Podcasts about Ishta

A talk and meditation practice to help bring radiance into your own life and that of others.Join Peter live or online at ISHTA Yoga.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Thank you to those of you who do already!Namaste

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda, given on May 18, 2025, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, MA

Today's episode takes us to ISHTA meditation class for a talk about how Tantra offers us not just an escape, but a way to bring our wisdom into life to help both ourselves and the world. Listen to the talk, or stay on for the meditation practice, too. Please come to our retreat! Calling on Your Practice Now:A Hamptons retreat with Mona Anand, Wendy Newton, and me. May 27-30. Come for the whole retreat or come out for a day. Details via the link above.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. And thank you for your support!Namaste.

Mona Anand, a co-owner of ISHTA Yoga, and I took teacher training together, but we both intended it to help us learn more about yoga. We both think of teacher training as training to be a yogi — to understand more deeply what it means to have and draw on this powerful practice. In today's episode, we discuss training in general, and highlight aspects of upcoming 200 and 300 hour trainings. Whether you have no intention to ever teach yoga, or already took teacher training, I hope you will find our observations interesting and useful.Details of ISHTA trainings can be found at ISHTAYoga.com, where you can have the opportunity to learn more about yoga with Mona, myself — and Wendy Newton. The 300-hr (Art of Touch Module) starts May 9; the 200-hr starts July 14. Free info sessions with Mona are April 24 and May 2. Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! And thank you for all who do

It's episode 100! Thanks for sticking with us for so long!Stargate's version of actually intelligent El*n M*sk threatens to reveal the existence of aliens in "Covenant" and Ishta's group of women rebel Jaffa make an important breakthrough in "Sacrifices." Also we stan how Bra'tac is just here for the wine and the vibes this week.Find us online:https://twitter.com/wormholewaffleshttps://wormholewaffles.tumblr.com/@wormholewaffles.bsky.socialHive @wormholewaffleshttps://twitter.com/chelseafairlesshttps://chelseafairless.tumblr.com/@chelseafairless.bsky.socialHive @chelseafairlesshttps://twitter.com/arezouaminhttps://arezoudeetoo.tumblr.com/@arezouamin.bsky.socialHive @arezoudeetooThreads @arezoudeetooOther Geeky Waffle content:https://thegeekywaffle.com/https://twitter.com/Geeky_Wafflehttps://www.facebook.com/thegeekywaffle/https://www.instagram.com/thegeekywaffle/https://thegeekywaffle.tumblr.com/https://www.tiktok.com/@thegeekywafflehttps://www.youtube.com/c/thegeekywafflehttps://www.patreon.com/thegeekywaffle@thegeekywaffle.bsky.social

In this talk, we give a comprehensive overview of the Path of Devotion:00:00:00 How Bhakti Yoga Works: Vaidhi Bhakti (Devotion with Rules) vs Para Bhakti (Ecstatic Love)00:04:30 The full moon of Bhakti, the scorching sun of Jñāna 00:05:47 An outline of  Swami Vivekananda's "Bhakti Yoga":00:07:10 The definition of Bhakti: " the genuine and earnest quest for God that begins in Love, continues in Love and ends in Love." 00:10:30 The philosophy of Ishvara: the formless pure non-dual Consciousness (Impersonal Absolute), which is the ideal of Jñāna and Buddhism, is exactly the same as the form of God with qualities (Personal God), which is the ideal Bhakti. 00:13:20 Swami Vivekananda's definition of God: unfathomable love. God is Love itself, i.e L.O.V.E Personified. 00:15:00  Bhakti is about realization and for this we need a guru to transmit the wordless, invisible "quickening impulse"00:16:30 Qualifications for aspirants: what kind of a student is required? Pining, patience and perseverance! 00:17:35 Qualifications for teachers: grounded in the spirit of the scriptures, pure in character and teaching for the right reasons (not for material profit)00:19:10 The role of the Avatar in Bhakti Yoga in providing a concrete form for the mind to focus on in Devotion 00:26:03 How mantras work in Devotion (and the meaning of OM) 00:30:34 Technical Difficulties!00:31:32 Technical Difficulties ends...00:34:00 Invocation of Swamiji00:34:23 The Worship of Substitutes and Images (and why its so important)00:47:30 How this idea leads to the Harmony of All Religions 00:49:17 Ishta Nishta, Steadfast Devotion to the Chosen Ideal: while all forms are equally Brahman, we should choose one and dive deep into It without hating any other forms 00:53:19 depth vs breadth in spiritual life 01:02:22 worshipping all deities through your Ishta and worshipping your Ishta through all deities 01:08:00 How to practice Bhakti Yoga, the path of Devotion: the methods and the means.Support the show

Today we are celebrating the feast day for a very important Marian apparition that occurred on the site of a former Tonantzin temple: The Lady of Guadalupe! This is among my favorite occurrences in Catholic history and it gives us a nice opportunity to talk about Mā beyond any one cultural context (i.e the Universal "Mā" as opposed to the particular). As such, in this class we discuss the distinctions between the sthāna-devatā (deities of the region), grāma-devatā (village deities), kula-devatā (family deities) and Ishta-devatā (ones chosen ideal). These are exceedingly important categories of thought in the Tantrik ritual worship context, the "pūjā world" and these are distinctions I would have done well to discuss sooner in our series. In any case, we will take up the topic in the first of two lectures tonight with a special reference to how the Lady Guadalupe, the patron deity of Mexico, fits into all of this! We'll draw a bit from the material in this lecture on Mā Kālī in Other Cultures. Since I'm back home in Kuala Lumpur, this will give me an opportunity to discuss some unique regional deities also like Pechy-Amman, Muniswaran, Karappan etc.For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the show

Today's podcast is a yoga nidra practice, which is a meditation done lying down. Yoga nidra is very helpful at helping you relax or fall asleep. The meditation is about 20 minutes long and can be done on a yoga mat, on a couch or in bed. If you need to get up after the practice, you might want to set an alarm so you don't fall asleep for too long!Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.You can find out more about Peter on linktr.ee/peterferkoNamaste!

Swami Sarvadevananda, the Minister in charge of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, gave this talk on Sunday, July 14, 2024, in the Santa Barbara Temple. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teal'c hat Probleme: Er will Ishta, die Anführerin der Hak'tyl, von einem Angriff auf Moloc abhalten, da er die Pläne für übereilt hält. Und sein Sohn Rya'c will heiraten.. Deutsche TV-Premiere Mo 11.07.2005 RTL II Original-TV-Premiere Fr 10.09.2004 Showtime

Wie schwierig isses eigentlich nach Eiselcross zu gelangen? Die Antwort ist JA! Nach einer Aussprache zwischen Orym und Laudna ist die Absorption und das Tragen von Ishta (erstmal) vom Tisch. Und in Aeor selbst ist es natürlich wieder spooky, einschließlich rituellem Massaker im Zelt und Zeitkapseln, die wir schon von der zweiten Kampagne kennen. Aber hey, warum hört ihr nicht einfach in die Folge rein? Let's role the intro! Schnitt: Raik; Intromusik & Gesang: Marja (https://on.soundcloud.com/1WYBx) Introtext: Thomas; Coverart: Thomas; Outro: Text von Raik, Musik/Gesang erstellt mit der Suno-AI Hintergrundmusik: "Cozy Tavern" von The Vault of Ambience / Epidemic Sound; #Rollenspiel #tabletoprpg #Hobbys #Spiele #CriticalRole #penandpaper #pennpaper #German #Deutsch #campaign3 #season3 #Zadesh #Ishta #Aeor #cottagecore #breakup #imodna #EssekThelyss #Teleport #Mishap #Genesisward

Shopping episode turned PvP! Und beantwortet unsere Frage: Hat Imaudna weiterhin Bestand? Kommentiert, schreibt, sprecht was ein. Und nun, lasst uns reinhören, let's role the intro. Schnitt: Thomas; Intromusik & Gesang: Marja (https://on.soundcloud.com/1WYBx) "I am attacking the darkness" from The Dead Alewives (1996) Introtext: Thomas; Coverart: Thomas; Hintergrundmusik: "Cozy Tavern" von The Vault of Ambience / Epidemic Sound; #Rollenspiel #tabletoprpg #Hobbys #Spiele #CriticalRole #penandpaper #pennpaper #German #Deutsch #campaign3 #season3 #AstridBecke #Zadesh #Ishta #PvP #Orym #Laudna #Imogen #Imaudna #imodna #Essek #toxicrelationship #shoppingepisode #delilahbriarwood #lies

Christopher Judge takes charge of the writing this week on Birthright, aka Stargate: Warrior Princess. The idea behind this episode is interesting, but the execution falls a little short. It really didn't need the love story element between Teal'c and Ishta. But, hey. You can't keep a horse in a bathtub!   INSTAGRAM: SG_Rewatch THREADS: SG_Rewatch DISCORD: https://discord.gg/65kMPzBuaN EMAIL: woosgrewatch@gmail.com

Sarah Platt-Finger is the Director of Chopra Yoga at IIN, and the co-founder of ISHTA Yoga, LLC. Sarah coauthored the book Living in the Light with Dr. Deepak Chopra, which has received international acclaim as one of the most practical and inspiring guides to modern day yoga. Sarah received her 500-hour Yoga certification in the ISHTA lineage in 2004 and was initiated as a Yoga Master by her husband, Kavi Yogiraj Alan Finger, in 2013. Since then, Sarah has made it her life's purpose to share the authentic teachings of yoga worldwide. She helped develop one of the most renowned Yoga Teacher Training programs in New York City that expanded internationally to London, Sweden, Germany, Japan, and Australia. Sarah most recently helped develop and teach as a Lead Trainer in the Chopra Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training with IIN, a fully digital yoga course that is accredited with the Yoga Alliance.Sarah believes that the practice of yoga on the mat is a reflection of the reality we create off the mat, and that a deeper awareness of our physical, mental, and emotional patterns can bring us closer to the essence of our being.  

