Kantha Sasthi Kavasam Introduction

In religion, there are three parts viz philosophy,
mythology, and ritual. Philosophy is the essence of
religion. It sets forth its basic principles or fundamental
doctrines or tenets, the goal and the means of attaining
it. Mythology explains and illustrates philosophy by
means of legendary lives of real men or supernatural
beings. Ritual gives a still more concrete form to
philosophy so that everyone may understand it. The
Puranas contain various myths. Skanda Purana is one of
the most important of the Puranas.

The Skanda Purana richly illustrates the advent of Lord
Murugan and His Lilas. It states that at one time the
Devas were strongly oppressed by the Asura Sooran, and
his brothers, Tharagan and Singan. Being unable to bear
their ill treatment they prayed to Lord Siva and out of His
abundance of compassion ejected six sparks from his
third eye, the inner eye of intuition and threw them in
the Ganges, but as Ganges could not bear the intensity of
the heat, threw them into the Saravana Poykai. This is
where Lord Murugan was born, hence He is called
Saravanabhavan. The six sparks took the form of six
babies and they were brought up by Karthigai Pengal.
Thus, He is called Karthikeyan. God Mother Umadevi
embraced all together and Lord Subramanya took a form

with six heads and 12 hands. He is also called Guhan,
Murugan, Shanmugan, and Velayutham. Guha’ means
“one who dwells in the cave of the heart” or “In-dweller
of the heart.”
Lord Murugan killed Tharagan and Singan at first. They
represent Karma Mala, and Maya Mala. Soorapathman
represents Anava Mala (ego). According to Saiva
Siddhanta Philosophy, Anava Mala is not completely
destroyed but remains dormant when the soul attains
bliss. Skanda Purana reveals that when Lord
Subramaniya’s Velayutham killed Soorapathman by
splitting his body into two parts, one part took the form
of a cock and adorned His flag, while the other took the
form of a peacock and became His chariot.
Soorapathman was killed by Lord Murugan on the Sashti
Day i.e. the Sixth day after the new moon in the month
of Ipasi (October—November). That is the day on which
He bestowed boon on all His devotees. All the six days
including the Sashti day are regarded as auspicious days
for worship and all those who fast and pray to Lord
Murugan receive special boons from Him. It is said
devotees who fast on all six days get the following exils
eradicated: Kama (desire), Grotha (anger), Loba
(miserliness), Moha (avariciousness), Matha (ego), and
Macharium (jealousy).

Lord Murugan is another manifestation of Lord Siva –
born as a ray of light from Sivan’s pure consciousness.
Valli and Deivayanai are His two wives. They represent
the power of will (ichcha-sakthi) and the power of action
(kriya-sakthi), respectively. The six heads represent the
six rays or attributes. They also indicate Murugan’s
control over the five organs of Knowledge as well as the
mind. That His head is turned in all directions signifies He
is all-pervading. They indicate that He can multiply and
assume forms at His will.

Kanthar Sashti Kavasam is a famous Tamil hymn in
praise of Lord Murugan. It is composed by Sri Devaraya
Swamigal and helps one to obtain the grace of the Lord.
It is sung particularly on festive occasions, such as during
Kanthar Sashti in October-November. When chanted
daily with concentration and devotion, the kavasam
serves as a protective ‘armour’ for devotees and confers
great spiritual and material benefits. This rare and
valuable treasure helps one to be successful in our daily
lives.

Lalitha Navarthna malai

Lalitha Navarthna malai by Guruji Swami Haridas Giri


Gyana ganesha sharanam sharanam
Gyana skandha sharanam sharanam
Gyana sathguru sharanam sharanam
Gyanaanandaa sharanam sharanam

Kaappu

Aakkum thozhil aiyindanatranalam
Pookkum nagaiyaal bhuvanesvari paal
Serkum navarathina malai inaik
Kaakkum gananagayava ranamey

Vairam

Katrum theliyaar kaadegathiyai
Kan moodi nedung kanavaana thavam
Petrum theriyaar ninaiyennil avam
Perugum pizhaiyen pesaththagumo

Patrum vayira padaival vayirap
Paghaivarkemanaga yeduththavalaey
Vatraadha arut chunaiye varuvai
Matha jaya om lalithaam bhigaiye

Neelam

Moolakkanaley sharanam sharanam
Mudiyaa mudaley sharanam sharanam
Kolak kiliye sharanam sharanam
Kundraadaoli kuvaiye sharanam
Neelath thirumeniyiley ninaivai
Ninaivatreliyen nindren
Vaalaikkumari varuvai varuvai
Matha jaya om lalithaam bhigaye

Muthu
Muththey varummuththozhilatridavey
Mun nindralum mudalvii sharanam
Viththey vilaivey sharanam sharanam
Vedaantha nivasiniye sharanam
Thaththeyriyanaan danayan thaai nee
Sagaadha varam tharavey varuvai
Maththeyrudhadik kinaivaazh vudaiyen
Matha jaya om lalithaam bhighaye

Pavazham

Andhi mayangiya vanavi dhaanam
Annai nadam seyiyum aanandha media
Sindhai niram pavazham pozhiparoar
Thembozhilaamidhu seidhavaLaaro
Yendha idaththum manaththum iruppaal
Yennuvavar karuL yennam mighizhthaL
Mandira vedamayapporulaanaal
Matha jaya om lalithaam bhighaye

Manikkam
Kaanak kidaiyaak gathiyanavaley
Karudhak kidaiya kalaiyanavaley
Poonak kidaiyai puviyanavaley
Pudumaik kidaiyai pudumaiththavaley
Naanith thirunaamumnin thudiyum
Navila thavarai nadaathavaley
Maanikka oli kadirey varuvai
Matha jaya om lalithambhigaiye

Maraghadam

Maragadha vadivey sharanam sharanam
Madhuridhapadamey sharanam sharanam
Surapadipaniyath thigazhvai sharanam
Sruthijathi layamey isaiye sharanam
Hara hara shiva yendradiyavar kuzhuma
Avararul pera arulamudhey sharanam
Varanava nidhiye sharanam sharanam
Matha jaya om lalithaam bhigaye

Komedhagam

Bhoomeyviyanaan puriyum seyalgal
Pondraa payanum kundra varamum
Theemel idinum jaya sakthiyena
Didamaai adiyen mozhiyum thiranum
Komedhagame kulirvaan nilavey
Kuzhal vaai mozhiye varuvai tharuvai
Maameruviley valar kokilamey

