Spiritual Life
Our Duty to Make Offerings
Minister’s Message The various forms of yajna teach us to see beyond our individuality By Sri Jayendra Puri Swamiji The …
Topic
Saints & Sages
132 articles
Spiritual Life
Invoking the Divine Feminine
Interview With Maa Gyaan Suveera By Erica Bassani, Rishikesh During my research on female masters to interview for the W…
Spiritual Life
Guardians of South Indian Saivism
Four monastic centers serve Siva in South India and manage temple wealth By Kay Koppedrayer, PhD The fertile kaveri rive…
Spiritual Life
ADI SHANKARA
India’s Great Spiritual General Written by Swami Advayananda, Brahmacharini Taarini Chaitanya & Sudarshan Rama…
Educational Insights
Educational Insight– Neem Karoli baba
Exploring the Life and Eccentric NatureOf North Indiaís Mysterious Mystic Written by Sudarshan Ramabadran • Art by Baani…
Temples & Pilgrimage
America’s Largest Hindu Temple Opens in New Jersey
By Lavina Melwani, New York City All photos from BAPS You can now travel to india without boarding a plane […]
Educational Insights
Sri Aurobindo
Honoring the Life and Philosophy Of India’s Revolutionary Rishi Written by Sudarshan Ramabadran • Art by Mah…
Philosophy & Scripture
All About Meditation
Mystical Guidelines to the Fine Art of Exploring the Wonderful Within of Yourself From the Teachings ofSatguru Sivaya Su…
Educational Insights
India’s Remarkable Carnatic Musician Saints
For these eight composers, music was a spiritual path, an ascent to higher consciousness and moksha By Lakshmi Chandrash…
Saints & Sages
Luminary’s Giant Tribute Unveiled
The 216-foot-tall Statue of Equality near Hyderabad honors bhakti Saint Ramanujacharya to mark celebrations of his 1,000…
Personal Practice
Minister’s Message– The Light That Lighteth Everywhere
“There is One Supreme Light which ever burns steadily and surely,and that Light Eternal is God who lighteth every soul […
Saints & Sages
Yogananda’s On-Going Impact
A century after he first arrived from India the great teacher’s legacy continues to inspire the spiritually minded in Am…
Educational Insights
Educational Insight: Seven Indian Women Luminaries
Celebrating the life, virtues and spirituality of a few of Bharat’s remarkable Hindu women BY LAKSHMI CHANDRASHEKAR SUBR…
Philosophy & Scripture
From the Sages: Song of the Sannyasin
Swami Vivekananda’s thirteen-verse poem is an ascetic’s creed and a compelling reminder of the supreme spiritual path BY…
Philosophy & Scripture
A Palace of Tamil Devotional Poetry
Discover this unique Sri Lankan shrine with 108 Sivalingams paying homage to the 658 holy hymns of Saint Manikkavasagar’…
Philosophy & Scripture
Insight: Seven Bhakti Saints Of North India
From uncounted spiritual poets, we examine the life, language and works of a few By Lakshmi Chandrashekar Subramanian Be…
Opinion
Minister’s Message: On the Importance of Spirituality
Understanding the self and understanding our social and spiritual obligations are the keys to success both in the tempor…
Saints & Sages
Nepal: The Recluse Khaptad Baba
Originally a doctor, he meditated for 50 years in Nepal’s icy, isolated Himalayan foothills BY KAPIL BISHT, NE…
Saints & Sages
Hindu Renaissance Award: Our 2019 Hindu of the Year
Honoring the orthodox life and teachings of the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Puri HIS HOLINESS JAGADGURU SWAMI Shr…
Culture & Society
Dear Diary, My Guru Came to London
Growing up as a Hindu in the cosmopolitan capital, a young woman shares a heartwarming tale of cultural discovery By [&h…
Philosophy & Scripture
Morari Bapu, Our Hindu of the Year, 2016