For his first episode recorded in the UK, Vinamre sits down with bestselling author and literary popstar Amish Tripathi In this episode, we talk about: -The forgotten progressive parts of Hinduism -The importance of rituals -Thinking for yourself and living with the consequences Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:17 - Learning about Ishta devtas 8:58 - Taking pride in idol worship 22:55 - Why rituals are important 28:18 - Rituals that are personal to Amish 31:48 - The importance of questioning rituals 37:03 - There is no reason to judge idol worship 39:15 - Amish wants to mostly live and die in India 42:33 - Parts of UK culture we should recreate and reject 51:40 - Amish loves London's multiculturalism 53:00 - Learning to interact with other cultures 56:21 - Conclusion Listen to the audio version of the full podcasts at - Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/70vrbHeSvrcXyOeISTyBSy?si=eZQk7N3_QOmvOfu0umGjzg Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8zZDkyMjI0MC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/dostcast/id1538251790 == This is the official channel for Dostcast, a podcast by Vinamre Kasanaa. Connect with me Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinamrekasanaa/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/VinamreKasanaa Dostcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dostcast/ Dostcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dostcast Dostcast on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/dostcast == Contact Us For business inquiries: dostcast@egiplay.com == #Dostcast

Patanjali explains how the recitation of Aum in an integral part of meditation as well as self study or Svadhyaya. It is believed through unwavering dedication & faith one's Ishta devatha will manifest before the devotee during meditation. To learn more listen to this podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wellnesswithsahila/message

In this conversation with Mona Anand, we break down what the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra is, Non-Sleep Deep Relaxation, how it differs from other forms of meditation and hypnotherapy, its power to release and heal subconscious and unconscious blocks, memories, and stuck emotions, as well as create an expanded state of consciousness. Mona is a co-owner of ISHTA Yoga, a yogiraj or yoga master in the ISHTA lineage and the teacher training director of ISHTA's world renowned teacher training programs. She is most passionate about and best known for her work in the field of yoga nidra. Mona was first introduced to yoga nidra as a teenager growing up in Mumbai, India. She was profoundly affected by the deep state of relaxation and expanded state of awareness she experienced through this meditation technique and has continued to practice yoga nidra throughout her life, sparking her interest in the brain and neuroscience. Before you dive in, I would love it if you could hit pause and leave us a 5 star review and a written review on whatever platform you're listening on. In doing so, you help get this podcast into the ears and brains of more people like you. Episode Resources:Talk Nerdy To Me Episode 1: Neuroplasticity: How To Rewire Your BrainPractice Yoga Nidra with Mona on SpotifyPractice Yoga Nidra with Mona on Insight TimerPractice Yoga Nidra with Mona Anand on TeachableLive classes in NYC & Online at ISHTA YogaTALK NERDY ON INSTAGRAMLEARN MOREJoin Alex's free challenge: 5 Days to Overcome Anxiety

Talk on the occasion of Guru Purnima on 2nd July 2023 by Swami Sunishthananda. Bank Details for Donations: CBA A/C Name: Vedanta Centre BSB 06 3159 A/C: 1056 1620   Online class talk links: YouTube Link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNzjwJ9X5QOY6NnOtrL45KA/   Available Listening Platforms Anchor https://anchor.fm/swami-sunishthananda Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/vedanta-melbourne-classes Podcasts https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8yZGUyMTRlMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw== Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1526036863/vedanta-melbourne-classes Pocket Casts https://pca.st/q0859ok9 Radio Public https://radiopublic.com/vedanta-melbourne-classes-G1PBQ4 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/4N1MLlU3dfRvPUdz7xqY9l   For more information visit https://www.vedantamelbourne.org/

Next Reads: "Tamarind And The Star Of Ishta" by North Liberty Library

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In this episode, I speak with Katrina Repka. Katrina is an ISHTA Yogiraj (master) who has led classes, workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings in her home in London and beyond. She is the co-author with Alan Finger of Breathing Space: Twelve Lessons for the Modern Woman and Chakra Yoga: Balancing Energy for Physical, Spiritual, and Mental Well-being.You can take class with Katrina online at ISHTAYoga.com.Wendy Newton and I are hosting 4 day-long retreats this Spring and Summer. Join us for Fresh Air Fridays, the first friday of May-August at Ascend Center in Cold Spring, New York. Links to info and registration at https://linktr.ee/peterferkoPlease support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Thank you!

The seventh and last Bhakti Yoga class for beginners, delivered at 228 West 39th Street, New York, on Monday morning, 20 January 1896, and recorded by Mr. Josiah J. Goodwin. Narrated by Varun Narayan.

The seventh and last Bhakti Yoga class for beginners, delivered at 228 West 39th Street, New York, on Monday morning, 20 January 1896, and recorded by Mr. Josiah J. Goodwin. Narrated by Varun Narayan.

We head to meditation class for the eponymous ISHTA practice: ISHTA Diksha. This practice, based on a kriya from Paramahansa Yogananda and refined by Alan Finger moves you efficiently into and out of  meditation. Diksha means "initiation" and refers to this practice as a bedrock practice at ISHTA Yoga. Have a listen to the intro, and join in the meditation if you like.You can join Peter for meditation classes or look into training at ISHTA Yoga in person or online at ISHTAYoga.comPeter's Podcast relies on your contributions on Patreon.

In this episode (which is also available on video at YouTube), Stephen Mark and I discuss tantra and several other topics in preparation for my workshop this weekend. You can attend the workshop in person or online by going to ISHTAYoga.com.What Is Yoga and Why Do We Do It? A deep dive for practitioners and teachers.Sunday, April 2, 12:15–5:00Online and in-person info at ISHTAYoga.comPlease support Peter's Podcast on Patreon