Padhmaragham

Ranjini nandhini angina padhuma
Raaghavi kaasavi yaabhini ambha
Sanjala rogha nivarini vaani
Saambhavi Chandra kaladhari rani
Anjana meni alankruda poorani
Amrutha swaroopini nidhiya kalyaani
Manjula meru sringha nivaasini
Matha jaya om lalithambhigaiye

Vaidhooryam

Valaiyoththavinai kalaiyoththa manam
Marulapparaiyaa roliyoth thavidaal
Nilaiyatreliyen mudiyath thaghumo
NighaLam thughaLaaga varam tharuvai
Alaiyatr asaivartraanubhoothi perum
Adiyaar mudivaazh vaidhooriyamey
Malayaththuvasan maghaley varuvai
Matha jayaom lalithaam bhigaye

Payan

Yevar yethinamum isaivai
Lalitha navarathna malai navindriduvaar
Avar arputha sakthi yellam adaivaar
Shivarathnamaai thigazhvar avarey

The 10 Vedicpractices, Niyama

Niyama 1 - Remorse, Hri
Allow yourself the expression of remorse, being modest
and showing shame for misdeeds. Recognize your
errors, confess and make amends. Sincerely apologize
to those hurt by your words or deeds. Resolve all contention
before sleep. Seek out and correct your faults and
bad habits. Welcome correction as a means to bettering
yourself. Do not boast. Shun pride and pretension.
Moderate Appetite, Mitahara

Niyama 2 - Contentment, Santosha
Nurture contentment, seeking joy and ser enity
in life. Be happy, smile and uplift others. Live
in constant gratitude for
your health, your friends and your belongings, Don’t
complain about what you don’t possess. Identify with
the eternal You, rather than mind, body or emotions.
Keep the mountaintop view that life is an opportunity
for spiritual progress.

Niyama 3 - Giving, Dana
Be generous to a fault, giving
liberally without thought of reward. Tithe, offering onetenth
of your gross income (dashamamsha), as God’s
money, to temples, ashrams and spiritual organizations.
Approach the temple with offerings. Visit gurus with gifts
in hand. Donate religious literature. Feed and give to those
in need. Bestow your time and talents without seeking
praise. Treat guests as God.

Niyama 4 - Faith, Astikya
Cultivate an unshakable
faith. Believe fi rmly in God, Gods, guru and your path
to enlightenment. Trust in the words of the masters,
the scriptures and traditions. Practice devotion
and sadhana to inspire experiences that build
advanced faith. Be loyal to your lineage, one with your
satguru. Shun those who try to break your faith by
argument and accusation.

Niyama 5 - Worship, Ishvara-Pujana
Cultivate devotion through
daily worship and meditation. Set aside one room of
your home as God’s shrine. Offer fruit, fl owers or food
daily. Learn a simple puja and the chants. Meditate after
each puja. Visit your shrine before and after leaving the
house. Worship in heartfelt devotion, clearing the inner
channels to God, Gods and guru so their grace fl ows
toward you and loved ones.

Niyama 6 - Scriptural Listening, Siddhanta Shravana
Eagerly hear the scriptures,
study the teachings and listen to the wise of your
lineage. Choose a guru, follow his path and don’t waste
time exploring other ways. Read, study and, above all,
listen to readings and dissertations
by which wisdom fl ows from knower to seeker.
Avoid secondary texts that preach violence. Revere and
study the revealed scriptures, the Vedas and Agamas.

Niyama 7 - Cognition, Mati
Develop a spiritual will and
intellect with your satguru’s guidance. Strive for knowledge
of God, to awaken the light within. Discover the
hidden lesson in each experience
to develop a profound understanding of life and
yourself. Through meditation, cultivate intuition by
listening to the still, small voice within, by understanding
the subtle sciences, inner worlds and mystical texts.

Niyama 8 - Sacred Vows, Vrata
Embrace religious vows, rules
and observances and never waver in fulfi lling them.
Honor vows as spiritual contracts
with your soul, your community, with God, Gods
and guru. Take vows to harness
the instinctive nature. Fast periodically. Pilgrimage
yearly. Uphold your vows strictly, be they marriage,
monasticism, nonaddiction, tithing, loyalty to a lineage,
vegetarianism or nonsmoking.

Niyama 9 - Recitation, Japa
Chant your holy mantra daily,
reciting the sacred sound, word or phrase given by
your guru. Bathe fi rst, quiet the mind and concentrate
fully to let japa harmonize, purify and uplift you. Heed
your instructions and chant the prescribed repetitions
without fail. Live free of anger so that japa strengthens
your higher nature. Let japa quell emotions and
quiet the rivers of thought.

Niyama 10 - Austerity, Tapas
Practice austerity, serious
disciplines, pen ance and sacrifice. Be ardent in worship,
meditation and pilgrimage. Atone for misdeeds through
penance (prayashchitta), such as 108 prostrations or
fasting. Perform self-denial, giving up cherished possessions,
money or time. Fulfi ll severe aus terities at special
times, under a satguru’s guidance, to ignite the inner
fi res of self-transformation.

Hinduism’s Code of Conduct

How often do you see a professional team of people
misbehave on the job? You’re on a fl ight from San Francisco
to Singapore. Do the fl ight attendants bicker in the
aisle? Of course not. People at this level of business have
control of their minds and emotions. If they
didn’t, they would soon be replaced. When they are
on the job, at least, they follow a code of conduct
spelled out in detail by the corporation. It’s not unlike
the moral code of any religion, outlining sound
ethics for respect and harmony among humans.
Those seeking to be successful in life strive to fulfi
ll a moral code whether “on the job” or off. Does
Hinduism and its scriptures on yoga have such a
code? Yes: twenty ethical guidelines called yamas
and niyamas, “restraints and observances.” These
“do’s” and “don’ts” are found in the 6,000 to 8,000-
year-old Vedas, mankind’s oldest body of scripture,
and in other holy texts expounding the path of yoga.

