Sri Deva Sthanam

Hindu Education: Guru Kula and Bal Vihar

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 09:49:16 +0000

The ancient system of Hindu education was called Guru Kula, which literally means “the family or home of the teacher.” In the days before government mandated schools in India, children would attend the home of a local brahmana teacher for education. In the tradition social system called Varnashrama Dharma the brahmanas would play the role of teachers and the children of the other classes would go…

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Divine Sages: Rishis

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 09:48:47 +0000

In common usage, a rishi is a word that simply means an inspired poet or sage or a holy person in general. In more specific usage the rishis are semi divine beings distinct from gods (devas), demons (asuras) and men who “heard” the Vedic hymns and passed them on down to mankind. In fact each sukta or hymn of the Veda is associated with the name of one of these rishis. The rishi are the patriarchs…

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A Note about Western Perceptions of India

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 09:47:28 +0000

Hindu Diversity Whole books have been and could still be written on the topic of Western perceptions of India, but here are just a few things that regularly come up in my dealings in the West between Hinduism and the Westerners. First, Westerners tend to look upon India as if it was just one thing. They fail to see the huge diversity that exists within India. India is more diverse than Europe.

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Hinduism and Science

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 09:47:07 +0000

The relationship between Hinduism and science is not easy to describe. Since Hinduism has no centralized ecclesiastical authority, no “church” as it were, it is impossible to get an official position on science or any other issue. In the case of Christianity one can get the official Roman Catholic position on science, and similarly one can get official Lutheran or Baptist positions on evolution…

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Hindu Architecture: Vaastu Shastra

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 09:09:28 +0000

We often hear devout Hindus say, “Hinduism is more than just a religion; It is a way of life.” While members of other religions also say the same thing––few devoted people want to think their religion is not a way of life––there is actually some justification for the Hindu statement. We can say this because Hindu culture has never fully separated its so-called “secular side” from its religious…

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Hindu Astrology, A Summary

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 17:08:31 +0000

The Horoscope The word horoscope literally means a targeted moment in time. “Hora” is a “moment of time” similar to muhurtha, and “scope” comes from the Greek “skopos” meaning to target. By focusing on a particular moment in time through the “coordinates” of birth time, date and place, the horoscope isolates a particular part of the whole that corresponds to a particular individual…

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Hindu Astrology, Its Foundations

Sun, 02 Mar 2014 09:07:36 +0000

Astrology is a vast subject that cannot possibly be covered in this primer. However, it is possible to give a basic understanding of the theory behind astrology as it is understood in Hinduism. In the West, with the onset of modern science and the centralized control of the Churches, astrology became divorced from both the developing sciences, particularly astronomy…

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