of something or substance that exists as a continuous field everywhere and through everything. When one is in touch or in tune with this field of God's energy, he or she will be able to make optimum decisions and leads life with a positive attitude. Most modern 'self-help' techniques that are taught by motivation gurus  are the same as spiritual techniques of living life intune with Satchitananda.

In scientific circles too there is beginning to be wider acceptance amongst the community of the existence of an universal and interconnecting field of consciousness or intelligence. This universal field is proposed in the theory of The Morphogenetic Field or the M-field. It was first proposed by scientist-philosopher, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, in the 1980’s. Essentially it explains that all life forms are connected by some sort of 'intelligent' field through which information can pass from one life form to another, usually of the same species, instantaneously regardless of the distance between them.

This field is used to explain some obvious experiences we encounter that are yet to be explained in mainstream science. For instance we can easily vouch that children of each successive generation pickup faster on new technologies than the generations before them. We can easily surmise that children are more savvy with computers than their parents or grand parents. Research has shown that children instinctively know advances of their previous generations without even being taught. This is obvious in the creation of new languages. It is found in Creole communities, where children who are born to the first and second generation of parents who created Creole languages know how the grammar of the language worked instinctively–that is through some invisible natural process without being taught by another person. (Creole languages are new languages that are created when different communities who speak different languages blend to form a new community.)

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How God Appears

Appearance of God in the Life of Saints

Hindu Scriptures and biographies of its saints and sages are replete with experiences of God in many ways. Devotees have testified to relating to God on Earth, having God appear in dreams or in visions, experiencing miraculous events that are attributed to God's Grace and so forth.

One of the best ways to learn about how God appears to devotees is to read the biographies of saints and sages. It is better than the study of myths because the story of saints and sages are derived from recorded history that are evidenced from records written by them or eye-witnesses or from monuments such as temples that are dedicated to the history of the saint or sage. These evidences lend credibility to the stories of the saints and raise them from the status of myths to occurences that are historical. Thus these stories are not make-believe but recorded true events.

In the 'Stories' section that can be found in the 'Hindu Lessons Homepage,' you will find find biographies of saints from the various Hindu traditions. In this insight we will look at some of these stories for evidences of how God can appear to devotees.

We start with Pusalar's story. Pusalar's story is testimony to one of the most common experience of devotees have of God. This is through meditation and dreams. In the story God first appears to the King Raja Simha Pallava in his dream. Such dreams can appear to anyone as God chooses. These dreams are very special and should not be considered imagination. They are blessings from God. If God gives any instructions through these dreams they should be heeded.

The other appearance of God in Pusalar's story is the sight of the Holy Face that was a psychic or meditative experience, experienced by all the attendees at Pusalar's temple of the heart, kumbha abhishegam. Such experiences occur when one is in deep meditation or in deep state of prayer. These are visions of God that a devotee sees in his or her mind as a psychic vision. It is a vision that God grants the devotee. Many a times devotees question whether the visions they have of God is real or just their imagination. The telling factor is the powerful or overwhelming emotions that the vision stimulates. One may feel profoundly peaceful, or heartily happy or intensely inspired. Intense or overwhelming emotions are usually not stimulated when one is imagining God.

In Kanappan's Story, God appears in the dream of the sage Sivakochariya and later as an apparition above the Shivalingam. Needless to say if one experiences God as an apparition it is an awesome experience as God chooses to reveal his form that can be seen by one's  physical eyes. Testimonies of such sightings of God though rare are reported now and then.

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The Mysteries of Parabrahman

 

The Mysterious Parabrahman

Unmanifest Reality, Ultimate Reality, The Self, The Self-God, The Truth, The Mystery, The Secret. These are some words that gurus who give their sermons in English use to refer to Parabrahman. 

In the Nataraja temple of Chidambaram, there is a shrine that is called the 'Chidambaram Rahasiyam.' Chidambara Rahasiyam translates to the secret of Chidambaram. This shrine is to the left of the main Lord Nataraja Shrine. If you were to stand infront  of the Chidambara Rahasiyam shrine a carved stone lattice with little openings will obstruct your view of the shrine. After the priests shows the main aarati flame to Lord Natarja, he will bring the flame to the Chidambara Rahasiyam shrine and direct your attention to it. He will then say, "Look closely, see The Secret of Chidambaram. Look closely." He will show the flame for a few more seconds in the shrine to light it to allow devotees to catch sight of The Secret. 