The yamas and niyamas are a common-sense
code recorded in the fi nal section of the Vedas, called Upanishads,
namely the Shandilya and the Va ru ha. They are also
found in the Hatha Yoga Pra dipika by Gorakshanatha, the Tirumantiram
of Tirumular and in the Yoga Sutras of Pa tanjali. The
yamas and niyamas have been preserved through the centuries
as the foundation, the fi rst and second stage, of the eight-staged
practice of yoga. Yet, they are fundamental to all beings, expected
aims of everyone in society, and assumed to be fully intact for
anyone seeking life’s highest aim in the pursuit called yoga. Sage
Patanjali (ca 200 bce), raja yoga’s foremost propounder, told us,
“These yamas are not limited by class, country, time (past, present
or future) or situation. Hence they are called the
universal great vows.” Yogic scholar Swami Brahmananda
Saras wati revealed the inner science of
yama and niyama. They are the means, he said,
to control the vitarkas, the cruel mental waves or
thoughts, that when acted upon result in injury to
others, untruthfulness, hoarding, discontent, indolence
or selfi shness. He stated, “For each vitarka
you have, you can create its opposite through yama
and niyama, and make your life successful.”
The following paragraphs, with accompanying
illustrations by A. Manivel of Chennai, elucidate
the yamas and niyamas. Presented fi rst are the ten
yamas, the do not’s, which harness the instinctive
nature, with its governing impulses of fear, anger,
jealousy, selfi shness, greed and lust. Second are illustrated the
ten ni yamas, the do’s, the religious observances that cultivate
and bring forth the refi ned soul qualities, lifting awareness into
the consciousness of the higher chakras of love, compassion, selflessness,
intelligence and bliss. Together the yamas and niyamas
provide the foundation to support our yoga practice so that attainments
in higher consciousness can be sustained.


T H E 10 V E D I C R E ST R A I N TS , YA M A


Yama 1 - Noninjury, Ahimsa
Practice noninjury, not harming others by thought, word
or deed, even in your dreams. Live a kindly life, revering
all beings as expressions of the One Divine energy. Let
go of fear and insecurity, the sources of abuse. Knowing
that harm caused to others unfailingly returns to oneself,
live peacefully with God’s creation. Never be a source
of dread, pain or injury. Follow a vegetarian diet.

Yama 2 - Truthfulness, Satya
Adhere to truthfulness, refraining from lying and
betraying promises. Speak only that which is true, kind,
helpful and necessary. Knowing that deception creates
distance, don’t keep secrets from family or loved ones.
Be fair, accurate and frank in discussions, a stranger to
deceit. Admit your failings. Do not engage in slander, gossip
or backbiting. Do not bear false witness against another.

Yama 3 - Nonstealing, Asteya
Uphold the virtue of nonstealing, neither thieving, coveting
nor failing to repay debt. Control your desires and
live within your means. Do not use borrowed resources
for unintended purposes or keep them past due.
Do not gamble or defraud others. Do not renege on
promises. Do not use others’ names, words, resources or
rights without permission and acknowledgement.

Yama 4 - Divine Conduct, Brahmacharya
Practice divine conduct, controlling lust by remaining
celibate when single and faithful in marriage. Before
marriage, use vital energies in study, and after marriage in
creating family success. Don’t waste the sacred force by
promiscuity in thought, word r deed. Be restrained with
the opposite sex. Seek holy ompany. Dress and speak
modestly. Shun pornography, exual humor and violence.

Yama 5 - Patience, Kshama
Exercise patience, restraining ntolerance with people
and impatience with circumstances.
Be agreeable. Let others behave according
to their nature, without adjusting to you. Don’t argue,
dominate conversations or interrupt others. Don’t be in
a hurry. Be patient with children
and the elderly. Minimize stress by keeping worries
at bay. Remain poised in good times and bad.

Yama 6 - Steadfastness, Dhriti
Foster steadfastness, overcoming
nonperseverance, fear, indecision and changeableness.
Achieve your goals with a prayer, purpose, plan,
persistence and push. Be fi rm in your decisions. Avoid
sloth and procrastination. Develop willpower, courage
and industriousness. Overcome obstacles. Never
carp or complain. Do not let
opposition or fear of failure result in changing strategies.

Yama 7 - Compassion, Daya
Practice compassion, conquering
callous, cruel and insensitive feelings toward all
beings. See God ev erywhere. Be kind to people, animals,
plants and the Earth itself.
Forgive those who apologize and show true remorse.
Foster sympathy for others’ needs and suffering. Honor
and assist those who are weak, impoverished, aged
or in pain. Oppose family abuse and other cruelties.

Yama 8 - Honesty, Arjava
Maintain honesty, renouncing
deception and wrongdoing. Act honorably even in
hard times. Obey the laws of your nation and locale.
Pay your taxes. Be straightforward in business. Do an
honest day’s work. Do not bribe or accept bribes. Do
not cheat, deceive or circumvent
to achieve an end. Be frank with yourself. Face
and accept your faults without blaming them on others.

Yama 9 - Moderate Appetite, Mitahara
Be moderate in appetite,
neither eating too much nor consuming meat, fi sh,
shellfi sh, fowl or eggs. Enjoy fresh, wholesome vegetarian
foods that vitalize the body. Avoid junk food. Drink in
moderation. Eat at regular times, only when hungry,
at a moderate pace, never between meals, in a disturbed
atmosphere or when upset. Follow a simple diet,
avoiding rich or fancy fare.

Yama 10 - Purity, Saucha
Uphold the ethic of purity, avoiding impurity in mind,
body and speech. Maintain a clean, healthy body. Keep
a pure, uncluttered home and workplace. Act virtuously.
Keep good company, never mixing with adulterers,
thieves or other impure
people. Keep away from pornography and violence.
Never use harsh, angered or indecent language. Worship
devoutly. Meditate daily.

10 question about hindusim

1. Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?


Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created the universe. He is all-pervasive. He created many Gods, highly advanced spiritual beings, to be His helpers. Hindus all worship a one upreme Being, though by different names. This is because the peoples of India with different languages and cultures have understood the one God in their own distinct way. Through history there arose four principal Hindu denominations— Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism and martism. For Sai vites, God is Siva. For Shaktas, Goddess Shakti is supreme. For Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu is God. For Smartas—who see all Deities as refl ections of the One God—the choice of Deity is left to the devotee.
This liberal Smarta perspective is well known, but it is not the prevailing Hindu view. Due to this diversity, Hindus are profoundly tolerant of other religions,
respecting the fact that each has its own pathway to the one God. One of the unique understandings in Hinduism is that God is not far away, living in a remote heaven, but is inside each and every soul, in the heart and consciousness, waiting to be discovered. This knowing that God is always with us gives us hope and courage. Knowing the One Great God in this intimate and experiential way is the goal of Hindu spirituality.


