"I don't think people realize just how gentle, considerate, and intelligent these huge beasts are. They need our protection and our love and in return, they will give their very life, their total dedication in service to us. Can anyone say that about a tractor? Does a tractor soften our hearts or teach us lessons of life? Can a tractor show us the

Meditation is not well understood. If it were, it would be practiced with the same regularity with which people take care of the other elements of their lives. In this brief article, I hope to explain the value of this Eastern idea of doing nothing as a way to experience inner depth and wisdom. The inner person has often been called the so

Ratha yatra is the celebration of when Lord Krishna (Lord Jagannatha) left Dvaraka and attended a religious function in the holy pilgrimage site, Kuruksetra, around 5,000 years ago. He was traveling on a big opulent chariot along with His sister, Subhadra, and elder brother Balarama, to Vrindavan. In remembrance of that incident, Ratha Yatra, the F

The Srimad Bhagavatam, or the Bhagavad Puran, is considered the main Puranic text of Vedic literature. Its main focus is on the process of bhakti yoga (loving devotion to the Supreme Lord) in which Krishna is understood as bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brief Scientific Overview: Known as 'the ripe fruit of the Vedic literatur

The Bhagavad Gita, The Song of God, is a conversation from the Mahabharata, comprising of 700 verses and 18 chapters. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge and one of the most important Upanisads, The Gitopanishad. Krishna, as the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita, is referred to within as Bhagavan, or The Supreme Personality of Godhead. The verses thems

Millions of people all over the world are finally taking interest in the Bhagavat Gita. In this article, we shall take a closer look at the recent, enlivened edition titled "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" with commentaries and translations by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Text 23 Nainam chindanti sastrani naina

The Chaitanya Charitamrita is one of the three main biographies detailing the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Krishna as a devotee, and revivor of the Gaudiya Vaishnava culture. It was composed by Srila Krishna Das Kaviraja Goswami (1496), in Bengali language, but also includes some Sanskrit verses within the composition. T

Vaastu is traditionally used in India for town planning and architecture. Vaastu comes from the Vedic literature and is found in the Atharvaveda. Vaastu is also known as Sthapathya Veda. It attracts good health conditions, happiness and prosperity. There are four categories of Vaastu 1. The earth/ site - Bhoomi, on which everything stands 2

The latest research in Vedic Math suggests that there are sixteen ancient Vedic Sutras which have been expanded upon by an additional thirteen sub-Sutras or math corollaries. A brief discussion on each of these is in order. The 16 Vedic Math Sutras as applicable to mathematics: 1. "Ekadhikena Purvena" (By one more than the previous one) Th

In our modern age of computers and calculators, a lot of people have practically stopped developing skills of mental arithmetic and mental math. What school child hasn't asked, "Why do I need to learn that? I can do it on my calculator...blah blah" That really puts a teacher on the spot. And that is just the beginning; learning tables, multiplyi

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and an important part of the Hindu canon. The Ramayana consists of 24,000 verses in seven cantos and tells the story of Rama, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravan. Like its epic cousin Mahabharata, the Ramayana is not just an ordinary story. It conta

Reincarnation is the belief that when one dies, one's body decomposes, but the soul travels to another body. It is a belief that one has lived before and will live again in another body after death. The bodies one passes through need not be human. One may have been a Doberman (dog of German origin) in a past life, and may probably be a little rat i

To understand the meanings of liberation and immortality one must first agree on a common point and from there we shall proceed with the explanation. First of all, the body is temporary and the soul is eternal. The soul is the actual living entity that gives consciousness to the body. Without the soul, the body dies and decomposes with time. The qu

The Yamuna is a major tributary of the Ganga in northern India. Actually it is the main tributary. It is around 1400 kilometers long and therefore it is the longest tributary of the Ganga. According to sacred scriptures, the Yamuna is said to be the sister of the Ganga and that both of them descended from the spiritual world to purify the material

Traditionally, Hindus ascribe the authorship of the Mahabharata to Vyasa. The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who, at the request of Vyasa, wrote down the text to Vyasa's dictation. Ganesha is said to have agreed to write it only on condition that Vyasa never pause in his recitation. Vyasa agreed, providing that Ganesha