After the worship the priest will often ask devotees what they saw in the shrine. Devotess have testified to seeing the form of Lord Shiva or a sight like a clear star lit night sky or flashes of light among other things. What is actually in the shrine of Chidambara Rahasiyam is a curtain of bilva leaves made of gold.

 

Chidambaram Rahasiyam – The Secret of Chidambaram is the Golden Bilva Curtain to the Right

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The Forms of Parashakti

Parashakti is God's Consciousness that pervades all existence. As the orginal consciousness of all that exists Parashakti is Pure Consciousness; from which all energy, intelligence and awareness arises. Thus Parashakti is experienced and depicted in amorphous forms such as Divine Light, Pure Love, Pure Consciousness, Pure Space and Pure Intelligence. Amorphous forms are not equal to formlessness. Some Hindu scholars equate Parashakti or Satchitananda to formlessness. This is not theologically accurate. Formlessness is the realm of Parabrahman, the third Aspect of God. Infact part of the mystery of God is how form and formlessness co-exist, (It is actually a mistake for me to use the word co-exist to describe the relationship between Parashakti and Parabrahman, but this is for the lack of a better word) but then again God is All-Mighty. 

Knowledgeable Hindu pundits describe the Aspects of God tersely as: rupa – easily tangible form; rupa-arupa, form-formlessness – less tangible form, and arupa, formlessness absolutely intangible. Parashakti is rupa-arupa, less tangible form. To be clear, tangible form (rupa) is anything that is constrainted by the three dimentions of height, lenght and width, within the fourth dimension of space. In other words just about anything we can see and touch in the physical or spiritual worlds. From the spiritual perspective, rupa also includes spiritual forms, even forms we visualize in our mind are considered rupa. Whereas rupa-arupa are forms that are less tangible and not constrsint by height, lenght and width, but do take up space. Light, sound, space, even mental or spiritual space, feelings such a love and hate; all this are examples of rupa-arupa. The distinctions between the three Aspects of God, become especially important to understand properly in the quest for God Realization. Generally a guru will help the sishya with this understanding when the sishya begins to experience God mystically.

 A Meditator Experiencing Parashakti as The Divine Light

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God's Five Shaktis and Symbolism

The 5 Shaktis of God and

Their Symbolism in Deities

The five shaktis of God in His/Her first Aspect are srishti–creation, stithi–perservation, samhara–dissolution, anugraha–revealing grace and tirobhava–concealing grace.

The five shaktis or powers of God govern the universe, including our life. These powers animate nature and life. Just observe the world around, at any place and every point in time the processes of generation, preservation and destruction are in play. There is not one static moment where God's power is not active. 

When a meditator contemplates God's activity in deep meditation. He will experience how seamless, intricate and vibrant the five shaktis animate everything in his body and environment. When he comes out of meditation after this mystical experience he will explain this experience as a divine dance. This is an allegory that describes the workings of God's five shaktis. This is why in Hinduism we term God's activity as the leela or the tandava; and God is also the Divine Dancer or the King of Dance as in the form of Lord Nataraja. 

God's five shaktis operarte in all scales, from the grand cosmic scales of planetary orbits to the minutea in the workings of every cell of our body. Thus God operates in our lives in keeping the world we live in, in balance and body and mind we inhabit in equilibrium. 

In this insight section we will study each of the five shaktis in their function and see how they effect the animation of life around us and within us. The five shaktis can be divided into two category. The first is the are spiritual-physical shaktis. These are shaktis that effect spiritual as well as physical matter. The shaktis in this category are the srishti, stithi and samhara shaktis; or the powers of creation, preservation and dissolution. The other two shaktis, tirobhava and anugraha are spiritual forces, they do not effect physical matter directly. These two purely spiritual shaktis effect mainly the perceptive functions of the soul and the intellect within us.

Srishti, Stithi and Samhara

Srishti, stithi and samhara are energies of nature. Nature in the context of God's powers operates in both the spiritual and the physical realms. Spiritual nature refers to the realm of perception, thoughts and feelings; physical nature refers to the realm of physical elements and the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell). 