Shri Morari Bapu is honored for decades of Ram Katha that has inspired devotion and adherence to dharma for countless [&…
Educational Insights
The Mystic Mind and Music of Kabir
A Fifteenth Century Poet-Saint Wisdom on Life, Death, Guru & God By Lakshmi Chandrashekar Subramanian All photos: Ar…
Feature Stories
Special Feature: The Rise of Shirdi Sai Baba
The great Maharastrian saint whose austere, miracle-filled life changed all who came in contact with him is attracting a…
Saints & Sages
History: Emerson and the Transcendentalists
HISTORY EMERSON AND THE TRANSCENDENTALISTS ______________________ America’s earliest mysticism was strongly influenced b…
Hindu Basics
Educational Insight: Know Thy Self
14 DAILY ENLIGHTENMENT LESSONS ___________________________FROM THE TEACHINGS OFSATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI Art by A.…
Saints & Sages
Gurus: Chattampi Swami’s Long Shadow
image [im52.png] Remembering the guru: Chattampi Swami’s walking stick, drum and mala on display next to his statue at h…
Saints & Sages
Voices of the Saints: Madhya Pradesh
Agni Peethadhishwar Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Shri Ramkrishnanand Ji Maharaj, Head of Sri Panchadashnam Panchagni Akhara …
Saints & Sages
Voices of the Saints: Haridwar and Prayag
VOICES OF THE SAINTS HARIDWAR “DIVINE AND SPIRITUAL SOULS HERE” IAM THE CHIEF MAHANT OF THE AKHARA for the Purab [&helli…
Saints & Sages
Voices of the Saints: Himalayas
VOICES OF THE SAINTS HIMALAYAS “HERE TO BLESS THE PILGRIMS” WE ARE ONE OF THE WELL-KNOWN Shaiva akharas. We are [&hellip…
Saints & Sages
Special Feature: After 150 Years, the Voice of Vivekananda Still Resounds
“Sitting on the last bit of Indian rock—I hit upon a plan: Suppose some disinterested sannyasins, bent on doing good [&h…
Educational Insights
“Difference is Real!”
The Life and Teachings of Sri Madhva, One of India’s Greatest Spiritual Masters By Jeffrey Armstrong Picture a man of [&…
Saints & Sages
Thoreau A Sage in Early America
The 19th-century writer drank deeply from the Vedas, lived incommunion with nature and advocated a life of mystical simp…
Culture & Society
Understanding the Lessons of September 11
Swami Chidanand Saraswati September 11 was a tragic day of unprecedented proportion. Never before in the history of the …
Saints & Sages
A Yogi Worth Watching
When the famous Sri Sri Sri Shivabalayogi passed away in 1994, meditators around the world wondered who would take his […
Opinion
Spiritual Initiation Requires Preparation
BY SWAMI BHUTESHANANDA Hindus who have a guru strive to receive spiritual initiation from him. In this talk, given in [&…
Culture & Society
Chidananda Reminisces
Swami Chidananda Saraswati, president of the Divine Life Society, was honored byHINDUISMTODAY with the “Hindu Rena…
Culture & Society
Vivekananda’s Mansion
By Lekshmi Venugopalan Like many, I was drawn to vedanta by the eloquence and inspiration of Swami Vivekananda. As I [&h…
Philosophy & Scripture
The Peace of Gandhi
Gandhi was a brilliant, complex and selfless man, understood in different ways by different people. No one will ever den…
Saints & Sages
Yogaswami’s World Tour
The 125th birth anniversary of Satguru Siva Yogaswami (1872-1964), the 161st Jagadacharya of the Nandinatha Sampradaya a…
Hindu Festivals
Voices From The Mela
The aim should be to establish a kind of life in society by which our whole system of living is […]
Teaching & Parenting
Value of Samskaras
By Swami Veda Bharati Excerpts from an interview conducted by Hinduism Today correspondent Rajiv Malik at the 2001 Maha …
Environment
Tesla: Electricity’s Mastermind
By Mark Hawthorne Nikola Tesla is not as famous as his contemporary, Thomas Edison, but his inventions brought the world…
