It's true, the first complete edition of our flagship magazine, Hinduism Today, has been published in the Russian language. It makes the international magazine potentially available to 166 million native speakers in that noble nation. Many do not know that a serious group of academics, and many non-scholarly citizens, regard Saivism as the original spiritual path in Russia, and they point to ancient Sivalingams and place of worship, and to philosophical footprints in history. Yesterday we received the second photo in the post from our Moscow editor Dinanatha Bodhiswami. It shows him at the famed French Institute in Pondicherry officially handing over the magazine to the experts there.

It took an immense effort and great teamwork to produce this edition, and an artistic eye to preserve the graphic sophistication and typography (nevermind making it all fit!). Congratulations to all who participated. Gurudeva would be thrilled to see this, and would offer his prayerful blessings that the magazine will continue for years to come in this newest incarnation. If you know someone who speaks the language, you can invite them to download the entire edition from this Dropbox link.

When she and her family visited in December, Shashikala Raja, of Michigan, learned that we have Satguru's publisher's Desk editorials translated into a number of Indic languages, but we were missing Kannada. She volunteered to be our translator, and upon returning home quickly submitted the first one, "One God, Many Divinities." It is now online and can be read here: https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5842

Kannada is the native language of nearly 40 million, most of whom are living in Karnataka state, where out Iraivan Temple carving site is located. So now the sculptors can listen to Satguru's wisdom.

Thank you, Shashikala, for opening the great Hindu heart and wisdom to a new and massive community. Below is the opening paragraph of the first translation, so all can enjoy the beauty of the script...



ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗೆ ನಾನು ಲಂಡನ್ನಿನಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಎನ್ ಫೀಲ್ಡ್ ನಾಗಪೂಶನಿ ಅಂಬಾಳ್(ಅಂಬಿಕೆ)ಳ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನದ ಮಹಾ ಕುಂಭಾಭಿಷೇಕದ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಪನ್ಯಾಸ ಮಾಡಿದೆ. ಆ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ನೆರೆದಿದ್ದ ಅನೇಕರು ಹಿಂದೂಧರ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಹೊಸಬರಾಗಿದ್ದರಿಂದ, ನಾನು ಅವರಿಗೆ ದೇವಾಲಯದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ಪರಿಚಯ ನೀಡಿದೆ. ಆ ನನ್ನ ಸಂದೇಶ ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಹಿಂದೂ ದೇವಾಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಥಮ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ಕೊಟ್ಟಾಗ, ಯಾರಿಗೇ ಆದರೂ ಹಿಂದೂಧರ್ಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕ ದೇವರುಗಳು ಇದ್ದಾರೆಂಬ ಭಾವನೆ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಮೂಡಬಹುದು. ಹಲವಾರು ದೇವಾಲಯಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಶಿಲ್ಪಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರಥಮ ಬಾರಿ ನೋಡಿದಾಗ ಅಂಥ ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಮೂಡುವುದು ಸ್ವಾಭಾವಿಕ. ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಸರಿಯಲ್ಲ. ಹಿಂದೂ ಧರ್ಮದವರು ಹಲವಾರು ದೇವರುಗಳನ್ನು ನಂಬಿದರೂ, ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಪರಮಾತ್ಮ ಒಬ್ಬನೇ ಎಂದೇ ನಂಬುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಈ ಭಾವನೆಯನ್ನು ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸುವ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪ್ರಾಚೀನವಾದ ಹಿಂದೂ ಧರ್ಮಗ್ರಂಥ ಋಗ್ವೇದದ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖವನ್ನು ಪದೇಪದೇ ಮಾಡಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದನ್ನು, "ಏಕಂ ಸತ್, ವಿಪ್ರಾಃ ಬಹುಧಾ ವದಂತಿ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ; ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲಿ, "ಸತ್ಯ ಒಂದೇ. ಙ್ಞಾನಿಗಳು ಅದನ್ನು ನಾನಾ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ.

What Are the Two Paths? Path to Siva, Lesson 37 (Jan 4, 2018)

Bodhinatha addresses the misconception that householders should be detached from their family and professional life. Using the Tirukural as a reference, he highlights that detachment for the householder means to be detached from one's wealth and possessions enough to be able to do charity. Then he describes key goals of monastic life and the service done by our monastic order, pointing out that the path of spiritual unfoldment, like an oak tree, takes many years to yield results. But we should have faith that the ancient methods and path will one day yield results.

Path To Siva, Lesson 37

Click here to go to an index of all of Bodhinatha's and Gurudeva's online audio.