In the 2nd part of our Holi episode, we talk about the colours, issues, the images and the misconceptions with our guest Neha who is the founder of Shaktitva.org.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscriptRekha: Namaste! Welcome to the Hindu Parenting Podcast, Part 2 of the Holi Episode. Please join us as we continue the fascinating discussion about the Festival of Holi with some more stories from Neha ji, founder of Shaktitva and a Devi Upasaka.Neha: So, just to complete the story, eventually when all of these attempts to, you know, to kill Prahlad fail, and Hiranyakashipu decides to take the matters into his own hands and he finds this unarmed child. In a fit of rage, he tries to strike a sword with. So, he, you know, the child ducks and the sword hits a pillar. And from that pillar, Narsimha Avatar appears. And now Narsimha Avatar is the half-man, half-animal. So, it's not either, the boon was either animal or man. But this avatar is half-man, half-animal. And this is the most, you know, interesting element of the story.So, this Narsimha Avatar, Sri Vishnu takes him to the, at the, what we call dehleez , like the corner of the house. Yeah, the threshold of the house, exactly. He stands on the threshold of the house, takes this demon, puts him on his thigh, so that he's not on the ground or on the sky. He's on Sri Vishnu's thigh. And then he claws his heart out with his claws. So, it's not a known weapon. Yeah. And he does this at exactly a dusk when it is neither morning, day or night. Shalini: Sandhyakaal!Neha: Yeah, sandhyakaal, like the mixing when it's neither day nor night. So, he finds that exact combination that will defeat that very ingenious boon. And that's how, you know, Hiranyakashipu is defeated. Finally, Prahlad gets to witness his Ishta in the raw form, and he is blessed. And then Prahlad takes over the throne and continues the lineage of Sage Kashyap going forward. So, that Holika moment. Shalini: You said the story so beautifully.Neha: Awww! Thank you!Rekha: Nehaji, I love the part where the puzzle gets solved. I can see how kids can get absolutely fascinated by this, you know, if parents can just tell their kids, you give this puzzle; even if your kid doesn't know the story but tries to solve this puzzle.“Neither during the day nor night”. I mean, it's just too beautiful.Neha: It's ingenious. Yeah, absolutely. And see, the moral of the story is right, like you can, first of all, like I always wonder these people, they put hundreds of years of sadhana or many lifetimes of sadhana to get a boon from their Ishta, right? Like imagine, you're sitting in extreme penance, like Ravana's penance and then Hiranyakashipu's penance is not ordinary. This is like almost hundreds of years of extreme penance, even thousands of years by some accounts. They sit and you ask for such a stupid thing. I mean, your Ishta is standing in front of you deviate and you ask that you should not be killed. Why is that? I think that shows the nature of who we call demon is not by birth or lineage, you know, these are Kashyap rishi's sons, like these are the most exalted lineage you can find in all of Bharat Varsha. And that is evident because they have the capability to do this penance for eons. This is not ordinary feat in itself and the lineage is definitely blessed. So it's not by birth or by previous or whatever is the other ways of people understanding it. It's not about descent, it's not about race, it's not about caste, it's not about all of these things. It's about what you do with your abilities, right? What are your desires? Shalini:Yeah, absolutely. That is true.Neha: Yeah, as a Devi upasaka, when Ma comes to me and I ask something so stupid, I think like, you know, I should be banned from sadhana… do that if somebody does things like this. But you know, devatas are when they're happy, they're happy, they will give you what they want as long as it's within - as long as it doesn't defy the laws of nature. And so you can find several stories where Brahma is giving boons or Ma is giving boons or you know, Shiva is giving boons and these, depending on who is getting the boons, people do different things.Rekha: I'd like to bring up one point here. You live in the US. And I know that about three years ago, just pre-COVID, there was this thing in US universities about Holi against Hindutva, where Holika was painted as a Dalit woman. And you know, many people tried to spread this rumor in colleges that there's something very bad going on when Holika is burnt because she is an oppressed woman and she's a Dalit. And so I know that a lot of Indian children got swayed by this. I'd like you to weigh in on this because..Neha: yeah, absolutely. So actually, with the exact incident you're talking about, led me to write a two-part article on Holi on Shaktitva blog. The part where I explain what Holi is and the many colors of Holi is one article. And then there is a second article called “Let the Subaltern Speak”, in which I kind of explore exactly this point. So first of all, like logically speaking, you know, a lot of these claims are absurd to the point of ignorance. Like they, they rely on the fact that a lot of people don't know about these stories and the legends or all the meanings behind what we do as a culture. And that's part of colonialism, you know, just detaching us from our roots is definitely part of the colonial projects.So that now that, you know, the urban audience has already detached very few know the story of Holika or why we do this, you can twist the argument in your favor.So there are two main articles that led to this Equality Labs protest that were challenged by it. So basically this Equality Labs organization cited two main articles in their write up for Holi against Hindutva. One of them was from Pradnya Waghule, which said ‘Reading caste in Holi- the burning of Holika, a Bahujan woman'. And the second one is the Equality Labs, its own article, ‘why do we say no to Holi' In both of them, you know, I am not going to critique the whole blog, because it's ridiculous. But you can see a very clear indication that this is nothing but Hinduphobia. So Waghule herself says that she's only only ever lived in cities all her life. Right. So the what I'm trying the reason I'm trying to highlight that is because she has no in-first person knowledge of these traditions. Right. Whereas, you know, most of our families are just two generations ago, we were living in villages. So that's number one. Now this reading of Bahujan woman of Holika - Holika's existence comes from this story that I told you about. She is Hiranyakashipu's sister. Hiranya Kashyapu and Hiranyaksha are very clearly Kashyap Rishi's sons. So Kashyap Rishi is like, you know, one of the Saptarishis. So obviously he's the ultra ultra Brahmin, not even ordinary normal Shukla chukla or, you know, Pandya Brahmin is the ultra Brahmin, like he has an entire Gotra named after him.And he these are the first one, not first one, but he is like, yeah, these two are sons from Kashyap Rishi. So by caste, essentially, because it's a paternalistic tradition, it happens, they have become Brahmin. And so Holika is a sister. So that means she's a Brahmin woman, you know, by legend, which is where she's mentioned. Now, what the reality is, these people when they're mentioning these instances of Holika being worshipped in tribal areas, they are confusing Holika and Holi Mata. Now, Holi Mata is indeed worshipped in many parts of the country in many, many tribal traditions, including my hometown. Now, Holi Mata has nothing to do with Holika.What happens is many of us, many of our tribes are traditionally like the Kula Devi is a Devi, right? The Kula devatha is a Devi. And so usually anything auspicious, Devi has to be worshipped. So when you do that, and usually what the tradition goes that in specific instances, for example, if you're doing the Gauri Pooja, a specific form of Ma is being worshipped, that's why it's called Gauri Pooja. So in the same way, during Holi Mata, a specific form of Ma is being worshipped and a specific type of worship is being done, that ritual only happens around Holi. And that includes your offering, the same colors are offered, new clothes are offered, when the dahan is done, that bonfire is done, a part of that bonfire, ashes are brought to the Mata and so on. So like in the Prasad, this Naivedyam is first created. So that's why we make gujiya after the dahan, and then gujiya is first offered to the god. So if we were in the villages, we would offer it to the Kula Devi. And then eventually it will be distributed. So for that particular purpose, a Murti or a makeshift clay idol is created. And all of the village will gather around and offer the blessings over there, like they'll put the offerings in that on the clay idol.So that is that clay idol is called Holi Mata. So now confusing Holimata with Holika is silly because the same people also do the bonfire. So why would they do the bonfire if they were worshipping Holika later? Then why would you celebrate her death? Just two minutes before! They are not related. Now in other parts of India, you can actually see that Holimata, that makeshift idol, is also taken on a Yatra like Ganesh Chaturthi. So they also, the Visarjan happens and so on, like the same process, which is typical for us, like whenever we have a makeshift idol like in Ganesh Chaturthi or in Durga Puja, once the process is completed, it is done - Visarjan into some form of water body. So that also happens. So those processions will chant Holi Mata Ki Jai or something like that. And that's what these urbanites who actually want to speak for the subaltern without getting to know them, without getting to live their lives or understanding their tradition and faith systems, this is how they confuse people. So in this imagination, because she is the goddess of the tribal people, she becomes a tribal deity because they've already confused it and they're not familiar with these ideas of how Holi Mata is constructed, like on a makeshift thing and all of those nuances are not known. And so they will do this confusion and then they will suddenly Holika, the daughter of Kashyap rishi becomes the Dalit woman all of a sudden. And now nobody from the Bahujan parts of India is coming to read this English language article meant to be circulated in USA to correct it, right? Nobody's going to do that. And so and the rest of you are saying we hardly know anything about why things are happening. So we are not also correcting it. So that's how you get to circulate these, you know, false narratives. And it was actually very offensive, because targeting Holi like that. And here is the thing, you know, if you are, let's say, even if I were to imagine this concept of Brahminical Hinduism versus non-Brahminical, Brahminical tribal Hinduism, Holi is the least Brahminical of all, you know, celebrations of Hindus. Like, you know, if you see the typical hallmarks of what is what, how these people define Brahminism is - at least a Brahmin needs to be present, no? Usually all some festivals you require a priest to come and do some puja, but Holi requires the presence of no priest. Right. As I mentioned, in fact, it's a challenging of social norms and mores.Then the tradition inquires, like it requires no particular, like you usually offer it to your own gods, your own deities and a Kula Devi. But it does not require any elaborate temple visit or anything like that. Right. So how, why would, you know, if this were to be confused, check, if we were to put it in these two arbitrary criteria of Brahminical versus non-Brahminical, this is very fundamentally indigenous tribal and adivasi in origins. Right. So, so the entire basis of attacking an indigenous authentic tribal festival, which is like, in fact, one of the biggest festival for many tribes in India as a, you know, fascist thing and trying to disparage it this way and especially targeting American universities is insidious to say the least.Now, are we saying that Vedic traditions are not uninhibited? They are not, you know, connected to Mata or they are not connected to Kula Devi? No, it's a beautiful spectrum. Right.How, what happens now in a traditional, let's say, let's find a simple example in a traditional homa. Right. If you're doing Rudrabhishekam in your home and you are the Yajman and pundits have come and they're conducting it for you. What happens? Right. The starting is you'll do the cleaning of your hands. You'll remember Sri Vishnu for that. Right. Then you will start by remembering your Guru, your ancestors, your Kula Devi and Sri Ganesha. Right. Not, I messed up the order, but basically this is the, like, start with Sri Ganesha, then your Kula Devi, then your ancestors, your Guru. This is the beginning of every homa, every puja, everywhere.Right. Now, if you had, if you were in living in a place where you had access to your Kula Devi's murti, maybe you put it in your temple or maybe you are living in a place where your Kula Devi temple is nearby and that's where you're conducting it. When you are remembering them, it will involve an offering to them immediately. And this will be guided to you by the priest himself. Right. So he's not, there is no distinction between vedic gods and these gods, right.It's a beautiful spectrum. One cannot exist without the other. So the, now, whether you're reading it from the Shastras or the Puranas or you're telling folk stories, it does not matter. Right. That's just the ritual or how should I say levels of ritualism. If you were to do it at your home by yourself, you probably don't know all the Sanskrit verses. So you do it in your mind. Right. You remember the deity and you have, maybe you have a mantra or maybe you don't have a mantra. Maybe you have a Chalisa. For example, in North India, we have these avadhi verses, which serve as the mantras. So Chalisa is our collection of 40 verses or you have sometimes, you know, these, these arathis, for example, these songs that we have constructed for the singing the legends of our gods, Om Jai Jagdish hare being the most prominent one. So we have all of these different levels and ways of worship. Now, some people do it in a very elaborate way where sometimes you need a priest because it's actually too elaborate and it's not possible for some unless somebody is trained in that ritual for tens of years, which is what often priests do. It's hard for a normal householder to start doing it without training. And also it's not recommended to do it without training either. So depending on the level you're doing, for example, in Shivaratri that just passed, most people will do it in their homes. Right. If they have a lingam at home, they will do a simple Abhishekam at home. If they have, if they're going to a temple, then they'll, you know, put money for a Rudrabhishekam for the temple priests to conduct it. Or sometimes people will arrange for a priest to come and do a homa at their home. It's different levels of the same festival. All of them are valid. All of them are common.Rekha: So Neha Ji, you brought up this very, very important point of two traditions coexisting harmoniously. The universal story, the Pauranic story of Holika dahan, the Hiranyakashipu story, and also the Holi Mata Kuladevi local traditions, which are typically known as the Desi and the Margi traditions within Sanatana Dharma. So the interesting thing is that there is really no conflict. And this thing happens over and over again in our tradition, right, with the festivals, with customs, dance, music, and so many things. And I'd like to say here that I think this is not a bug, but a feature of Sanatana Dharma. Any thoughts on this?Neha: Thank you for that software engineering reference. And you're absolutely right. No, so exactly right. So I think, you know, sometimes I find myself browsing through an article that some colonial, you know, neo-colonial Indologist wrote, and they seem so confused, right? If you read the research papers that get published in Indology journals, they are just, you know, it's like it's impossible for them to parse the continuity of this tradition. So sometimes they will be looking at, you know, let's say they'll go to a rural Kuladevi Mandir, right? And they'll see, let's take for an extreme example, let's say they'll see a Bali ritual, right? And then a few, even in Tamil Nadu, let's just take the example