Srishti–Creation: The Universe orginated from God's power of Creation. According to the Scriptures and God realized gurus the impulse for Creation came out of God's Being as the vibration of the sound Aum. From the vibration Aum, energy expanded into space and continued to evolve until the creation of physical matter. The description of God's Creative impulse into the evolutes that make and govern Creation is described in the list of the tattvas. The tattvas is an evolution list of all the spiritual and physical elements that make up Creation. 

From a more practical perspective, the manifestations of God's creative energy are easily evident in life. The birth of a child, building of a new building, innovations in technology and social systems (including creation of new laws and philosophy) are all God's shakti of srishti in motion. When our body creates new cells in the process of growth or replacement, it is also srishti at work. Even the process of developing new ideas in our minds is srishti shakti; this is how intimate God is with us, that is even within the processes of our body and mind. It is said by wise gurus, that not even an atom moves but by God's will.

In forms of Paramatma, the power of Creation is represented mainly by implements of sound such as musical instruments or the conch. This is to depict that Creation began as an impulse of vibration, specifically the mystical sound Aum. The damaru drum that God Shiva holds, or the conch that God Vishnu holds or the veenai that Goddess Saraswati holds are all representative of the srishti shakti. Apart from from sound symbols, the lotus bud, writing stylus and Scriptures also represent Creation. 

Among the Trinity as described in the Vedas, Lord Brahma is the manifestation of Paramatma whose duty is Creation. In the mythical stories of the Saivite, Vaishnavite and Smarta sects of Hinduism Lord Brahma is often portrayed as the Creator. Whereas in the Shakta sect, the creator is Goddess Parvathi, or Goddess Saraswathi.

 

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Experiencing Paramatma in the Temple

Sadhana: Learning to Feel

Paramatma's Presence in the Temple

The temple is the best place to learn to feel Paramatma's Presence. This Presence is actually the shakti that Paramatma sends as blessings to us. In a temple Paramatma's shakti, continuously emanates from the deity. It is this shakti that creates the calm and serene atmosphere of a temple. It is also known as the vibration of the temple. 

The shakti that emanates from the deity is the strongest during the puja ceremony. Even if a devotee is not able to feel the shakti, he or she is still receiving this shakti blessing. The feelings this shakti evokes in us are similar to the feeling of security, care and peace that we experience when living under the care of our parents. 

God showers us with His shakti blessings when we are in prayer. To be able to feel God’s shakti enriches our life with spiritual joy. It lifts our spirits and inspires love and inspiration in our life. If you have yet to experience Paramatma's wonderful Presence, the following practice which involves temple worship can help you.This practice that I learnt from my guru will help you sensitize your physical and spiritual senses so you can start to identify and enjoy God’s ever flowing benevolent shakti. You may not feel any different when you begin this practice. However the more you practice, the more sensitive your spiritual and physical senses will become. Then, one day you will start to feel the shakti coming directly from the temple’s sanctum, overwhelming you with a warm and loving feeling welling up within your heart.

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Visions and Dreams

Visions: Experiencing God Through Dreams

One way we can experience Paramatma is through our dreams. Many wonder if their dreams of God is just their imagination like other dreams. Basically, there are two types of dreams. The first type are the normal dreams we usually have that is arises from the memory of our daily waking experiences from our past and current situations. These are, in spiritual term, called subconscious dreams. Subconscious dreams are part of our mind’s cleansing process. When we wake up these dreams fade from our memory quickly. You will find that even if it has only been a minute after waking, you will be hard pressed to recollect the details of these dreams.

The second kind of dreams are the spiritual ones. These are dreams where we meet with God or our ancestors. We often receive instructions or blessings during these dreams. Dreams that are premonitions are also in this category. My guru had explained that such spiritual dreams are visions. These spiritual meetings are events that actually took place in the heavens while our physical body slept. One of the characteristics of visions that distinguish them from normal subconscious dreams is the way they impress our memory. We remember spiritual dreams vividly. They never fade from our memory with time. In fact each time you remember the dream, you will feel as if it had just happened. 

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The Forms of Paramatma

Paramatma's Multitude of Forms

Paramatma is the First Aspect of God. The reason that Paramatma is categorized as the First Aspect is because when the dawn of faith rises in a devotee he first learns to relate to God in form; or if form is forbidden in a religion, then a symbol. The other two Aspects of God are more abstract to understand, therefore generally more difficult for a devotee to relate to in the early stages of spiritual evolution.