Hinduism Today has a fascinating story in the most current issue, a story about higher consciousness discovered in outer space. In July of 1969 astronaut Edgar Mitchel was returning from the moon when suddenly something surprising happened.In a 1993 interview with Hinduism Today magazine, Mitchell offered that his deep-space samadhi could also be likened to the kundalini force, which can sit dormant in the first chakra at the base of the spine until it is awakened. "Yes," he said, "that's exactly what I was experiencing, the primordial energy of the universe, the primal and subtlest energies." Other astronauts, he said, told him they had similar spiritual experiences. He was the only one who really wanted to talk about it.

Read about his tale

Hinduism Today’s latest issue has gone to press and is now available online free of charge at www.hinduismtoday.com. You can also download our free Hinduism Today app and get the entire magazine in a mobile-friendly format for your device at bit.ly/HT-APP.

In his Publisher’s Desk editorial, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami returns to the global trend of SBNRs, those who are Spiritual But Not Religious. He offers these seeking souls five suggestions for enhancing their spiritual habits and goals in life, all taken from the Hindu “banquet of choices.” Find out what he says...

Our 16-page Insight section is an amazing tribute to the Narmada River, one of India’s holiest and most ancient waterways. Follow photographer Hari Mahidhar (this man has talent) and writer Vithal Nadkarni as they trek the 804 miles through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to the sea. Even if you don’t read  a single word, the photos are a rich tale in themselves.

Our feature story takes you to South Africa for a rare look into the history and current life of Hindus in Benoni. We started the research after hearing about the 52-foot-tall Siva/Shakti statue that was recently completed, but the story behind the story took center stage, leading to this detailed glimpse into the modern-day lives of Hindus in South Africa.

Many will wonder how an astronaut ended up on the cover of Hinduism Today. We certainly didn’t see it coming. But the story “Samadhi in Space” is a fascinating one, told by the biographer of NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell, whose consciousness was transformed as he hurled back toward the Earth after a moon landing in 1971. Find out how space brought him into a state of higher awareness that changed every atom of his being and every department of his life.

Italy is surprising active, Hindu-wise. Our correspondent Lavina Melwani went there to report on the dispersion of Hindus throughout this nation, normally thought of as only Catholic. She found Hindus in every city, almost literally on every corner. Her unlikely encounters and insights are a fun read.

One Indian woman voices aloud what many feel in the silence of their hearts: that it is not right to deny Hindus entry to our temples because of the color of their eyes or their skin. She calls it what it is: racism. And she calls for temples everywhere to realize what is happening as Hindus arise in every nation and to reconsider their medieval rules.

There’s more: A story about the Houston-based Sewa International’s amazing relief efforts in the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Harvey; a glimpse into the care of infants and new mothers, Indian-style; and a temple festival visit in Suriname. Not to mention the ever-popular Quotes & Quips (yes, others turn there first, too), Global Dharma tales from the diaspora, Dharma tech side and letters. Enjoy!

Visit our HT website, recently upgraded.

Here at the monastery the Ganapati Kulam is busy developing the next issue of Hinduism Today. One of the articles called "From the Agamas" now features Upanishads translated by Sarvapelli Radhakrishnan, an Indian philosopher, author and statesman. He was India’s first Vice President (1952–1962) and second President (1962–1967). The following is a translation of the Brhad-Aranyaka Upanishad—chapter 2, section 4—meaning "Of the Great Forest.". This longest and most revered Upanishad features the dialogue between a great sage, Yajnavalkya, and his wife Maitreyi. Yajnavalkya has just reached a critical juncture in his life where he is about to leave home in the pursuit of truth, or Self-realization. Maitreyi shares his yearning for immortality, and so the parting dialogue between them turns into a deep session of “spiritual instruction” - one of the meanings of the word Upanishad. "Maitreyi,” said Yajnavalkya, “I am about to go forth from this state. Come, let me make a final settlement between you and Katyayani.” "My lord," said Maitreyi, "if all the world's wealth were mine, would I be immortal through those means?" "No," replied Yajnavalkya, "Your life would be the same as that of the rich. Of immortality, however, there is no hope through wealth." Maitreyi then asked, "Of what use then are money and material possessions to me? Please tell me, bhagavan, of the way that leads to immortality." "Ah, Maitreyi, you have always been dear to me, even more now that you have asked me about immortality. Come, sit down, I will explain to you. Reflect deeply on what I say." ...The final article will be published in the months ahead

Our new Hinduism Today,/i> app is getting popular in the iOS world with over 3,000 users and rising daily. This is no doubt due to the new easy instant access to articles in a mobile view on small phones. We have not done much promotion while waiting for an upgrade on the Android side. Today we are happy to announce that a major upgrade has been done this week which brings this new "content view" to Android users. When you open the app you will be taken to a view with small thumbnails for each article. These articles open in an easy to read ebook format. The "replica" or "pages" view is still available any time. Especially for users with larger devices or viewing on desktop the full page view of the magazine in it's original, gorgeous graphics layout is awesome. You can download any issue for easy viewing off line and later delete that issue to recover disk space on your phone.

Go to our app page to link to the platform of your choice