of Tamil Nadu. If you go to the rural villages, there are still like some Kuladevi Kuladevata temples where Bali happens, you know, now with the colonial government banning it and then our modern government continuing colonial traditions, you know, officially it's banned, but still happens. Then you cross- Shalini: I think there is a temple in Kerala also, no? The Muthappan temple. Neha: Not just one, not just one temple. Shalini: Yeah, many, many temples.Neha: A lot of places where you have to secretly do this because, you know, our own government has turned against our traditions or, you know, some places where it's relatively open, but it happens. And then you cross a few kilometers and you come to the heart of, you know, say Chennai and you go to a Vaishnava temple or a Shaiva temple, like, you know, Iyengar temple or an Iyer temple and you're suddenly like, this is like very organized, you know, we have a lot of learned gurus who have given like volumes and volumes of very detailed documentary, like documented evidence of everything that they found. And, you know, somehow for these people who come from the West, it looks like these two traditions cannot coexist each other with each other. And the reason they think that is because they're bound with this Christian mentality, where paganism, which was a pre-Christian tradition of their lands, was considered or labeled as backward and, you know, not civilized by the Christians who came to dominate the space later on. So they see, you know, nature worship as uncouth, uncivilized or, you know, the thing that uneducated people do. And this has also been indoctrinated to us in our education, right? Because our education is also colonial. So every time like you have, I'm sure you have read somewhere that, you know, even in our own books that the people, ancient people worshiped Sun because they did not understand its power, right? And so the idea is that the only reason you worship something is because you don't understand it. And so it becomes a myth. And so therefore science becomes a way to dispelling that myth. And, you know, Christianity brought us to the light. And so the old gods lost the power. This is all very, very standard European Christian commentary. This is how they understand their own past. And their present, which is Christian and then eventually post-Christian. So now they use that same..Shalini: So they project that on our system.Neha: Exactly, exactly. So they project that on our system. Because for them, when they look at, say, Kanchi matham, right, it looks very organized. It looks a little bit centralized. The priests over there are learned. They talk in, you know, high philosophy. And so on, and they can, you know, hold themselves up to any debate. They are, you know, they're experts in science, math, whatever you want them to be. And so this is like, you know, high philosophy is revered, revered as, exalted culture, more civil. And so they see reflections of their Orthodox church in this. And then they look, few villages down, they look at the common villager, who is, you know, just showing pure Bhakti to the Devi. He is also following Tantra. Here is the thing, right, even these temples, the Kula Devi temples are also established as per Agama Tantra. So these, these are still very much rituals that have been told to us, passed down generations of generations through sadhakas, through practical, practical knowledge, right? But because in, in these, to these external observers, it does not appear connected, you know, because unless you are completely disconnected and you're doing some high-falutin philosophy, you're not like, you know, learned enough. So you have to talk in abstract. Suddenly, when you translate that to actual rituals, it becomes old and childish and, and, you know, superstitious and what not. So this dichotomy from their own society, they project on ours. And that's exactly what happens when they look at these traditions.So when they look at the grama traditions, and here is the thing, Dharma clearly says there are many, many acharams, right? There is Vedachar and there is Lokachar, right? And there is not, it is not like a hierarchy. It is not like Vedachar is better than Lokachar. Both are absolutely important. And it is the context that defines which, you know, acharam has to be used and in which circumstance. And so this is, you know, these, all of these interconnectedness is only understood, a lot of this, like even you and I, a lot of us understand this implicitly because we've grown up in this tradition. And, you know, one basic requirement of Indology is that if you've grown up in the tradition, then you're not qualified to speak on it. Because that's the, again, the colonial lens, right? Like, if you're a brown person, you can't possibly be objective in to look at your tradition correctly. Of course, white people can look at white, white culture correctly, but brown people, you know, we have some racial defect. And that's why we can never be objective about our culture unless we prove it to them by proving our atheism first.So all of this, you know, this is a very clever structure created so that their lens remains dominant. So even when a brown person enters these, you know, these academic institutions, you have to prove that your way of thinking has been whitened enough. And that is why they are completely unable to understand these traditions and the beauty of this, this continuity of this tradition, right? Like tantra, whether it's Agama Tantra or Dakshinacharya Tantra or whatever kind of Tantra is learned knowledge. It's practical learned knowledge, like some, you know, great upasaka did years and years and decades of sadhana, found like a point where equally in fact, it is said that there are many Tantric upasakas who have reached a stage where they can access their past lives upasana also. So all of the things that they learned in their past lives, they can collect, remember all of those memories, right? And then they have a bigger picture. And then they try to bring that bigger picture and they try to give you the rules of how to do that for yourself, right? Like they can't just disseminate the secret, you won't understand. So you have to kind of just, they can only show you a path that doing these things in this particular order through this method will lead you somewhere where you can see the truth for yourself.That's Tantra, right? So that's the marg, that's the path that has been given to you. Now it may or may not, Tantra basically distills all of this down to a process. Whereas the Vedanta and other Darshanas, they are more focused on the philosophical end goal. So there is a little bit more philosophy associated with these other paths and less with Tantra, but that does not make these local understanding that we have learned over and built up over generations and generations less valuable, right? And that is exactly how every Indigenous culture has it, right? There is a reason why North American Indigenous people and even Africans, they had so much importance to the elders, right? To the ancient ones, the wisdom of the elders.Why was it valued? It wasn't just a quality of age, that wisdom followed from generation to generation. It was imparted by the ancestors to their future generations when the people felt ready.Rekha: Now this dichotomy, maybe you can analyze the visuals of Holi using this dichotomy too, right? Because Holi being so colorful and so visually appealing, I do know that a lot of photographers converge on Vrindavan just to take photographs of this spectacle and then publish it across the world. But I think a lot of this dichotomy comes into play there also and it has been commercialized quite a bit is what I hear. Neha: Oh absolutely. So you know, the dominant image in the mind of the West is when you are civilized, when you are wise, you are not, you behave a certain way, right? Like, you know, how British were, you were all stuck up and then you know, you behave like you have to act proper and whatever. And so if you're not doing that, right? If you're literally just having fun, that's lack of civilization, right? Lack of civility. And we've learned that even in our minds, we have at some point integrated that.So if somebody is behaving like they're just very, you know, acting very demure and very, you know, quiet and not letting their emotions out, all of that is a mark of manners or civility. And every time you let your hair down and like if you're angry, you're yelling, if you're, you know, happy, you're laughing boldly, all of that is, is, you know, lack of, you know, decorum. So we've learned those behaviors. Rekha: Nehaji, we often see pictures from Mathura and Vrindavan for Holi. Yeah. So is this like the center where it all started and what kind of celebrations are usually done in these places? Neha: Oh, actually, I mean, I don't know if it started there, but it's definitely a very important focal point of the Holi traditions in North India. And the part of the reason is because all of when you, when you listen to Shri Krishna's Rasleela stories, Holi actually plays a very interesting part there. In fact, it comes, the reference comes from his Balakanda to the time he is doing the Rasleela. Yeah. So in fact, because Krishna's birthplace and place where he grew up, are so central to the areas around Mathura, so Mathura, Vrindavan and NandGaon and all of these, they are very, you know, they celebrate the Krishna connection also during those Holi celebrations. So, in fact, when Vrindavan Holi is so very, very famous, in fact, if you just Google it as a most, you know, the most of the Westerners are fascinated by this particular Holi celebration. And I even know of people who try to visit Mathura specifically just to witness the Holi. And so it's actually fairly elaborate. And one of the, this is actually worth mentioning, Vrindavan's Holi lasts for seven days. And just the color playing part. So like the playing part lasts seven days. Everywhere else, we have one day of Holika Dahan, which is the bonfire ritual, and the next day is the playing colors part. But Vrindavan, the thing goes on for a week. And the first Holi in that day is called Laatmaar Holi, right, and translates to being beaten by a stick Holi. And there is, there is actually a legend behind it. So what happened is, it's part of Rasleela stories of Sri Krishna. So Sri Krishna, who hailed it from Nandgaon, he was visiting Radha in Barsana, which is where she used to live. So he was visiting her. Radha and her friends in Barsana on Holi. And he teased Radha and the other gopis so much, right, that they got really annoyed and they started hitting him, him and his friends with a stick and they chased him out of the city. So it's part of the whole like the Rasleela, the play, and he used to be like a notorious prankster, right. So you would run away with the clothes and whatnot. So he was here teasing them and playing pranks on them a lot. And so they got very annoyed. And so they chased him out of the city. So in sync with that legend, now men from Nandgaon will visit Barsana every year, you know, being acting like their Krishna story. And then the Barsana women will basically beat them up with lathis.Shalini: It happens to this day? It happens to this day?Neha: Exactly. So in fact, now this tradition has spread outside Barsana also, in many places they do this. But that is the, that is the role play that's happening, right. So they are Krishna's friends, the men act like Krishna's friends visiting the gopis and the women act like the women of Barsana act like they are the gopis. And so they basically, you know, reenact that scene. And this especially happens outside the Radharani temple in Barsana, like that's the specific part. And this is one of the most famous temples dedicated to Radha Ma in India. And then obviously you sing and dance and you know, we are very happy people. We drink thandai and all sorts of sweets are eaten and nuts and all of that fun stuff happens. But then one of the other days is Phoolon wali Holi where you play with flowers. Then there is another day where the people play with mud. It's not pleasant but it happens. And then the actual colors Holi. And in fact, Shalini: That makes it for three more. Three, four, one is flowers, one is the mud. Neha: Yeah. And one is colors four and I think the three more. Yeah, I don't remember exactly.Shalini: But these are very interesting, very interesting. Rekha: But but at the same time, there is a lot of shock value or, you know, some kind of an intrinsic value in all these visuals, right? You do see international media using a lot of the Holi and then, you know, coming to something like the widows of Vrindavan. You see that every year the media puts these very nice colorful pictures which I believe are actually sold by the international media. INeha: In fact, it's big, it's big money. Like a right picture can the copyrights can be translated throughout the world and it can actually make like quite a decent sum. So photographers from around the world gather around and then the, you know, they will just take captionless photos. And then the caption is added by the whoever is looking at the picture. So actually, you brought the brought up widows of Vrindavan. I actually have a Twitter thread where I analyze this! Ever since I joined Twitter. This was 2009. I've been noticing these headlines, right? “Widows of Vrindavan break taboo, break tradition and celebrate Holi!”. Now I actually did an analysis. I just take this phrase “widows of Vrindavan play Holi” and I append a year to it, right? And you can see these stories coming back from all the way up to 2012. So it's been 10 years and every year apparently, those widows break tradition and celebrate Holi and, you know, they break taboo and celebrate Holi. Every year they will announce it as if it's a new thing. So that just makes you question, was that ever a taboo in the first place or is just a myth that media has created that they just like to break because it's a catchy headline? Well, so this is absolutely like it makes a lot of money and from you can find those articles from, you know, they get sent through those news agencies like ANI and then they republished internationally. It's big money. Some of those photos can actually fetch you a very pretty penny, especially like there's so many aerial shots of those of Vrindavan Holi too these days, a lot of them like so. In fact, if you go to during Holi time, if you go to Vrindavan, you'll see a flock of international photographers over there just trying to get those pictures. Rekha: No concerns of privacy? I mean, I'm just wondering for the western world is so big on privacy, but is there no compunction in you know, preying on somebody's personal space. Neha: I very much doubt that they get these contracts like the privacy waiver signed. Exactly.Rekha: You know, let's talk a little bit about the colors. So these colors, there are some typical colors that are used predominantly. I see most of the people using a kind of a magenta color. Neha: So yes, so that pink is very common. The most common probably is pink. And then yellow is very common. Then nowadays, so almost every color on the spectrum, you can find you can find like light blue, powder blues. And even these days, pastels have come into fad. Also organic colors are appearing nowadays. This is interesting.Rekha: This is an interesting variation. So initially, I think we didn't need an organic color because because obviously all color was organic. Flowers and herbs is what I hear. And that specific bright colors that were made from the powder of certain dried flowers. Is that right?Neha: Yes, exactly. So the yellow was actually a mix of turmeric and marigold. And I don't remember the pink came also from a flower. But these days, so they could become a much brighter pink, at least that's what my nani used to say. But yeah, the definitely some colors are more predominant. Although nowadays, again, most of it is made being manufactured in factories. So you get pretty much every color there is. Shalini: Yeah, there's so much of talk about these being chemical colors and not very good for the skin and all. How much truth is there in that?Neha: growing up, I did have at least some like at least for a couple of years, there definitely was some sort of adulterated color coming into the market that was