Philosophy & Scripture
Make Proper Use of the Internet
BY H.D.H. SRI PRAMUKH SWAMI MAHARAJ Science has advanced tremendously today. Now we have the internet. But before using …
Philosophy & Scripture
Nondualism is Alive and Well at Sringeri
By Choodie Shivaram Cradled amidst the mesmerizing Shringa Giri hills of the Western Ghats, on the banks of River Tunga,…
Culture & Society
Swami Nirliptananda
By Krishan Dutt No one walking past house 99A on Devonport Road in the “Shepherd’s Bush” area of Londo…
Philosophy & Scripture
Pythagoras the Mystic
Pythagoras is generally accepted to be one of the most significant fountainheads of Western thought. Of particular inter…
Philosophy & Scripture
Dayananda’s Arya Samaj
Swami Dayananda Saraswati founded the Arya Samaj in 1875 as a social/political reform movement within Hinduism. He sough…
Philosophy & Scripture
Tell us Why, Swami
Mysore-based Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami, a devotee of Lord Dattatreya, visited several US cities from June 27 thr…
Philosophy & Scripture
Swami Agnivesh
Swami Agnivesh became a successful professor of business and law in his early twenties, despite being born into poverty.…
Environment
Spirituality Alone Can Save Our Planet
BY JAGADGURU SHANKARACHARYA SRI BHARATI TIRTHA In many parts of the world we witness terrible wars, terrorist activity a…
Health & Ayurveda
Got Milk? And How!
By Hari Bansh Jha Seventy-year-old Doodh Dhari Baba lives on two liters of milk a day and nothing else. His […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Student’s Show a Big Hit
By Madhuri Shekar In July 29, 2000, youth from all three Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan schools in Chennai, India, celebrate…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Mooppanar Swami Served His Lord for Life
By Rajeswari Nagalingam It was late evening, Saturday, April 10, 1999, when I.S.V. Arunachala Mooppanar (lovingly referr…
Philosophy & Scripture
Humble, Holy, Happy
Excitement swept through the audience at the Yoga Syzygy Conference 2000 held June 11 in Flushing, New York, as correspo…
Culture & Society
Our Publisher Honored
Two hundred and fifty meditators, diplomats and friends gathered to honor Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami on August 25, …
Personal Practice
One Swami’s Impact
By P.S. Phalgun I returned home from my fourth semester in college mentally and physically tired from final exam week. […
Personal Practice
Meeting the Sadhu’s Challenges
BY H. H. MA YOGA SHAKTI SARASWATI Personally I feel I have not done enough in this world. I became […]
Personal Practice
The Greatness of Gayatri Mantra
BY KARUNAMAYI SRI VIJAYESWARI DEVI Dear embodiments of divine consciousness, Amma’s abundant Motherly love to you …
Health & Ayurveda
India Doesn’t Need More Tobacco
BY SADHU MUKUNDCHARANDAS Imagine a country releasing a biological weapon on another country. Firstly, using a biological…
The Arts
1940’S VEDANTIC NOVEL STILL A HIT
A MEETING WITH RAMANA MAHARSHI INSPIRED SOMERSET MAUGHAM’S CLASSIC “THE RAZOR’S EDGE” By Mark Ha…
Philosophy & Scripture
India’s Statue of Liberation
By Vrindavanam S. Gopalakrishnan At six in the evening, January 1, 2000, India unveiled her own version of the Statue [&…
Temples & Pilgrimage
A Palace For the Gods
When a religious leader who is rooted in orthodox tradition inspires devotional zeal in devotees, that movement flourish…
Philosophy & Scripture
Dada Vaswani in Africa
In December, Dada Vaswani, head of the worldwide Sadhu Vaswani Mission, visited several countries in Africa, including G…
Philosophy & Scripture
What to Do After 72?