This is true for all religions, even if the religion strongly prohibits its devotees from worshipping any depiction of God. For instance in Islam, where assosciating God with form is blasphemy, symbolic form is nevertheless used to help with devotion. For instance the Ka'abah and the Arabic font rendition of the word Allah. Even in Buddhism, where Buddha's teachings which are purely monistic does not even acknowledge God with personality, cannot escape from the worship of form. Buddhist devotees use the figure of Buddha to represent divinity. 

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The Three Aspects of God and The Hindu Sects

The Three Aspects of God as

Represented in the Hindu Sects

There are four main sects in Hinduism. They are Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. All the sects of Hinduism believe in the existence of One Supreme Godhead and that God can appear in any form He or She wishes. They also believe in The Three Aspects of God. The Aspects of God are represented differently in the different sects of Hinduism according to the forms within the sect. Below are diagrams of the  representation of Three Aspects of God according to the Hindu sects.

Saivism

 

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The Vedic Trinity and the Three Aspects of God

The Three Aspects and The Trinity

The Three Aspects of God are Paramatma, Parashakti and Parabrahman. The Trinity or the Three Divinities in Hinduism are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. What are the similarites and diferences between these two ways of organizing our understanding of Godhead? What are the connections between the two?

First of all the main similarity between the Three Aspects and the Trinity is the number three. The main difference between the two orgainzings is that one is more complete than the other. The connection between the two is that the Trinity is contained within the first Aspect of God, that is Paramatma.

Before we go further in detail on this subject, it is important to know that I learnt about the Aspects of God from my guru. My guru created this organizing to help his disciples grasp a deeper understanding of God. The Three Aspects (my guru actually used the word perfections–the Three Perfections of God) is however, not a new concept. It is supported by the Scriptures and the experiences of Hindu mystics–The  Three Aspects as Paramatma, Parashakti and Parabrahman are all described in the Vedas and Agamas–it is just a less known concept compared to the Trinity.

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Varying Descriptions of God in the Vedas

 

How the Vedas describe God

Here are some examples of the different descriptions of God that can be found in the Vedas followed by explanations of how these verses related to the Three Aspcects of God. (To learn more about the Three Aspects of God, click here to go to Chapter 2 of Hindu Philosophy on God).

He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all. The chief foundation of this world, subtler than the subtle, eternal. That thou art, thou art That.

Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad

In this verse that God is called Supreme Brahman. He is described as being within all beings and the source of all existence. Then the bold statement that 'you are Supreme Brahman!'

Of course the rishi who proclaimed this verse was not saying that our normal personality is God. He is referring to the source of our existence that is deep within our soul, which he refers to as the Self. So God is seen as essence of all beings and the underlying bedrock of Creation. There is no reference to the form of God, though the word Supreme Brahman refers to Parabrahman the first Aspect of God who is all-transcendent.

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Insights into Hinduism

 

Insights into Hinduism Content

nsights into Hinduism are articles that elaborate important information or concepts that are contained within the main articles of My Hindu Page's site. They offer a deeper understanding on a certain subject or concept within an article. This page is a collection of all the insights contained within My Hindu Page's articles. Apart from this section, you can access these insights from the articles at relevant places by clicking on the links that look like this:  This section which is a collection of  all the insights that support information in the articles of My Hindu Page. There is no particular organization to this list. The insights within an article will be tagged in bold red font such as– Insight: Read about varying descriptions of God in the Vedas.

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Hindu Resources Homepage

Welcome to My Hindu Page's

Hindu Resources Homepage

Hindu Resources is the 'this and that' miscellaneous section of My Hindu Page's website. Among the items planned for this section of My Hindu Page is a comprehensive and expanding Hindu names database, photo galleries on Hindu subjects, art galleries, video and audio clips, games, mobile downloads. This part of the site is meant to enrich the visitor's experience of My Hindu Page with visual and multimedia presentations; to provide more leisurely surfing of the site and to provide tools such as the Hindu Names database. Items available on the site are listed on the following list. If you would like to participate in providing material for My Hindu Page's Hindu Resources, please send an email to submissions@myhindupage.org. To send your name to be included in the Hindu Names database, please send it to names@myhindupage.org. Please read the copyright paragraph at the end of each page for instructions on downloading and usage of the material cotained in this section of the site. 