harsh on the skin. But these days, people are like too aware and especially depending on, but here is the thing, you can't control what color gets put on you. You can buy good colors. But then if somebody else buys whatever colors, then you're at the mercy of that person. But again, I think like cheaper colors as usual, you'll find some adulteration there. But mostly nowadays, there are big companies, just like the fireworks for Diwali, there are big companies dedicated to doing this. So if you buy like those brands or if you make at home, sometimes I've seen people starting to make themselves by grinding flowers. So those options are also there. But you find like very easy to find safe colors, to be honest.Shalini: Okay, so now you play with these colors, what do you do to take them off?Neha: That is this mystery thing called Ubtan. Yeah, I'm glad that you asked about removing the colors. So that's a whole entire exercise in itself. So basically, we make this very gooey paste made of all organic elements found at home. So you take either besan, which is ground chickpea flour, or you take wheat flour, your regular aata, and you mix haldi in it. And you put like turmeric, and you put oil, and you put water. Now, it should be a little bit more on the watery side, because you want it to be sticky. But the oil is there so that it removes well also, like when it comes up, all of it should come off. But if you have less oil, then it won't stick long enough. So the point is that you stick, and it's also used during the wedding ceremonies, by the way, after Haldi. So when you do the Haldi ceremony, it's actually Haldi and oil ceremony. So one round is done with Haldi, one round is done with oil, and then Ubtan is applied. And so the Haldi is, etc., is taken off by the Ubtan. And the idea is that obviously, it's very good for your skin, because putting turmeric is very, very nourishing for the skin. But also that consistency of the Ubtan, it brings out all the impurities of the skin. So in this case, that being colors. So colors come off very nicely with Ubtan, for the most part, unless you're, I'm talking about those my naughty cousins who actually pour that nasty chemical thing on my head, those ones don't come out easily. But the powder ones come off very easily, like with Ubtan, you know, between Ubtan and shower are fully covered, like you won't even, people won't even realize that you played Holi. Shalini: Okay, so I was just going to ask about that, you know, does it go in one day or it takes a few days to get rid of these colors? Again, powder? I can work with remnants of the color, you know, at the next day, it's not all good. Rekha: I call it a post-Holi glow, you know, you can always pick that on people. Neha: 100% there is a post-Holi glow, because you're so tired and you're so happy and you're so well fed by the end of this all, that you know, there's a post-Holi glow. But, but jokes aside, honestly, if you're playing only with powder or even with like, you know, diluted colors mixed in water, all of it comes out in one day for the most part. Unless you've been pranked with the thing on your head, then it will take a while. But I actually remember one of my best friends in school, she had like, you know, normal brown hair, but it's a slightly lighter color than the complete black hair that we usually have. So her hair was slightly brownish. And one time she came back after playing Holi and I kid you not, when she stood in the sunlight, her hair looked pink. This when we were not allowed to color our hair, because we were young children back then. So I think you got like a free hair color when there's not a lot of costs involved. But just things like that happen. Again, it completely depends on like the kind of Holi you play and you know, the type of people that, you know, come to your place to play with you. But for the most part, like, powder color 100% comes off with Ubtan. And it's also very good for your skin. So any kind of this harsh chemical or whatever, right? Like if you do the Ubtan treatment afterwards, it also kind of takes care of that. Like, and as I said early on, you have to be careful and put oil before you go out. And that way it will stain on your skin less if you have oil on your skin. Yeah, so for the most part, it comes out. Rekha: This is insider information.Neha: Absolutely. Shalini: So what a rollicking time we've had, you know, but I think now, I think you should speak about your foundation, Nehaji. What prompted you to start the foundation? What do you do? What are your projects, please? Neha: Yeah, absolutely. You know, that's a Shaktitva Foundation is a labor of love. It started around 2018, had to slow it down a couple for the last couple of years because of COVID and, you know, bereavement and family. But essentially, the original idea behind it, it's a decolonial, indigenous, feminist organization. And what I mean by that and this decoloniality and indigeneity approach from a Hindu perspective. So what essentially that means is this actually started around the same time when Shalini Ji you and I met for the first time. This was like the aftermath of Sabarimala. And, you know, we, I'm sure like all three of us were part of it in some way or the other. But one thing that became very obvious in the aftermath or during the Sabarimala protest for all of us Hindu women was that somehow our voice was being erased, right? This entire war was being fought in our name, right? Suddenly it was a Hindus versus women, you know, and the Hindu women were the least heard of all people. If you remember, like we were not allowed on TV debate, we were not, our opinions were considered, you know, fringe by some exactly some miracle, like, you know, majority of women were suddenly fringe. Anybody who basically did not agree with the five feminists of Delhi was fringe, right? So that that erasure is what led to the frustration that eventually led to the inspiration from my calling this Shaktitva Foundation. So the idea was that, you know, our voices need to have a place and not just the voice of a Hindu woman in India, but also this, the immigrant Hindu woman in growing up in America, right, or living in America. And the same thing that you know, because what happens is if we don't speak up, somebody else takes the mic and starts speaking for us, right? Whether we are the subaltern and whether we are an unrepresented group, if people don't speak up for their own groups, their names are misused and, you know, activists kind of take up that mantle of speaking on behalf of us, even if that is not the majority opinion, or even they forget the majority opinion, even if it is not even a minority opinion, then this will happen. And so we wanted to kind of set up a space where we can bring forth the lived experiences of a Hindu woman from the point of view of what we just did, right? Like we were talking about Holi from the lived experience of a person who has participated in it. And not just that, it's not just isolated to my personal experience, but also I try to kind of dive into the, when we do the research. If you see, a lot of people actually write for us, the articles and the work that we do focuses on bringing forth the original, authentic, indigenous meaning behind the things. And the reason is India and by extension, the South Asian activism circles is full of people who almost are kind of like the people who have been left behind by the colonialists, right? It's almost that they wanted to be taken with them, you know, ‘why did you leave us behind' sort of frustration that you see in these activists. And so they look at every time they sort of create this, you know, unnecessary rift in the society, it's because they're looking at things from a colonial lens, whether it is they're getting angry at Sabarimala tradition or it's not a concern for women that led to the creation of that controversy, right? It was that, you know, it is a colonial view. We must so that the colonial white man saviourism has appointed these brown saviours. And so they're now going to save Hinduism from Hindus, essentially. That's what's happening. So they're taking up for that, that colonial mantle of reform, and they're imposing all of these ideas on us in order to get some name and fame and they become those these heroes of who saved the women from oppressive Hinduism and so on. So whether it's the Sabarimala question, whether it is the Jallikattu again, no concern for actual animals or anything like that, whether it's the elephant controversy or whether it's in North India, the Kavadia controversy. Now they'll say these are rowdy men. Kavadiya men in Kavadia is the same when they become rowdy. 10 minutes later when farm laws happened, the same men who were actually doing Kavadia minutes before these are the oppressed category of farmers.So there is no rhyme or reason to it. So exactly that the point was that, you know, we wanted to create a space where Hindu women could find their voice and essentially take up that narrative and clear it up from their side. So we do a whole host of things. There's one is very important aspect is research driven articles like this one on Holi. I've done another one on Rakshabandhan and there's many more that are coming, not just on festivals, we also do on general issues and so on. And there is the other aspect of on-the-ground activism where we sort of try to help groups. So for example, we did a workshop with Bhutanese Hindu refugees who are living in America, especially the kids. And we did a workshop there about Dharma and specifically with the girls, about menstruation because menstruation is - like the menstrual restrictions are very strictly followed in Nepali and Bhutanese communities. And that becomes a very important propaganda point for missionaries to try to convert these kids. So we wanted to present the honest truth of why these rituals exist, like why are these menstrual restrictions are at all present in the culture and what are the significance, not prescribing them or, you know, or denying them, just presenting the truth of it. After that, it's up to you. Like as is always the case in Dharma. And similarly, we also did a project for to focus on the domestic violence survivors, Indian origin domestic violence survivors in America.That so we're trying to sort of create a space where we can dispel the fake issues and focus on the real issues and essentially, you know, move forward with that mindset.Shalini: So is this an initiative only driven only by you or is are you a team of a few people?Neha: No, we are a team of we're a team of a few people. We have few directors and after that, there is an advisory board. So the details can be found that also volunteers that work at different levels. Some of them are, for example, interested in conducting those workshops that I spoke about in their areas for a specific group. So we sort of arm them with the content and we help them and train those volunteers for those spaces. There's also like several other projects that are in the works just COVID kind of, you know, through a wrench and all of them. But but we're trying to sort of bring it up again. Hopefully this year, you should see a lot more action.Shalini: Sure. This sounds very empowering and well, such a misused word, but for lack of a better word, empowering our own women, you know, Neha: So we'll actually, I'll actually end with the quote. somehow it dawned on me while I was sitting in Sadhana. You know, I said, Hindu women are embodiments of Shakti and you do not empower Shakti, you bow before it. So that's why the name is Shaktitva, which is the essence of being Shakti. Now, this is not to be construed with this modern new agey idea of, you know, I am princess, I am a goddess type, you know, the wrong notions. No, we are talking about like a very sacred channeling of the divine energy that can happen when you are you know, when you are really devoted to your gods and your faith and to your culture and the indigeneity of it all. Like it's not, these terms almost seem to have become like negative terms, honestly, in the western space. But for, you know, as an indigenous person, it's all the same. It's a spectrum. These words are not disconnected at all. Rekha: Nehaji, I'm looking at your website. And there is a scheme, there is something called the Gayatri grants. Is that still operational? Is that something that can be used to encourage young people to write for you?Neha: Oh, absolutely. Yes. So Gayatri grants are not just even for writing. Even if there was a proposal that like that somebody wants to take up like a more elaborate research project towards anything, you know, towards something that brings together that aligns with the mission of Shaktitva. We are more than happy to sort of sponsor that activity because research itself, you know, is expensive. And, you know, so we want to encourage through this grant system, we want to encourage people to apply for, you know, proposals and come up with ideas because, as I said, like it's very difficult for one person to or a few people to cover the breadth of this issue. So if there is even if there's something very simple as you notice that there is a tradition that is unexplored, and it aligns with our mission, and you want to research it, you know, please submit a grant to us, grant proposal to us, the template is provided on the website. So you just have to fill that template up and send us a proposal and we'll evaluate it. And hopefully, like we can come up with a collaboration.Rekha: Can you tell us the name of the website for all the listeners? We will also be providing links to the website on our transcript. But can you just mention the name please?Neha: Yeah, it's Shaktitva.org. S-H-A-K-T-I, Shakti. And then, Shaktitva.org.Shalini: Great. Yeah, so I think we've had a one hell of a ride with you, Nehaji. It's been absolutely exhilarating, I would say. And I think this episode will not stay at 35, 40 minutes, but that's okay. But I think even our listeners will find it extremely engaging and beautiful too. So I think I'm absolutely floored by your quote. I would like you to end once more with the quote that you just mentioned and then we'll call it wraps. Neha: Absolutely. So the way we mentioned it is that Hindu women are embodiments of Shakti. You do not empower Shakti, you bow before it.Shalini: And with that, I think we come to the end of this edition of our podcast, and we will connect with our listeners in a fortnight's time. Thank you. Thank you, Nehaji. Thank you very much for spending so much time with us and giving us one grand experience of Holi. Thank you so much and thank you, Rekha, and we will meet with our listeners soon. Namaste. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Are you lookin to reach your highest potential, and cultivate a deeper understanding of yourself? Tune in Friday, March 3rd, at 10am PST/ 1pm EST for an inspiring discussion with Sarah Platt-Finger on her new #book that she co-authored with Deepak Chopra, MD, Living in the Light: Yoga for Self-Realization.#MomentsWithMarianne with host Marianne Pestana airs every Tuesday at 3PM PST / 6PM EST and every Friday at 10AM PST/ 1PM EST in the Southern California area on KMET1490AM & 98.1 FM, ABC Talk News Radio affiliate! Not in the area? Click here to listen! https://tunein.com/radio/KMET-1490-s33999/Sarah Platt-Finger is the co-founder of ISHTA Yoga, LLC, and the private instructor of Dr. Deepak Chopra. She has shared the elevating tools of ISHTA worldwide through trainings, retreats, and workshops with her husband, Yoga Master Alan Finger. Sarah and Dr. Chopra have collaborated on several projects including “Finding Connection Through Yoga” with Yoga Journal and “Radical Being” with Udemy. She is a featured yoga teacher on the international stage with Chopra Global and on the YouTube channel The Chopra Well. She currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with her husband, their daughter, Satya, and their two dogs. https://www.sarahplattfinger.comFor more show information visit: www.MariannePestana.com#bookclub #readinglist #book #bookish #MariannePestana #author #authorinterview #nonfiction #kmet1490am #yoga #DeepakChopra #SarahPlattFinger #royalyoga #yogalife #yogaphilosophy #yogi #higherconsciousness #consciousness #LivingInTheLight #selfrealization #tranformation #selfhelp #personalgrowth #personaldevelopment