Elaboration: Hinduism is both monotheistic and henotheistic. Hindus were never polytheistic, in the sense that there are many equal Gods. Henotheism (literally “one God”) better defi nes the Hindu view. It means the worship of one God without denying the existence of other Gods. We Hindus believe in the one all-pervasive God who energizes the entire universe. We can see Him in the life shining out of the eyes of humans and all creatures. This view of God as existing in and giving life to all things is called panentheism. It is different from pantheism, which is the belief that God is the natural universe and nothing more. It is also different from strict theism which says God is only above the world, part and transcendent. Panentheism is an all-encompassing concept. It says that God is both in the world and beyond it, both immanent and transcendent.

That is the highest Hindu view. Hindus also believe in many Gods who perform various unctions, like executives in a large corporation. These should not be confused with the Supreme God. These Divinities are highly advanced beings who have specifi c duties and powers—not unlike the heavenly spirits, overlords or archangels revered in other faiths. Each denomination worships the Supreme God and its own pantheon of divine beings. What is sometimes confusing
to non-Hindus is that Hindus of various sects may call the one God by many different names, according to their denomination or regional tradition. Truth for the Hindu has many names, but that does not make for many truths. Hinduism gives us the freedom to approach God in our own way, encouraging a multiplicity of paths, not asking for conformity to just one. There is much confusion about this subject, even among Hindus. Learn the right terms and the subtle differences in them, and you can explain the profound ways Hindus look at Divinity. Others will be delighted with the richness of the Indian concepts of God. You may wish to mention that some Hindus believe only in the formless Absolute Reality as God; others believe in God as personal Lord and Creator. This freedom makes the understanding of God in Hinduism, the oldest living religion, the richest in all of Earth’s existing faiths.

2. Do Hindus believe in reincarnation

Carnate means “of flesh,” and reincarnate means to “reenter the fl esh.” Yes, Hindus believe in reincarnation. To us, it explains the natural way the soul evolves from immaturity to spiritual illumination. Life and death are realities for all of us. Hinduism believes that the soul is immortal, that it never dies, but inhabits one body after another on the Earth during its evolutionary journey. Like the caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfl y, physical death is a most natural transition for the soul, which survives and, guided by karma, continues its long pilgrimage until it is one with God. Even modern science is discovering reincarnation. There have been many cases of individuals’ remembering their past lives. These have been researched by scientists, psychiatrists and parapsychologists during the past decades and documented in good books and videos. Young children speak of vivid past-life memories, which fade as they grow older, as the veils of individuality shroud the soul’s intuitive understanding. Great mystics speak of their past lives as well. So do our ancient scriptures, the Vedas, reveal the reality of reincarnation. Reincarnation is believed in by the Jains and the Sikhs, by the Indians of the Americas, and by the Buddhists, certain Jewish sects, the Pagans and the many indigenous faiths. Even Christianity originally taught reincarnation, but formally renounced it in the twelfth century. It is, in fact, one of the widest held articles of faith on planet Earth. Elaboration: At death the soul leaves the physical body. But the soul does not die. It lives on in a subtle body called the astral body. The astral body exists in the nonphysical dimension called the astral plane, which is also the world we are in during our dreams at night when we sleep. Here we continue to have experiences until we are reborn again in another physical body as a baby. Each reincarnating soul chooses a home and a family which can best fulfi ll its next step of learning and maturation. After many lifetimes of following dharma, the soul is fully matured in love, wisdom and knowledge of God. There is no longer a need for physical birth, for all lessons have been learned, all karmas fulfi lled. That soul is then liberated, freed from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Evolution then continues in the more refi ned spiritual worlds. Similarly, after we graduate from elementary school we never have to go back to the fi fth grade. We have gone beyond that level in understanding. Thus, life’s ultimate goal is not money, not clothes, not power, not food or any other of the instinctive needs. These are natural pursuits, but our real purpose on this Earth is to know, to love and to serve God and the Gods. That leads to the rare and priceless objects of life: enlightenment and liberation. This Hindu view of the soul’s evolution answers many otherwise bewildering questions, removing the fear of death while giving assurance that each soul is evolving toward the same spiritual destiny, for the Hindu believes that karma and reincarnation are leading every single soul to God Realization.

3. What is karma

Karma is one of the natural laws of the mind, just as gravity is a law of matter. Just as God created gravity to bring order to the physical world, He created karma as a divine system of justice that is self-governing and infi nitely fair. It automatically creates the appropriate future experience in response to the current action. Karma simply means “action” or “cause and effect.” When something happens to us that is apparently unfortunate or unjust, it is not God punishing us. It is the result of our own past actions. The Vedas, Hinduism’s revealed scripture, tell us if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Thus we create our own destiny through thought and action. And the divine law is: whatever karma we are experiencing in our life is just what we need at the moment, and nothing can happen but that we have the strength to meet it. Even harsh karma, when faced in wisdom, can be the greatest catalyst for spiritual growth. Understanding the way karma works, we seek to live a good and virtuous life through right thought, right speech and right action. This is called dharma. Elaboration: Karma is basically energy. I throw energy out through thoughts, words and deeds, and it comes back to me, in time, through other people. Karma is our best teacher, for we must always face the consequences of our actions and thus improve and refi ne our behavior, or suffer if we do not. We Hindus look at time as a circle, as things cycle around again. Professor Einstein came to the same conclusion. He saw time as a curve, and space as well. This would eventually make a circle. Karma is a very just law which, like gravity, treats everyone the same. Because we Hindus understand karma, we do not hate or resent people who do us harm. We understand they are giving back the effects of the causes we set in motion at an earlier time. The law of karma puts man at the center of responsibility for everything he does and everything that is done to him. Karma is a word we hear quite often on television. “This is my karma,” or “It must have been something I did in a past life to bring such good karma to me.” We hear karma simply defi ned as “What goes around, comes around.” In some schools of Hinduism, karma is looked upon as something bad—perhaps because we are most aware of this law when we are facing diffi cult karma, and not so aware of it when life is going smoothly. Even some Hindus equate karma with sin, and this is what evangelical Christians preach that it means. Many people believe that karma means “fate,” a preordained destiny over which one has no control, which is also untrue. The process of action and reaction on all levels—physical, mental and spiritual—is karma. Here is an example. I say kind words to you, and you feel peaceful and happy. I say harsh words to you, and you become ruffl ed and upset. The kindness and the harshness will return to me, through others, at a later time. This is karma. An architect thinks creative, productive thoughts while drawing plans for a new building. But were he to think destructive, unproductive thoughts, he would soon not be able to accomplish any kind of positive task even if he desired to do so. This is karma, a natural law of the mind. We must also be very careful about our thoughts, because thought creates, and thoughts make karmas—good, bad and mixed.