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Hindu Glossary

My Hindu Page Glossary

This glossary provides broader and deeper definition of selected words and terms from the entire My Hindu Page website. The words are arranged alphabetically. You can browse through the entire glossary to learn about the words or terms you are interested in. You can also access the glossary by clicking on the highlighted text (italicized and red coloured text) in the articles of the site.

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Community Homepage

 

Welcome to My Hindu Page's Community Homepage

The Community Pages of My Hindu Page is a web portal for individuals to air their views and for Hindu organizations to publish or announce their activities. It is hoped this site will also be a place for Hindus to network and work together across borders. This is My Hindu Page's community service project. If you have views on Hinduism that you are passionate about and would like to share with others; if you lead an Hindu organization or are part of one and would like to publish the organization's activities online; if you would like to highlight a temple within your community; if you would like to share testimonies of divine miracles that have happened in your life, you can do it here in My Hindu Page's Community Pages. Below is a list of categories that is currently open for postings (Page is still under construction, the links are not active yet). Each category will be organized differently. Some for instance, will be organized according to countries, such as temples, others according to content topics. The simple rules for postings are described within each of the categories below. This is however, not an open posting site. All postings are vetted by the webmaster and then posted in the site. If you would like to send articles or items for posting in the Community Pages you may send it to submissions@myhindupage.org. Please read the copyright paragraph at the end of each page for instructions on downloading and usage of the material cotained in this section of the site. (Note: If you are sending attachments with your email please use your email client and send it to submissions@myhindupage.org, the online email form on this site does not support attachements).  

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Kanappan’s Story

Kanappan literally means, “father of the eye.” This is not Kanappan’s original name. The name his parents gave him was Thinnan. He got the name Kanappan in referance to his saintly act of devotion for which he is recognized as a nayanar.

Kanappan’s story starts with his parents. His parents were Nagan his father and Thaththai his mother. They were forest dwellers, adivasis who made their living collecting meat and plant products from the forest. Their community lived in the forest surrounding the famed Thirupathi Venkatesvara temple. This community was feared by the villagers surrounding the forests. The tribesmen occasionally stole livestock from the villagers, and any villager caught wandering in the forests would be robbed. They were also famed archers. Occasionally kings would send messengers to the tribe to recruit young men as archers for their army. Nagan was the leader of this community and he was their most accomplished archer. Nagan though famous for his archery and courage was hardly known as a pious man. However after years of being childless, he and his wife began to pray fervently to Lord Murugan for an heir. Their prayers was answered and Thathai gave birth to a son whom they named Thinnan.

When Thinnan was born, it was said, his father could not carry him because he was too heavy by virtue of some spiritual force. Thinnan grew up to be a strong young man admired by his community. He had mastered the art of archery even at a young age and became the fastest runner in his village. As Nagan was getting older, he decided that it was time for Thinnan to be the leader of the community. As a leader, one of the duties of Thinnan was to lead the annual hunting party. According to the custom of the adivasis, once a year the hunters of the adivasi communities from different parts of the forest will gather at Nagan’s village and go on a massive hunt to fill their stores with animal products. Before they go for the hunt they will pray together the night before to the nature deities for permission for the hunt and their safety. It was on such an occasion that Nagan announced to all the hunters that Thinnan is their new leader and he would lead the hunt.

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The Swami and His Samadhi

Swami Sivananda Sarasvati was a guru who lived near the famed city of Jaipur around the 1600s. He was widely known in Jaipur as he was acknowledged to be enlightened and was well known for his simplicity in teaching religion. Swami Sivananda Sarasvati was an ardent devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. Even during his quiet moments he could be heard whispering, "Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ; Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare.”

Swami Sivananda Sarasvati kept a strict daily schedule of meeting his congregation. He would usually give a sermon first and then lead his congreagation in devotional singing in praise of Lord Sri Krishna. After that each devotee would come up to him and he would whisper in their ears, “Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ; Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare” and then apply tilak on their forehead. He would also answer any personal questions the devotee might have then. 

After giving time to his devotees for nine days Swami Sivananda Sarasvati will take a two day break. During his break he meets no devotees. Most of the devotees think that Swami Sivananda is resting on these days. However Swami’s closest devotees know that on these days the Swami intensifies his spiritual disciplines and enters samadhi.