In this episode, ISHTA teacher, actor, and software engineer Stephen Mark and I discuss "sankalpa," or intention, that aligns with your purpose. We touch on a lot of topics around the nature of goals, career hopes, and the unique attitude tantra yoga brings to the mix.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.You can see some episodes of Peter's Podcast on YouTube @peterspodcast.Join me for class online or in person at ISHTA Yoga.

In this episode, we discuss what it means to be a Hindu. We present some fundamental concepts that are important to an understanding of Hinduism. A knowledge of the basic framework will help us raise confident young Hindus.Show Notes1:26: Murti puja6:43: Ishta Devata10:39: The Divine Feminine14:00: Punarjanma19:00: Karma21:06: The PurusharthasSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting Notification emails for new podcasts/posts in your email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to your main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Transcript[0:04] Rekha: Namaste and welcome to the Hindu Parenting podcast episode One. I'm Rekha and today Shalini and I will be exploring the topic of what does it mean to be Hindu? Namaste Shalini![0:19] Shalini: Namaste Rekha, carrying on from our first podcast or our launch episode, we are going to delve into what it means to be a Hindu. Just to start with, why is it important that we underline this: what it means to be a Hindu? Why is that so important?[0.35] Rekha: I think it ties right back into where we left off last time, which is the concept of identity. So, what it means to be Hindu is something that parents need to know to form a clear identity in their children. And this is important, I think for two reasons. First is to give you a structure, so that it can be a framework for you to hang your thoughts and actions on. The second important reason for knowing what it means to be Hindu is that it gives us a lens with which we can view the world. So, clarity and perspective both become very important.[1:24] Shalini: So, where are we going to start?[1:26] Rekha: We should start with something that Hindus are so commonly laughed at… this concept of murti puja or idol worship as it is commonly but wrongly known. So what are your thoughts on murti puja, Shalini?[1:45] Shalini: We are always told that we are worshipping idols. But I think that's the wrong way to look at that form of worship. Hindus are used to worshipping the divine along with a form and name as a representative image. And what sort of representative image? It's one that we think reflects ourselves. So I think that's what murti puja is about, and for us, a murti or a framed picture of a deity or a vigraha, normally vigraha is also called idol but prefer to use the word vigraha…because we do associate a living, breathing form in a persona that we worship. Vigraha is also consecrated in a temple, and they do prana pratishta, which means that you actually invoke the life force into the deity before it is consecrated. And hence, it's probably not even right to call it idol worship. And I think we should all start to call it as murti puja.[3:07] Rekha: That's an excellent point. And don't you think when it is called idol worship so commonly outside, there's a tendency to confuse vigraha, the concept of vigraha, with an idol as in a pop idol or a cricketing star or a film star? These two are so widely different. Would you like to talk a little bit about that? And, tell us in what way we can view them differently?[03:40] Shalini: Yeah, okay. When we talk about, you know, for me, this person is an idol or that cricketer is an idol, it is an aspiration. This person is somebody who's far away from us, but we aspire to be like him or her. There is a sense of distance from this idol that you're worshiping…worshiping or whatever, because you're very much looking up to him, you're very much in adoration of this person. So it's akin to, let's say, worship, and you're very far away from this person. So there is the aspect of distance. Whereas in when we when we worship the divine in the form of a murti, it is somebody who is close to us. Of course, I'm not saying that there's no aspiration, even in murti puja, we are aspiring to reach the divine. But there is also the sense of that divine form as also our closest confidant. We often submit all our prayers, our wishes, our desires, etc, to this divine form that we are worshipping. I don't think we do that to our idols, right? With film stars, cricketers, we don't do that.[05:09] Rekha: There's another interesting thing that comes up here. The very act of performing a puja is to take care of this living entity (murti), as we would take care of another member of the family. And even in temples, the deity is bathed, clothed, and so on and all this feeds into the ritual that we performed in temples.[05:40] Shalini: What do we call a temple? We call a temple a devalaya. And what is the meaning of an aalaya? Aalaya is a home: so a temple is basically the home of the deity, and when we are going to the temple to worship the deity, whoever the pratishtha is in that temple, we are going to his or her home. So we have to observe whatever we observe, when we enter someone's house. That's pretty much the same, in a broad sense, what we do in a temple. So, actually, our murti puja mimics in one sense what we do in real life, but we do add the dimension of a higher power. So something aspirational at the same time personal. Therefore, I think murti puja can never be idol worship and for a Hindu I think we should stop calling it as idol worship and move towards using the word murti, murti puja.[06:43] Rekha: Yes, that's so important. I think using the right terms is very important. And that's something that we as parents can teach children, right from a very young age, so there's no more confusion about these terms as they grow up. That's a great point.Moving on to the concept of Ishta devata. So we have so many, millions or crores of devis and devatas. And then there is this concept of an ishta devata that a person can choose to worship. How does one choose an ishta devata? And, you know, what does this tie in to? I think, personally, I feel that the concept ishta devata is actually a showcase for the kind of respect for diversity that we have in Hinduism. Because when you do have so many devatas, you don't see followers of one devata fighting with another, or in a family, you don't see people who have different ishta devatas, insisting on the whole family worshipping the same ishta devata. I think there's a lot of respect for each other's concept of a deity that we personally resonate with; that is, something in us resonates deeply with a particular principle or a certain concept embodied by the deity that we so often choose as an ishta devata.[08:30] Shalini: So what you're saying, actually boils down to a personal God for every Hindu, right? We are accused of being polytheistic, worshipping many gods and that's not great.. and that's not good and whatever not. But ultimately, when you say ishta devata, what you're saying is, eventually everybody zeroes in on one devi or devata that you resonate with, right?[09:03] Rekha: And that best meets your aspirations, I think, because these are the different ways. All of us are different and I think this principle is so beautifully recognized by Hinduism. We are not all similar. And each of us resonates deeply with one core principle that can be used to transcend our natures, and to put us on the right path. So I think to that extent, it is really extremely diverse. There's a lot of respect for diversity, which is not something that is often taught to kids or something that we think about.[09:45] Shalini: So is it necessary that everyone then should have an ishta devata? Or can we if we choose to, worship any number that we want? Is there any injunction against worshiping more than one?[09:58] Rekha: Not at all! In fact, I think there are two forms of worship, right? There is saguna worship and then there is nirguna form of worship also, which is that you can worship a formless entity, but that is supposed to be much harder. And for a normal human being, I think, approaching the divine with nama and rupa is so much more easier. And for an average person, a deity with a name and a form, is an entity that can be worshipped, adored, treated as a friend.[10:39] Shalini: So while we talk of devis and devatas and all that, are our devis, as important as our devatas? Is there a concept of equal respect for the feminine form? Or is it masculine like in other faiths?[11:03] Rekha: It is interesting that you bring this up, because I think we are probably the only living, continuous culture with a known element of feminine, the divine feminine in it. Our devis are every bit as important as the devatas. Just take a few examples - Every child knows the importance of praying to  Devi Saraswathi before starting on a course of study, there is Annapurneshwari who is worshipped as a giver of food. And there is Devi Durga, who, of course, I mean, we all know Navaratri. And we know that we worship different forms of the Devi. And there is no business enterprise that is started without a prayer or puja to Lakshmi Devi. So these are some of the examples. And definitely I think our devis are as important in their own right, as any devata that we commonly worship. I think that kind of answers your question, right?[12:19] Shalini: Yeah. But given this, given what you've just said, we often find that an accusation is thrown at Hindus, that rituals in Hinduism, are mostly performed by males. And, that there is no role for the woman in ritual. Is that true even?[12:44] Rekha: I think that is a misconception. Because, every ritual, every puja that a married couple undertakes, mandates the presence of the wife next to the husband, without which the ritual is not valid at all. Take this case of Sri Rama performing the ashwamedha yajna…he had to also install by his side, a golden statue of Devi Sita, because without his ardhangini by his side, even a king as pious, as Sri Rama was not allowed to perform the yajna by himself. And this holds good in our daily lives. There are a lot of rituals that a man who has lost his wife, is not allowed to perform. This is not commonly known.Shalini: This is news!Rekha: Definitely, I think a man who is either unwed, single, or who has lost his wife, and who is a widower is not allowed to perform certain karyas in Hinduism.There's another one that I would like to mention here, because it's just so important and that is the concept of Punarjanma. A Hindu believes that this is not the only life that we live; that we have had multiple births, many crores of births before this current birth and that we will continue to have many, many births in the progress towards the ultimate moksha.[14:33] Shalini: But this will be called out as unscientific because people will tend to ask you on what basis you are saying that this is not about just one life… and multiple lives and things like that. So, there is an element of unscientific claims to this. So, how can we counter something like that?[15:01] Rekha: There are many universities today where the concept of Punarjanma or reincarnation as they call it, is being scientifically tested. How do you explain something like a child prodigy? Where is he or she getting this innate wisdom and knowledge from? It's almost like they have left off when their previous life ended and just started now with so much wisdom that they already carry… or knowledge. And then there are also many instances where children, especially up to the age of four, have recounted lucidly, and in great detail, a previous life episode that they have had.[15:51] Shalini: All this research happens abroad. And I remember watching a video sometime back, which was from I think it was…[16:04] Rekha: University of Virginia, I think Virginia Medical Center. Yes, they are carrying out research into this concept and how is it that so many children have reported accurate details about lives that they would have absolutely no access to? So, this is still being studied and we can await this with great curiosity, but Shalini, would you say that this validation is important to a Hindu either way?[16:37] Shalini: Also, while we talk about science and being scientific, having the scientific scientific temper and all that. I actually think that Punarjanma also is broadly scientific. I may be right or wrong in my assumptions, but I just do feel this. In physics, we have learned that nothing can be created and nothing can be destroyed. So, in that sense, if we say that  a man or  a dog or any living being is just about biology and chemicals, and just some material things put together I don't think that that explains completely what constitutes a living being. So, there is something beyond just the material and while you can say that, with the death of the physical body, the material being is lost, what then happens to the extra something that you say, makes you living? So, there is that extra something, and that extra something also is part of the universe. So, if nothing can be destroyed, and nothing can be created, then obviously…the material part is ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as they say, but what about the subtle part or the something that makes you a living being? What happens to that? In my view, punarjanma explains what happens to that subtle being, it takes another form, another body and is reborn. And hence, in my view, maybe a limited point, but I still think that this conception is no less scientific. In fact, it is probably more scientific than saying that you have only one life and with your death, everything's finished. That to me, sounds unscientific, actually.[18:40] Rekha: Interesting. And there's this concept, you mentioned that there is something subtle, that carries on from janma to janma. So, it is not necessary that all these multiple births are only human, right? We firmly believe that depending on your karma… now, that again, we will delve into that word, but the broad belief is that depending on your actions in this life, you will get a body in your next life, right? And if you are very good with your deeds and thoughts in this life, you will probably be blessed with another manava janma, which is a human birth.[19:31] Shalini: Interestingly, karma is often translated as fate. And with whatever we've discussed, it's actually an anti thesis to the word fate. There's nothing fateful about karma. It's all dependent only on you. Fate essentially means that you're not in control, whereas what we're saying is that your karma defines who you will be in your next birth. Karma basically is reaping the fruits of your own actions …and who is in charge of your own your own actions? Yourself! So frankly, it is absolutely wrong to equate karma with fate. It is the opposite of fate, it is actually something that keeps you on the road to getting a better birth in your next life.[20:27] Rekha: Yes, a couple of points here. Last time, we mentioned that Hinduism has an innate structure, whereby you can follow the moral path and it can bring about a course of self correction. So I think this karma ties very well with that, because it is in your hands, right? It can almost be thought of as a motivational theory for you to make sure that your actions conform to the right conduct today, so that you will have a good forward progression in your future janmas.[21:06] Shalini: And to help with that, to help with proceeding in a better direction, I think Hinduism has laid down sort of a broad map and we call that as purusharthas. So the goal of human life is to work towards certain purusharthas. Maybe you can come in and explain what they mean?[21:31] Rekha: Yes, the purusharthas are four in number and they are called dharma, artha, kama and moksha. These give us a framework for things to aspire to…what is most important for a human being, I think…achieving a certain status, wealth, power or enjoyment. This is explained by the two words artha and kama. And it is not wrong to aspire to lead a life of comfort, or to earn money. But both of these, should be governed by something called dharma, which is a certain order. Even if you take our day to day lives, nobody really likes to live in an environment of utter chaos, nobody is happy living in such an environment. So we do need some kind of order. And when kama and artha are bounded by the dharma, it is as simple as trying to understand a person who wants to move his elbow in a crowded room. You can move your elbow as long as it doesn't, you know, interfere with somebody else's ability to move their elbows or, or till you don't hurt somebody. I think that is a simple way to understand how unbounded artha and kama leads to chaos and problems. But the temporal bounding is done by this concept of dharma in our day to day lives. And that leaves moksha. Would you like to talk about Moksha?[23:12] Shalini: Moksha, I think, is the final pursuit of, of human birth. And it is something that is rarely achieved. But it is something that every hindu aspires to attain. So we might take multiple, by multiple I mean, probably births over millennia, but every hindu thinks that there will be some birth at which he or she will be released from this entire cycle itself of birth and death, and will sort of merge into the divine and become one with the Divine. In such a state, this person and Moksha can be attained not just after death, you know, as it is sometimes wrongly believed. It can be achieved even while a person is living, and we do have many exemplars, it doesn't mean that we stop living just because we have merged into the divine, we continue to live, we continue to do what we do, except that we are unattached in the state of moksha. The person who has attained it is unattached to material things, to family bonds to, to anything, it is a universal love. That is the motivating force for any action, you know, so and there is no expectation of returns, there's no expectation of fruits of the action. There's no expectation from another person. It's completely universal, and it's a very blissful state to be in, you know, so and that is the concept of moksha. And that's what all Hindus aspire to eventually at some point.[25:00] Rekha: At some point, yes. And so so we have discussed a few core concepts of what it means to be a Hindu here. And to know all this gives you a very clear lens to live your life by and also a certain moral compass. And we do know that maybe, in today's world, consequences may not be enforced immediately, or the consequences to children may not be apparent. But a Hindu child who knows the concept of Punarjanma would certainly know that there are karmic consequences to any of the actions that we perform today. And also, you know, it gives him or her a sense of agency - to better your life is in your hands. So I think on that note, we can probably end today's episode.[25:52] Shalini: We have a lot more to discuss. And I think there are a few more very important concepts that we should cover, but we shall do it in the next podcast. So we will join back in another fortnight and continue this conversation. So as always, we request our listeners to send in their comments, share their views, send their questions, and we will be seeing you in a fortnight. So thank you. Thank you for listening and thank you Rekha. So until the next time namaste. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda, given on November 27, 2022, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, MA.