4. Why Do Hindus worship the cow

Hindus regard all livingcreatures as sacred—mammals, fi shes, birds and more. We acknowledge this reverence for life in our special affection for the cow. At festivals we decorate and honor her, but we do not worship her in the sense that we worship the Deity. To the Hindu, the cow symbolizes all other creatures. The cow is a symbol of the Earth, the nourisher, the ever-giving, undemanding provider. The cow represents life and the sustenance of life. The cow is so generous, taking nothing but water, grass and grain. It gives and gives and gives of its milk, as does the liberated soul give of his spiritual knowledge. The cow is so vital to life, the virtual sustainer of life, for many humans. The cow is a symbol of grace and abundance. Veneration of the cow instills in Hindus the virtues of gentleness, receptivity and connectedness with nature.
Elaboration: Who is the greatest giver on planet Earth today? Who do we see on every table in every country of the world— breakfast, lunch and dinner? It is the cow. McDonald’s cow-vending golden arches and their rivals have made fortunes on the humble cow. The generous cow gives milk and cream, yogurt and cheese, butter and ice cream, ghee and buttermilk. It gives entirely of itself through sirloin, ribs, rump, porterhouse and beef stew. Its bones are the base for soup broths and glues. It gives the world leather belts, leather seats, leather coats and shoes, beef jerky, cowboy hats—you name it. The only cow-question for Hindus is, “Why don’t more people respect and protect this remarkable creature?” Mahatma Gandhi once said, “One can measure the greatness of a nation and its moral progress by the way it treats its animals. Cow protection to me is not mere protection of the cow. It means protection of all that lives and is helpless and weak in the world. The cow means the entire subhuman world.”
In the Hindu tradition, the cow is honored, garlanded and given special feedings at festivals all over India, most importantly the annual Gopashtama festival. Demonstrating how dearly Hindus love their cows, colorful cow jewelry and clothing is sold at fairs all over the Indian countryside. From a young age, Hindu children are taught to decorate the cow with garlands, paint and ornaments. Her nature is epitomized in Kamadhenu, the divine, wish-fulfi lling cow. The cow and her sacred gifts—milk and ghee in particular—are essential elements in Hindu worship, penance and rites of passage. In India, more than 3,000 institutions called Gaushalas, maintained by charitable trusts, care for old and infi rm cows. And while many Hindus are not vegetarians, most respect the still widely held code of abstaining from eating beef.
By her docile, tolerant nature, the cow exemplifi es the cardinal virtue of Hinduism, noninjury, known as ahimsa. The cow also symbolizes dignity, strength, endurance,
maternity and selfl ess service. In the Vedas, cows represent
wealth and joyous Earthly life. From the Rig Veda (4.28.1;6) we read. “The cows have come and have brought us good fortune. In our stalls, contented, may they stay! May they bring forth calves for us, many-colored, giving milk for Indra each day. You make, O cows, the thin man sleek; to the unlovely you bring beauty. Rejoice our homestead with pleasant lowing. In our assemblies we laud your vigor.”

5. Are Hindus idol worshipers

Hindus do not worship a stone or metal “idol” as God. We worship God through the image. We invoke the presence of God from the higher, unseen worlds, into the image so that we can commune with Him and receive His blessings. The stone or metal deity images in Hindu temples and shrines are not mere symbols of the Gods. They are the form through which their love, power and blessings fl ood forth into this world. We may lik en this mystery to our ability to communicate with others through the telephone. We do not talk to the telephone; rather we use it as a means of communication with another person. Without the telephone, we could not converse across long distances; and without the sanctifi ed icon in the temple, we cannot easily commune with the Deity. Divinity can also be invoked and felt in a sacred fi re, or in a tree, or in the enlightened person of a satguru. In our temples, God is invoked in the sanctum by highly trained priests. Through the practice of yoga, or meditation, we invoke God inside ourself. Yoga means to yoke oneself to God within. The image or icon of worship is a focus for our prayers and devotions. Another way to explain icon worship is to acknowledge that Hindus believe God is everywhere, in all things, whether stone, wood, creatures or people. So, it is not surprising that they feel comfortable worshiping the Divine in His material manifestation. The Hindu can see God in stone and water, fi re, air and ether, and inside his own soul. Indeed, there are Hindu temples which have in the sanctum sanctorum no image at all but a yantra, a symbolic or mystic diagram. However, the sight of the image en hances the devotee’s worship. Elaboration: In Hinduism one of the ultimate attainments is when the seeker transcends the need of all form and symbol. This is the yogi’s goal. In this way Hinduism is the least idol-oriented of all the religions of the world. There is no religion that is more aware of the transcendent, timeless, formless, causeless Truth. Nor is there any religion which uses more symbols to represent Truth in preparation for that realization. Humorously speaking, Hindus are not idle worshipers. I have never seen a Hindu worship in a lazy or idle way. They worship with great vigor and devotion, with unstinting regularity and constancy. There’s nothing idle about our ways of worship! (A little humor never hurts.) But, of course, the question is about “graven images.” All religions have their symbols of holiness through which the sacred fl ows into the mundane. To name a few: the Christian cross, or statues of Mother Mary and Saint Theresa, the holy Kaaba in Mecca, the Sikh Adi Granth enshrined in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Arc and Torah of the Jews, the image of a meditating Buddha, the totems of indigenous and Pagan faiths, and the artifacts of the holy men and women of all religions. Such icons, or graven images, are held in awe by the followers of the respective faiths. The question is, does this make all such religionists idol worshipers? The answer is, yes and no. From our perspective, idol worship is an intelligent, mystical practice shared by all of the world’s great faiths. The human mind releases itself from suffering through the use of forms and symbols that awaken reverence, evoke sanctity and spiritual wisdom. Even a fundamentalist Christian who rejects all forms of idol worship, including those of the Catholic and Episcopal churches, would resent someone who showed disrespect for his Bible. This is because he considers it sacred. His book and the Hindu’s icon are much alike in this way.

6. Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat

Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. But in today’s world not all Hindus are vegetarians. Our religion does not lay down rigid “do’s and don’ts.” There are no commandments. Hinduism gives us the wisdom to make up our own mind on what we put in our body, for it is the only one we have—in this life, at least. Vegetarians are more numerous in the South of India than in the North. This is because of the North’s cooler climactic conditions and past Islamic infl uence. Priests and religious leaders are defi nitely vegetarian, so as to maintain a high level of purity and spiritual consciousness to fulfi ll their responsibilities, and to awaken the refi ned areas of their nature. Soldiers and law-enforcement offi cers are generally not vegetarians, because they have to keep alive their aggressive forces in order to perform their work. To practice yoga and be successful in meditation, it is mandatory to be vegetarian. It is a matter of wisdom—the application of knowledge at any given moment. Today, about twenty percent of all Hindus are vegetarians. Elaboration: This can be a touchy subject. There are several ways to respond, depending on who is asking and the background in which he was raised. But the overlying principle that defi nes the Hindu answer to this queryis ahimsa—refraining from injuring, physically, mentally or emotionally, anyone or any living creature. The Hindu who wishes to strictly follow the path of noninjury naturally adopts a vegetarian diet. It’s a matter of conscience more than anything else. When we eat meat, fi sh, fowl and eggs, we absorb the vibration of the instinctive creatures into our nerve system. This chemically alters our consciousness and amplifi es our lower nature, which is prone to fear, anger, jealousy, confusion, resentment and the like. Many Hindu swamis advise followers to be well-established vegetarians prior to initiation into mantra, and to remain vegetarian thereafter. But most do not insist upon vegetarianism for those not seeking initiation. Swamis have learned that families who are vegetarian have fewer problems than those who are not. Poignant scriptural citations counsel against eating meat. The Yajur Veda (36.18) calls for kindliness toward all creatures living on the Earth, in the air and in the water. The Tirukural, a 2,200- year-old masterpiece of ethics, states, “When a man realizes that meat is the butchered fl esh of another creature, he will abstain from eating it” (257). The Manu Dharma Shastras state, “Having well considered the origin of fl esh and the cruelty of fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let one entirely abstain from eating fl esh,” and “When the diet is pure, the mind and heart are pure.” For guidance in this and all matters, Hindus also rely on their own guru, community elders, their own conscience and their knowledge of the benefi ts of abstaining from meat and enjoying a wholesome vegetarian diet. Of course, there are good Hindus who eat meat, and there are not-so-good Hindus who are vegetarians. Today in America and Europe millions of people are vegetarians because they want to live a long time and be healthy. Many feel a moral obligation to shun the mentality of violence to which meat-eating gives rise. There are good books on vegetarianism, such as Diet for a New America. There is also a fi ne magazine called Vegetarian Times. The booklet “How to Win an Argument with a Meat-Eater” is online at: www.himalayanacademy.com/ books/pamphlets/WinMeatEaterArgument.html.

7. Do Hindus have a Bible

Our “Bible” is called the Veda. The Veda, which means “wisdom,” is comprised of four ancient and holy scriptures which all Hindus revere as the revealed word of God. Like the taoist tao te ching, the Buddhist Dhammapada, the Sikh Adi Granth, the Jewish Torah, the Christian Bible and the Muslim Koran—the Veda is the Hindu holy book. The four books of the Vedas—Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva—include over 100,000 verses. The knowledge imparted by the Vedas ranges from earthy devotion to high philosophy. Their words and wisdom permeate Hindu thought, ritual and meditation. The Vedas are the ultimate scriptural authority for Hindus. Their oldest portions are said by some to date back as far as 6,000 bce, orally transmitted for most of history and written down in Sanskrit in the last few millennia, making them the world’s longest and most ancient scripture. The Vedas open a rare window into ancient Indian society, proclaiming life’s sacredness and the way to oneness with God. Elaboration: For untold centuries unto today, the Vedas have remained the sustaining force and authoritative doctrine, guiding followers in ways of worship, duty and enlightenment. The Vedas are the meditative and philosophical focus for millions of monks and a billion seekers. Their stanzas are chanted from memory by priests and laymen daily as liturgy in temple worship and domestic ritual. All Hindus wholeheartedly accept the Vedas, yet each draws selectively, interprets freely and amplifi es abundantly. Over time, this tolerant allegiance has woven the varied tapestry of Indian Hindu Dharma. Each of the four Vedas has four sections: Samhitas (hymn collections), Brahmanas (priestly manuals), Aran yakas (forest treatises) and Upanishads (enlightened discourses). The Samhitas and Brah manas affi rm that God is immanent and transcendent and prescribe ritual worship, mantra and devotional hymns to establish communication with the spiritual worlds. The hymns are invocations to the One Divine and to the Divinities of nature, such as the Sun, the Rain, the Wind, the Fire and the Dawn— as well as prayers for matrimony, progeny, prosperity, concord, protection, domestic rites and more. The Aranyakas and Upanishads outline the soul’s evolutionary journey, provide yogic philosophical training and propound realization of man’s oneness with God as the destiny of all souls. Today, the Vedas are published in Sanskrit, English, French, German and other languages. But it is the popular, metaphysical Upanishads that have been most amply and ably translated. The Vedas advise: “Let there be no neglect of Truth. Let there be no neglect of dharma. Let there be no neglect of welfare. Let there be no neglect of prosperity. Let there be no ne glect of study and teaching. Let there be no neglect of the du ties to the Gods and the ancestors” (Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.1). “United your resolve, un ited your hearts, may your spirits be one, that you may long to gether dwell in unity and concord!” (Rig Veda 10.191.4). “There, where there is no darkness, nor night, nor day, nor being, nor nonbeing, there is the Auspicious One, alone, absolute and eternal. There is the glorious splendor of that Light from whom in the beginning sprang ancient wisdom” (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 4.18). “Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishad, one should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation. Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That, penetrate that Imperishable as the mark, my friend” (Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.3).