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The Divine Play

The following story comes from the Saivite collection of stories called the Tiruvilaiyadal. Tiruvilaiyadal means divine play or divine games. The Tiruvilaiyadal consists of 64 stories of Lord Shiva’s appearance in the sacred and ancient city of Madurai in Tamilnadu, South India. This particular story is part of the life history of Saint Manickavasagar, who is a nayanar. Like Pusalar’s story this story also involves a saint, a king and God Shiva.

Madurai in its ancient days was the capital of the Pandiyan Kingdom. It was a famed city for its richness in religious culture, Tamil academia, agriculture and commerce. Madurai is also home to one of the biggest temple complexes in India, the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple, which is dedicated to God Shiva and His consort Meenakshi.

Before Manickavasagar nayanar turned his life’s quest to religion and became a saint, he was the Prime Minister (his name was Thiruvadhaoorar then) to the Pandiyan King of Madurai. The King was very fond of Thiruvadhaoorar and was secure in the trust he had for Thiruvadhaoorar. 

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Pusalar's Story

Pusalar lived about a thousand years ago in Tamilnadu, South India. He was one of 63 Tamil Saivite saints. These 63 saints are affectionately called nayanars. Each of the nayanars earned their sainthood by leading an examplary life of devotion to God. The story of Pusalar nayanar’s life is an inspiring one that teaches some of the essential truths and practices of Hinduism.

Pusalar was a simple and humble man. He was a priest who attended to a small shrine in his village–Thirunindraoor. He also worked in paddy fields for a simple wage of food and lodging, that was a simple hut by the paddy fields. He lived alone. He spent the day working in the fields until the sun became too hot to work under. After that he would spend his time singing devotional hyms to God and in meditation under his favourite illupai tree by the padi fields. People rarely visited him. He would usually be in his hut by himself except for the occasional trip to the village township to buy some supplies.

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Hindu Stories Content

In Hinduism we have a huge treasure chest when it comes to myths, legends, biographies and parables. Take for instance the Mahabharata, which is recognized as the world's longest epic. Within the Mahabharata alone you can find hundred's of stories that relate to everything from moral conduct, warrior ethics to examples of true devotion, sacrifice and life's important values. In the middle of this mighty epic there is the Hindu Scripture the Bhagavad Gita. Then there are the legends of God that are enshrined in the Puranas of each sect, like the Shiva Puranas or the Vishnu Puranas. The biographies of Hindu saints and gurus, ancient and contemporary, are also sources of inspiring stories that amplifiy truths enshrined in Hindu beliefs and provide life examples of Hindu virtuous conduct. Hindu parables that come from the Pancha Tantra is among the favourite litearature of Hindu children, was written over 2,000 years ago. The stories in this section will come from these sources and more.

Stories are great vehicle for teaching Hinduism without preaching. But for the teaching to be effective we must learn to draw whatever lessons we can from the stories. Thus each story  in the growing list below is proceeded with an article on the lessons that can be drawn from each story. These stories are written so that parents or teachers can tell or read them to children. Some of these stories are also referenced in some of the lessons in the other topics. So you will find links to the stories appearing in different lessons because they provide amplification of the beliefs or examples of conduct disscussed in those lessons.

There is no particular organization for this list of stories at the moment. But as the list of stories grows, they will be organized in some form. For now you can go through the short summary below the title of the stories to choose stories you would like to read.

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God (Part 3 of 3)

 

2.8 God: Part Three

The Final Conclusions: Introduction

God’s presence is tangible. As a person to relate to, or as the divine powers of love and pure energy that sustains our existence, God is an experiential reality for some and one that can be for everyone. It is the goal of the Hindu religion to take its devotees beyond intellectual faith in God to a faith in God based on personal experience. 

To this end, Hinduism is replete with practices, such as different styles of personal worship and meditations that a devotee can learn and practice. However Hinduism does not force upon its followers that they must realize God or even have the desire to know God in this very lifetime. Hindu teachings reveal that the spiritual evolution of the soul occurs over many lifetimes, and that the desire for the experience of God is a desire that develops from the very core of our soul as part of a natural process. So if you are Hindu and have no desire whatsoever to know God, don't worry, it doesn’t mean that you are not a good Hindu or anything like that. If, for now, all Hinduism is to you is a means of providing you with a structure for an ethical or cultured life then so be it; because one day, perhaps in another lifetime, you will suddenly begin to yearn to see God or want to feel His or Her presence as if your life depended on it. In the meantime we can at least prepare ourselves by gaining more knowledge about the path leading to God and nurture faith in God.