Joy is a foremost expert on elder abuse and developing evidence-based screening protocols in long term care. Learn about her role spearheading spiritual engagement, and why connecting to something bigger is critical for happiness and well-being. About Joy Joy is the Vice President of Elder Justice and Spiritual Engagement at RiverSpring Living, and Director and Managing Attorney of The Weinberg Center for Elder Justice at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. Joy co-founded The Weinberg Center in 2004. She was previously Director of Elder Abuse Services at the Pace Women's Justice Center and an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, where she served for eight years. Joy is a frequent speaker and writer on the issue of elder abuse and elder justice, including to the United States Senate, Special Commission on Aging. Screening for elder abuse detection in health care and legal systems has been a priority for Joy. In addition to developing evidence-based screening protocols in long-term care, Weinberg Center Risk and Abuse Prevention Screen (WC-RAPS), she recently co-authored and published two research papers relating to evidence-based screening for elder abuse. Joy's work in long-term care also includes an active role in the creation of sexual expression policies for residents, a resilience/well-being program for caregivers, and a fresh look at death and dying in long-term care. Joy also developed a unique domestic violence prevention and intervention program for all employees of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale. Like the Weinberg Center itself and many of its innovative projects, this program is easily replicable. Joy was a founder of the Elder Abuse Committee on the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. In 2017, Joy was awarded the National Crime Victims Service Award by the United States Department of Justice. In 2016, she was recognized with an award of Distinction in Public Service by the New York Law Journal, and in 2010 she received The New York State Bar Association award for Excellence in Public Service. Joy is also a certified ISHTA yoga instructor and teacher of breathing and meditation. Key Takeaways One out of ten older adults experience abuse in their lifetime. Most of the perpetrators are family members. Financial exploitation is the most prevalent form of abuse. Elder abuse shelters work well in long-term care communities because they are built around the needs of older people. At River Spring Living the shelter is “virtual” and integrated into the community at large. The SPRiNG Alliance, a network of regional elder abuse shelters, does extensive outreach and training to help communities start shelters. It is important to have conversations about end-of-life and long-term planning. As a culture we are too scared to talk about death and the dying process. Older people need to express themselves spiritually and connect to something bigger than themselves. It is a critical component of happiness and well-being. Part of spiritual engagement is getting out in nature.