Nachiappan was born May 29, 1923, in the small village of Managiri, Tamil Nadu, South India. He was in the […]
Temples & Pilgrimage
Monument to the Saint of Kanchi
The great works of saints live on long after their passing.” This time-worn adage consoles devotees when their bel…
Philosophy & Scripture
In Praise of Saiva Siddhanta
BY SRI GNANASAMBANDA DESIKA In Saiva Siddhanta, the blessings and grace of Lord Siva are paramount. God’s manifest…
Hindu Basics
Seven Steps Toward Golden Silence
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI Silence is very important. It is food for the soul. If we can make our mind [……
Philosophy & Scripture
Hindu Conversion
Conversion is a red hot topic in India this month, what with the Pope’s visit in November and the US […]
Hindu Basics
Narayana Guru on Religious Conversion
BY UDAYABHANU L. P. PANICKAR Religious conversion has become a serious subject among Indians all over the world. My home…
Culture & Society
Sitting with Swami
By Rajiv Malik “Do Good, Be Good.” These four words are written in bold letters all over the inside and [&he…
Saints & Sages
Swami Chidananda
At 83, Swami Chidananda, president of the Divine Life Society, is one of India’s spiritual treasures, a sage, a be…
Hindu Basics
Rising Above The Senses
BY SWAMI CHIDANANDA In the Hindu tradition three great principles or qualities have been laid down as fundamental practi…
Saints & Sages
Divine Life Society’s Rising Star
By Archana Dongre I will trade you all my sadhus for that one,” proclaimed a prominent sadhu visiting the Divine […
Personal Practice
Conversion Is an Act of Violence
BY SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI Religious conversion is a widely discussed topic in the Indian media these days. I think th…
Culture & Society
Vivekananda’s ‘Yes’ To Conversion
Conversion from Hinduism to Christianity and Islam and back again, long a “so what?” topic, is a headline-wo…
Philosophy & Scripture
Monks With a Mission
A hundred years ago, sixteen impoverished boys gathered under the guidance of Swami Vivekananda to form the Belur monast…
Philosophy & Scripture
Dharma in Delhi
By Rajiv Malik I never expected to find six acres of manicured gardens five minutes from New Delhi Railway Station, [&he…
Culture & Society
Chidananda Tours Malaysia
Energetic in mind and spirit, but increasingly frail in body, Swami Chidananda Saraswathi of Rishikesh, 82, visited the …
Philosophy & Scripture
Song of the Sannyasin
There was a time, not too long ago, when children and young men in India were taught that to renounce […]
Philosophy & Scripture
The Unifying Power of “Aum”
BY SWAMI NIRLIPTANANDA Modern science has impacted mankind in a short span of time. Over-dependence on technology and sc…
Health & Ayurveda
Compassion Hospital
India is a land where advanced medical services are unavailable or too expensive for many who need them. Now Sri [&helli…
Philosophy & Scripture
Defender of Vedas
“As when a fire is lit with damp fuel, different clouds of smoke come forth. In the same way from […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Om Muruga!