The path to ‘knowing God,’ begins with clearing misconceptions we may have about God. The previous two lessons of this series examined how it is that in Hinduism, though there are many forms of God, we believe in one Supreme Godhead. The lessons explored The Three Aspects of God. These three Aspects explain the variety of experiences we may have of God and how having these experiences relate to the salvation of our soul. Part three, contains the concluding part of our exploration of God’s nature. 

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God (Part 2 of 3)

  

2.4 God: Part Two–Introduction

We will continue our exploration of God’s nature in Part Two of this chapter. In Part One, it was explained that in Hinduism our wise gurus have thought us that there are three unique Aspects of God. The Aspects of God are Paramatma, Parashakti and Parabrahman. We learnt that Paramatma is the Personal God who creates, loves and cares for His creation. We also learnt that Paramatma can take on various human-like or animal-like forms to communicate or relate to His or Her devotees. In Part Two we will explore God’s nature as Parashakti and Parabrahman. The experience of these two Aspects of God, are crucial achievements in our spiritual evolution toward moksha.

In this part about God you will find the sanskrit word samadhi appearing quite often. Samadhi is the term for two meditative states that are related to Parashakti and Parabrahman that are the goals of yoga practice. The states of samadhi occur when the awareness of the meditator, becomes so attuned to God consciousness that the meditator's awareness merges in undifferentiated union with God. When a meditator achieves the state of samadhi, he realizes his unity or oneness with God and the process of enlightenment begins to take hold in his life. 

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God (Part 1 of 3)

 

2.1 God: Part One–Introduction

Have you ever experienced or realized God? 

Perhaps you are thinking that this is a question that is above you. Perhaps you believe in God and have faith in God's existence. Whether you have had a personal direct experience of God–well, isn't that the realm of prophets or a select few lucky people on Earth? If this is what you think, than I have good news for you. 

The goal of Hinduism is to guide its followers to have personal experiences of God. Such experiences of God Realization, which is also known as enlightenment or samadhi in yogic circles are the precursor to achiveing salvation, which in Hinduism is moksha. Moksha is freedom for our soul from having to undergo the continuous cycle of reincarnation on Earth, thus enjoying eternal life in the heavens. This is the destiny of all souls on earth, yours and mine included.

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Hindu Philosophy Chapters

 

Hindu Philosophy Chapters Content

 

To understand Hinduism one must start with its philosophy. Hindu philosophy is the source of all its practices. Even basic knowledge of Hindu philosophy will shed a deeper light in the understanding Hindu practices such as meditation, hatha yoga, puja and Hindu culture. 

For instance, hatha yoga, the Hindu system of exercise is very mainstream. People all over the world are learning it mainly for its benefits of reducing stress and other health benefits that have been researched and promoted by the medical profession. However these benefits are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. When you learn Hindu philosophy you will find out that Hatha Yoga was devised essentially as a preparation for deep and profound meditation. It is an important practice in the path of God-Realization and enlightenment. The health benefits are by-products of the practice and not the ultimate goal.Armed with this knowledge, if you are interested in pursuing deeper aspects of meditative practices such as achieving God-Realization, you might look for a yoga master who is also a spiritual guru. Then you will be able to learn a richer, deeper and more subtle level of the pracitce that you would otherwise have missed if you learned Yoga from a master thought to think of it only as physical exercise. This applies to all aspects of Hindu culture. The study of its philosophy makes the practice of Hinduism to a deeper and more profound level of experience.

This presentation of Hindu philosophy is divided into 12 chapters listed below. These chapters will provide a general overview of Hinduism. Keeping in mind that Hinduism is actually a collection of sectarian cultures, these chapters draw on the common beliefs and practices of the 4 main Hindu Sects. The subtle differences in Hindu philosophy among the main Hindu sects are addressed in the final chapter.

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Hindu Lessons Homepage

 

Welcome to the Hindu Lessons Homepage 

This is the master directory for all of My Hindu Page’s knowledgebank. The lessons in these pages are grouped into a list of topics. Each topic contains lesson chapters or articles. Currently the the topic in construction are Hindu Philosophy, Stories, Insights into Hinduism and the Glossary. More topics will be published in time. Please check this page for updates. Below you will find a short description of what you can find in each topic.

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