8. Why do many Hindus wear a dot near the middle

The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol. It represents divine sight and shows that one is a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark. The dot worn between the eyes or in the middle of the forehead is a sign that one is a Hindu. It is called the bindi in the Hindi language, bindu in Sanskrit and pottu in Tamil. In olden days, all Hindu men and women wore these marks, and they both also wore earrings. Today it is the women who are most faithful in wearing the bindi. The dot has a mystical meaning. It represents the third eye of spiritual sight, which sees things the physical eyes cannot see. Hindus seek to awaken their inner sight through yoga. The forehead dot is a reminder to use and cultivate this spiritual vision to perceive and better understand life’s inner workings—to see things not just physically, but with the “mind’s eye” as well. The bindi is made of red powder (called sindur, traditionally made from powdered turmeric and fresh lime juice), sandalpaste or cosmetics. In addition to the simple dot, there are many types of forehead marks, known as tilaka in Sanskrit. Each mark represents a particular sect or denomination of our vast religion. We have four major sects: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. Vaishnava Hindus, for example, wear a vshaped tilaka made of white clay. Elaborate tilakas are worn by Hindus mainly at religious events, though many wear the simple bindi, indicating they are Hindu, even in the general public. By these marks we know what a person believes, and therefore know how to begin conversations. For Hindu women, the forehead dot is also a beauty mark, not unlike the black mark European and American women once wore on the cheek. The red bindi is generally a sign of marriage. A black bindi is often worn before marriage to ward off the evil eye. As an exotic fashion statement, the dot’s color complements the color of a lady’s sari. Ornate bindis are even worn by actresses in popular American TV shows. Elaboration: Men and women of a particular religion wishing to identify themselves to one another often do so by wearing distinctive religious symbols. Often these are blessed in their temples, churches or synagogues. Christians wear a cross on a necklace. Jewish boys wear small leather cases that hold scriptural passages, and the round cap called yarmulka. Sikh men wear their hair in a turban. In many countries, Muslim women cover their head with a scarf, called hajib. Do not be ashamed to wear the bindi on your forehead in the United States, Canada, Europe or any country of the world. Wear it proudly. The forehead dot will distinguish you from all other people as a very special person, a Hindu, a knower of eternal truths. You will never be mistaken as belonging to another nationality or religion. The sacred forehead dot is an easy way of distinguishing Hindus from Muslims. And don’t be intimidated when people ask you what the dot means. Now you have lots of information to give a good answer, which will probably lead to more questions about your venerable religion. For both boys and girls, men and women, the dot can be small or large depending on the circumstance, but should always be there when appropriate. Naturally, we don’t want to fl aunt our religion in the face of others. We observe that many Christian men and women take off or conceal their crosses in the corporate business world. Some communities and institutions disallow wearing religious symbols entirely.

9. Are the Gods of Hinduism really married

It is true that God is often depicted with a spouse in our traditional stories. However, on a deeper philosophical level, the Supreme Being and the Gods are neither male nor female and are therefore not married. In popular, village hinduism God is represented as male, and God’s energy, or Shakti, is personifi ed as His spouse—for example, Vishnu and Lakshmi. In Hindu temples, art and mythology, God is everywhere seen as the beloved, divine couple. Philosophically, however, the caution is always made that God and God’s energy are One, and the metaphor of the inseparable divine couple serves only to illustrate this Oneness. Hinduism is taught on many levels to many different people, and to uneducated people who are not able to understand high philosophy, Hinduism is taught in story form. Because the temple is the center of every Hindu community, and everyone is focused on the temple and the Gods within it, the Gods are the major players in these stories. Hindus who understand the higher philosophy seek to fi nd God on the inside while also worshiping God in the temples. Simple folk strive to be like a God, or like a Goddess. These tales, called Puranas, have long been the basis of dance, plays and storytelling around the fi re in the homes to children as they are growing up. The stories illustrate how a family should live, how they should raise their children, and much more. Before the printing press, there were few books, and Hinduism was conveyed orally through stories and parables. While these often violent children’s tales should not be perpetuated, there remains much of value in the extensive writings of the Puranas. Elaboration: Those who learn the higher Hindu philosophies know that Gods are neither male nor female. In fact, attaining to that Godly level of being is one of the mystical goals of yoga. This is accomplished by blending the feminine and masculine currents, ida and pingala, into the spiritual current, sushumna, in the center of the spine within each individual. Hindus know that the Gods do not marry, that they are complete within themselves. This unity is depicted in the traditional icon of Ardhanarishvara, Siva as half man and half woman, and in the teaching that Siva and Shakti are one, that Shakti is Siva’s energy. Siva is dearly loved as our Father-Mother God. Yet, sexual gender and matrimonial relations are of the physical and emotional realms, whereas the Gods exist in a stratum that far supersedes these levels of life. For that matter, the soul itself is neither male nor female. Some modern swamis now urge devotees not to pay any attention to Puranic stories about the Gods, saying that they have no relationship with the world today—that they are misleading and confusing and should no longer be taught to the children. Instead, they encourage followers to deepen themselves with the higher philosophies of the Vedic Upanishads and the realizations of Hindu seers. Other faiths sometimes criticize the Hindu religion as a sort of comic-book religion, and we should not be part of perpetuating that image by passing on such misconceptions as the marriage of the Gods. Other religions move and adjust with the times. Hinduism must also do so. It must offer answers to the questions about God, soul and world—answers that are reasonable, that can be understood and accepted even by a child, that are coherent, sensible and strictly in accord with scripture and tradition. This is necessary in the technological age, necessary in order that Hinduism will be a religion of the future, not of the past.