With Patrick Harrigan CRIES OF SUPPLICATION TO CLEANSE misdeeds. Milk pots on the head and spears through cheeks. Shouts…
Philosophy & Scripture
Foresake Frustrating Western Materialism
By Sri-la-Sri Sadhvi Meera Puri Indians have an inferiority complex about themselves. In fact, we should not feel inferi…
Philosophy & Scripture
Swami Bua: 109 Years Strong
We intended to interview Swami Bua at length in honor of his winning the 1998 Hindu Renaissance Award as “Hindu [&…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Saints of India Bless Kauai’s Temple Project
No Hindu would embark on a task as monumental and momentous as building a temple without the backing of the […]
Culture & Society
‘Isle Be Seeing You’
From his verdant Polynesian ashram on the Wailua River near the foot of an extinct volcano, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyasw…
Philosophy & Scripture
Awaken Moral Force,See Unity in God
BY SRI-LA-SRI SANTOSHI MA JI I want to do something for society. Just because I am a woman, I do […]
Hindu Festivals
Holy Procession
By Nikki Lastreto First in procession on Maha Sivaratri, March 25, came the Naga sadhus of the Juna Akhara, reputed [&he…
Hindu Festivals
Holy Ones
There was no proper map of the sadhu camps available to us, so in the 42¡ celsius (108¡ F) heat, […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Children Are Divine, Treat Them Thus
By Swami Tejomayananda Before we start our journey of inquiry into the topic of parenting, let me tell you that [&hellip…
Philosophy & Scripture
India’s Sacred Stamps
(Hard copy of Hinduism Today contains over 60 full color photographs of some of India’s finest Sacred Stamps) Stam…
Philosophy & Scripture
The Breath of God Is Our Breath of Life
By PARAMAHAMSA HARIHARANANDA God is all-pervading, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. Where is He not? He is present i…
Publisher's Editorials
Everyone Has a Guru, Knowingly or Not
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguru Maha-Maharajji is seen in the picture to the right with me in …
Philosophy & Scripture
The Weaver
The Tirukural, “holy couplets,” is a treasury of Hindu ethical insight and a literary masterpiece of the Tam…
Saints & Sages
Swami Satyamitranand Tours United Kingdom
After completing an entire year in silence, which he observes every five years, Swami Satyamitranand Giri visited Britai…
Philosophy & Scripture
Don’t Hide From Our Roots–the Vedas
BY SWAMI SHIVAPREMANANDA All Hindus have a moral and spiritual obligation to remind themselves of their cultural heritag…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Towering Tales
By Sita Sharan It was Bapu’s long-held wish to recite Ramayana on the banks of Lake Manasarovar, beside Mount Kail…
Philosophy & Scripture
Transformation into God’s Loving Image
BY SWAMI OMKARANANDA SARASWATI The little drop of water can support and bear millions of ships, and sustain billions of …
Culture & Society
Rishikesh’s Action Ashram
By RAJIV MALIK, NEW DELHI Think like a genius. Work like a giant. Live like a saint.” This cogent affirmation [&he…
Philosophy & Scripture
Destroy Egocentric Desire and Anger
BY JAGADGURU SHANKARACHARYA SRI BHARATI TIRTHA Adi Shankaracharya says, “again birth, again death and again lying …
Philosophy & Scripture
Seeking What’s Real
SRI ADI SHANKARA IS IRREFUTABLY ONE OF THE MOST significant historical figures of India. His life story, writings and sa…
Philosophy & Scripture
Hindu of the Year
Upon learning he had received the 1997 Hindu Renaissance Award at his 66th birthday celebration in New York, Sri Chinmoy…
Philosophy & Scripture
Tagore in Dance
By Choodie Shivaram The songs and compositions of Rabindranath Tagore, “Rabindra Sangeet,” are very dear to …
Philosophy & Scripture
Dharma in Daily Life: Yagna, Daan, Tapas
By Goswami Indira Betiji Hindus are not only Indians. anyone who be-lieves in the culture of the rishis and the [&hellip…
Philosophy & Scripture
Hear Krishna’s Flute
By Lavina Melwani When I was very small, I felt this strong attachment to Krishna–it must be from a past [……
Temples & Pilgrimage
Tradition in Decline
By M. P. Mohanty, New Delhi His forehead crumples as H.H.Sankaracharya Nischalanand Saraswati laments the current status…
Teaching & Parenting
Let Not the Conflict of Identity Haunt Us
BY SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI Being a tradition, not an organized religion the Hindu Dharma is imbibed by one as one [&he…
Philosophy & Scripture
Perfection Is in Your Luminous Essence
BY SWAMI SASTRANANDA Man (woman included) seeks and strives to be or have the best, the perfect, consciously or unconsci…
Philosophy & Scripture
A Saint’s Self-Willed Death
By CHQODIE SHIVARAM, BANGALORE Dear friends,” began Swami Nirmalananda’s short missive of December 23, 1996,…
Philosophy & Scripture
Reaching for The Golden Ring
BY SWAMI SHUDDHANANDA BRAMACHARI Blessed are they who dwell on the deepest purposes of human life, especially in a world…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Puja: With Honor, Offer Everything
BY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR Honoring is a sign of divine love. That honoring is called puja. The ceremony of […]
Personal Practice
This Suicide Got No One to Heaven
BY SWAMI BRAHMAVIDYANANDA SARASWATI For the media to associate the lunacy of Heaven’s Gate suicides with Eastern b…
Philosophy & Scripture
Eternal Partnership for a Healthy Society
By MA YOGA SHAKTI Originally, a long, long time ago, the ancestors of the Hindus settled in the lush and […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Keep Science at Peace with Nature
By Mata Amritanandamayi The idea of cloning, though implemented only recently through modern science, was in the minds o…
Philosophy & Scripture
Love Letter From God
BY LAVINA MELWANI, NEW YORK The year was 1925 and Pandurang Shastri Athavale was all of five years old. Wrapping [&helli…
Health & Ayurveda
Vegetarianism: Roots of Righteousness
BY SWAMI PRAGYANAND Sanatana Dharma, today known as Hindu Dharma, the eternal religion, is an integration of nature and …
Culture & Society
Athavale Earns Award
Pandurang Shastri Athavale, founder and leader of a spiritual self-knowledge movement that has liberated millions from t…
Publisher's Editorials
Good Money, Bad Money
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI My satguru, the venerable Sage Yogaswami, discriminated between good money and bad mo…
Philosophy & Scripture
Your True Companion: The Self Within
BY SWAMI CHIDVILASANANDA With great respect, with great love, I weLcome you with all my heart. In the sacred text [&hell…
Philosophy & Scripture
Lanka’s Yogaswami
He strode powerfully along the roads and fields of his island each day, and those who saw him coming would […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Yoga in Daily Life: Perfect Way to God
By Paramahamsa Swami Maheshwarananda Divine consciousness that is eternal, omniscient and omnipresent and resides in eac…
Philosophy & Scripture
Mountainous Sage
By ANANDHI RAMACHANDRAN, CHENNAI Once as a child I asked my father “Are there rishis like Agastya, Vishwamitra and…
Philosophy & Scripture
Ramana as a Family Affair
BY ANANDHI RAMACHANDRAN, CHENNAI From what I had heard about Sarada Natarajan, I had expected to see an elderly lady [&h…
Philosophy & Scripture
Satyameva Jayate – Truth Prevails
By Swami Bua Maharaj What is Hinduism and who is a Hindu? Hinduism is not a hodgepodge of different beliefs […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Duty’s Tasks – Diurnal Diary
By V KALYANAM, Chennai Gandhi’s day began at 3:30am sharp. When I was with him, in 1947, the 78-year-old got [&hel…
Culture & Society
Gandhi’s Last Letters
Who would have guessed that while Hinduism Today’s staff toiled to gather news of the Hindu world we would ourselv…
Philosophy & Scripture
“Making of the Mahatma”
By Lavina Melwani While the world thinks of Gandhi as the sainted man in khadi loincloth leaning on a cane, […]
Philosophy & Scripture
Personal Peace Leads to Universal Peace
By Karunamayi Sri Vijayeswari Devi My wish is universal peace, to be achieved through the cultivation of individual peac…
Temples & Pilgrimage
Kerala Controversy
By VRINDAVANAM S. GOPALAKRISHNAN The Kerala police anticipated resistence when they made their move to enforce a court-o…
Philosophy & Scripture
To Build a New India
Athavale’s amazing grassroots movement stresses God with and within man By Rajiv Malik, New Delhi I have not come here […
Health & Ayurveda
The Yoga of Endurance
Sri Chinmoy beats 65 Age is in the mind and not in the heart. With determination we can con-quer the […]