10. What about caste and untouchability

Caste is the hereditary division of Indian society based on occu pation. The lowest class, deemed untouchables, suffer from discrimination and mistreatment. It is illegal in India to discriminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste. Caste, from the portuguese casta, meaning “clan” or “lineage,” refers to two systems within Hindu society. The fi rst is varna, the division of society into four groups: workers, business people, lawmakers/ law enforcers and priests. The second is jati, the thousands of occupational guilds whose members follow a single profession. Jati members usually marry within their own jati and follow traditions associated with their jati. In urban areas they often enter other occupations, but still usually arrange marriages within the jati. Wealth, especially in urban areas, often trumps caste. Industrialization and education have greatly altered India’s jati system by eliminating or changing the professions upon which it was originally based, and opening new employment options. The jatis are evolving to function today less like guilds and more like large clans of related families. At the bottom are the so-called untouchables, who perform the dirtiest jobs and have suffered much like the black people of America, who were freed from slavery just 138 years ago. Strong laws have been passed in India to end caste-based discrimination. Modern Hindus rightly deplore caste abuse and are working to set matters right. Just as in the US, it is a diffi cult task that will take decades, especially in the villages. Elaboration: Caste is, no doubt, the biggest stick that Hindus get beaten with. It is taught as the defi ning attribute, or fatal fl aw, of Hinduism in Western schools. Untouchability as a formal system shocks Westerners. One response we can make is to separate social stratifi cation from the issue of racial/class discrimination. First issue: social stratifi cation. India is one of the world’s oldest societies. It has sustained a continuity of culture and religion for thousands of years. Europe, on the other hand, has seen millenniums of upheaval. Still, one only has to go back to before the 17thcentury industrial revolution to fi nd a social system that is similar to caste. European society then comprised the landed elite (including royalty, a hereditary caste maintained to this day), merchants, artisans and peasants. The artisans formed guilds, occupation-based organizations that served both as closed unions and marketing monopolies. The guild legacy remains in Western surnames such as Smith, a metal worker. There was no public education system, and each generation learned at home the family occupation. There was little technological change, so jobs were static. Industrialization and public education altered (but did not destroy) this class system in the West, just as they are changing caste and jati in India today. Second issue: racial/class discrimination. Most Indians are unfamiliar with the extent of discrimination in the West today. In America, for example, hundreds of thousands live destitute and homeless on city streets, as true “untouchables.” US cities are more racially segregated than before the 1950s Civil Rights Movement because of “white fl ight” to the suburbs. Black Americans receive harsher sentences than white Americans for the same crime. Many Native American Indians live at the bottom of society, destitute and alcoholic, on barren Indian reservations. This kind of response—we can call it the “You’re one, too” defense—doesn’t mean Hindus should not work much harder to end caste discrimination. But it reminds others that no country in the world is yet free from racial discrimination.

Deepavali

The History

In Puranic times, there was an evil king called Naragasuran. When his misdeeds became intolerable, the people prayed for divine intervention. In answer to their prayers, Lord Krishna destroyed the asuran. Lord Krishna then approached Naragasuran’s mother to explain His actions. By then the news of the asuran’s destruction had spread and the people had began to celebrate.

Thus by the time Lord Krishna approached her, Naragasuran’s mother was reconciled to the fact that her son’s destruction was necessary for the good of the people. Though her loss was great, she was prepared to sacrifice her son.

She therefore requested that the joy that the people were enjoying should not cease. Lord Krishna granted her, her wish and since then that day has been celebrated as Deepavali.

Naragasuran was destroyed on Chathurdasi Tithi (14th moonday) in the month of Aipasi. Deepavali has been celebrated on this day since. This year – 2009 – is an exception. This year Deepavali is being celebrated in the month of Purataasi, not Aipasi.
Thus Deepavali commemorates both the victory of Dharma (good) over adharma (evil) and the great sacrifice of a mother.

But Nagarasuran, the personification of all evil, is alive and well in all of us. He is represented by all the negative qualities inherent in us. He must, therefore, be destroyed, if we are to attain Moksha.

Deepavail is the occasion when we make conscious efforts to destroy the Nagarasuran within us. We can succeed only if, like Nagarasuran’s mother, we are willing to make sacrifices.

The Celebration

On the eve of Deepavali, the home must be decorated with oil lamps to symbolise the victory of good over evil. The word deepavali is made up of the words deepam that means lamps and aavali that means a row. Thus Deepavali means rows of lamps. The four components of an oil lamp have the following significance:

the lamp represents aram (dharma)
the oil represents porul (harta)
the wick represents inbam (kaama)
the flames represent veedu (moksha)

Aaram (virtuous living), porul (wealth), inbam (enjoyment) and veedu (God realisation) are the inherent rights of all men (and of-course women)

Wealth acquired and expended according to dharma will lead us to God.

Extravagance is not dharma. Therefore avoid all expenses incurred to impress relatives, friends and neighbours.

On Deepavali Day we should rise early and take an oil bath in warm water. Gingelly oil and warm water are specified since Mother Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Mother Shakti, the Universal Mother will be present the oil and warm water respectively. Thus applying oil and bathing in warm water will bestow the blessings of both Mother Laxmi and Mother Shakti upon us.

Traditionally, the oil will be applied by the lady of the house, the personification of Mother Laxmi. After the bath we should put on new clothes. The wearing of new clothes is an important part of Deepavali. Then, we should offer pooja to our family deities at home before seeking the blessings of our parents and other elders.

Then, we should visit the temple and seek the blessings of the Lord. Our efforts to overcome the negative forces that have been with us since birth can be better accomplished with the blessings of God. With His support we cannot fail.

Charity.
Giving alms to the needy is an important part of Deepavali. It is especially auspicious to donate new clothes to the needy. Remember the giving away of used clothes that we have no use for is neither a sacrifice nor dharma.

Ancestor Worship
It is also common to make offerings to our pitirs (ancestors) during Deepavali. This practice probably came about since Deepavali is celebrated on ammavasai day that is dedicated to pitir worship. In time the two events merged into a single celebration.

Remembering and worshipping our ancestors is an important duty of all girihastas (Householders)

Meat eating
Another common practise nowadays is the consumption of non-vegetarian food during Deepavali. This is unHindu

Hindus have always been vegetarian on all holy days. Deepavali is no exception.

In fact, there are many reasons why we must observe vegetarianism on Deepavali Day even if we do not believe in Ahmisa. Not only does Deepavali fall on an ammavasai day, on which Hindus normally fast, it also falls on the day after the monthly Shivaratri Pooja, a fast dedicated to Lord Shiva. In addition the following day marks the beginning of the Kantha Sasti Fast – a six day fast dedicated to Lord Muruga.
Hindus always observe vegetarianism on these days.

Thus Deepavali cannot be a non-vegetarian festival.

This Deepavali thrill your friends with our excellent vegetarian cuisine. Spare the chicken and goats. Let them enjoy Deepavali too. Sacrifice meat!

Liquor.
The consumption of intoxicating liquor is also against our dharma. It is therefore unHindu to consume or even serve liquor. The common excuse that our non-Hindu guests expect it, only exposes our lack of knowledge and commitment towards the basic tenets of our ancient religion.

Our friends must respect our religion just as we respect theirs.

Therefore, this Deepavali serve only soft drinks. Not only is this in conformity with our religion but is also cheaper and healthier.

We Hindus have always taken great pride in the significance of our religious practices especially our fasts and festivals. In keeping with this ancient tradition let us pledge to celebrate this Deepavali bearing in mind that it is an occasion for spiritual upliftment through sacrifice.

This Deepavali let us purify ourselves by sacrificing some, if not all, of our negative qualities. Let us honour our ancient traditions by practising it. Let us also set proper examples for our children and grandchildren to follow. Let us make this Deepavali meatless and liquor free.