Random talks about monotonous-ness of life, college life away from home, films, vanmam, Noolu-ness, murbokku arasiyal, etc.

Yoga asks us to trust its philosophy enough to practice. Then practice provides its own understanding. Join meditation class at ISHTA for this podcast episode.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Check out class at ISHTA. Got a gamer in the family? Turn them on to FITGMR.

Today we head to meditation class. There I share some guidance on staying calm through the kinds of upheavals we're facing in the news these days. Listen to the talk, from my Saturday morning class at ISHTA Yoga, and join in the short meditation when you have the time.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon, and join me in person at ISHTA in Manhattan. Gamers can join me on the FITGMR app.Peace and Love.

“Bhishmadeva was a pure devotee, and as a military marshal he constantly remembered the battlefield feature of the Lord as Partha-sarathi, the chariot driver of Arjuna. Therefore, the Lord's pastime as Partha-sarathi is also eternal. The pastimes of the Lord, beginning from His birth at the prison house of Kamsa up to the mausala-lila at the end, all move one after another in all the universes, just as the clock hand moves from one point to another. And in such pastimes His associates like the Pandavas and Bhishma are constant eternal companions.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.9.39 Purport)

Everyone knows Hanuman ji was celibate for all his life, however there is a mention of his son in various regional retellings of Ramayan. When Hanuman ji was returning from Lanka after putting it on fire, he took a dip in the ocean. A drop of his sweat was swallowed by a giant fish (sea creature).  This fish was captured by Ahi Raavan, the king of Pataal-lok. When the fish was cut open mighty hero Makaradhwaj appeared.  Ahi Raavan, impressed by his strength, took him under his wings and gave him the task of guarding the gates of his palace in Pataal-lok. When Shri Ram and Lakshman were kidnapped by Ahi Raavan and taken to Pataal-lok, Hanuman ji went to rescue them and was confronted by Makaradhwaj.  Hanuman ji was confused to know that he was his son. However, Makaradhwaj was loyal to Ahi Raavan, so he fought against his father and was eventually defeated. After Ahi Raavan was killed by Hanumaan ji, he made Makaradhwaj king of Pataal-lok, with the blessings of Shri Ram. Jethwa clan of Gujrat who ruled Kathiawar and Porbandar regions are believed to be descendants of Makaradhwaj and worship Hanuman ji as their Ishta-devta. Their Royal flag had image of Hanuman ji on it. Temples of Makaradhwaj can be found in Gujrat, MP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

— We each have a quiet center at the core of our being. Living in the world provides a multitude of opportunities to distract us from this. Instead of peace, we experience stress, turmoil, and suffering of all kinds. These experiences are not necessary ones. It is possible to live in the world and transcend suffering. What this requires is understanding and connecting with the enormous power of the mind. The mind training program of A Course in Miracles aims to remove the barriers to accessing the quiet center, and beyond that, the limitless love that is our true nature. In her blog, LivingfromtheQuietCenter.com, and in her mindfulness coaching work, Cristina Sorrentino Schmalisch shares ideas and practices inspired by A Course in Miracles, with the goal of promoting the experience of peace and enduring well-being. Valeria Teles interviews Cristina Sorrentino Schmalisch, PhD, MSW — She is a psychotherapist and mindfulness coach.  In her therapy practice, she specializes in treating anxiety and psychological trauma, using frameworks in psychology and neuroscience to help her clients heal and resource their internal world. In her coaching work, she supports her clients in learning to live their lives from their quiet center.  Cristina received her bachelor's degree in psychology from McGill University, her doctorate in brain and cognitive science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her master's in social work from the School of Social Work at Boston University. Before becoming a psychotherapist, she was a researcher in child development in the psychology departments at New York University and Stanford University. While training as a psychotherapist, she also participated in clinical research on the nature and treatment of hoarding disorder. She is a co-author of a book on hoarding and three research and clinical articles on hoarding. Cristina was introduced to meditation and to the ancient teachings of Hinduism over 20 years ago through attending yoga classes in the ISHTA tradition. She later meditated with a sangha grounded in the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, with an emphasis on non-judgment and loving awareness. She also studied Emei Qi Gong and learned to heal strong emotion to better access the calm center. Ten years ago, Cristina was introduced by a colleague to Gary's Renard's book, The Disappearance of the Universe, which is an entertaining and informative introduction to the book, A Course in Miracles. She has been a student of the Course ever since. Since March of 2020, she has been writing a blog about personal peace inspired by A Course in Miracles.  To learn more about Cristina Sorrentino Schmalisch and her work, please visit: livingfromthequietcenter.com     — This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.  

Discover how to heal and transform by listening to insightful interviews with embodied space holders from all over the world on the SoulFam Podcast with the Connection Catalyst, Karolina Kuraj. In this episode our guest is Ishta Devi - the Clinical Hypnotherapist and Counsellor :-) Ishta shares how she has overcome bulimia and how hypnotherapy works. She also talks about rituals and how to create one for yourself by connecting to your heart center.

Lecture by  Swami Tyagananda, given on February 6, 2022, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, MA.

Please support this podcast by pressing the follow button and support Chinmaya Mission Mumbai projects taken up by Swami Swatmananda, through generous donations. Contribution by Indians in INR can be made online using this link: https://bit.ly/gdswatmanFor Foreign contributions please request an Indian National with Indian passport to use the above link and make the contribution.For any queries please send a mail to sswatmananda@gmail.com These podcasts @ChinmayaShivam are also available on Spotify, Apple iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Podomatic, Amazon music and Google PodcastFB page: https://www.facebook.com/ChinmayaShivampageInsta: https://instagram.com/chinmayashivam?igshid=1twbki0v3vomtTwitter: https://twitter.com/chinmayashivamBlog: https://notesnmusings.blogspot.comLinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/swatmananda

Please support this podcast by pressing the follow button and support Chinmaya Mission Mumbai projects taken up by Swami Swatmananda, through generous donations. Contribution by Indians in INR can be made online using this link: https://bit.ly/gdswatmanFor Foreign contributions please request an Indian National with Indian passport to use the above link and make the contribution.For any queries please send a mail to sswatmananda@gmail.com These podcasts @ChinmayaShivam are also available on Spotify, Apple iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Podomatic, Amazon music and Google PodcastFB page: https://www.facebook.com/ChinmayaShivampageInsta: https://instagram.com/chinmayashivam?igshid=1twbki0v3vomtTwitter: https://twitter.com/chinmayashivamBlog: https://notesnmusings.blogspot.comLinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/swatmananda

In today's episode, Amy talks with Dr. Jennifer Rhodes about her new book—Toxic Insecurity: The Path of Relational Spirituality and Our Search for Authentic Love. Dr. Rhodes is an intuitive healer and is a licensed clinical psychologist, dating/relationship coach, image consultant, and a 200-hour ISHTA trained yogi/meditation teacher. She is passionate about helping the next generation believe in their own healing gifts and is on a mission to help prevent the toxic insecurity she has seen in her practice for the past 10+ years. Amy and Dr. Rhodes discuss the spiritual dimensions of relationships and how through experiencing the pain and joy of our relationships we grow and develop on our spiritual path. And, if we don't learn the lessons from one relationship to the next, souls tend to jump into other bodies until we learn the lesson our soul came into this lifetime to learn. Jennie also explains what our “Twin Flame” relationship is all about and how it can serve our highest soul evolution.    Dr. Jennie received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University in 2008. She completed her APA accredited internship and her first post-doctoral fellowship in Infant and Preschool Mental Health at Tulane University Medical School where she was trained in attachment theory and relationship-based clinical intervention. During this time she also received her Basic and Advanced Divorce Mediation certification at Loyola Law School. In 2010, Dr. Rhodes completed post-doctoral training in forensic psychology at the Institute for Violence, Abuse and Trauma. Over the years, Dr. Rhodes has presented to academic audiences on the assessment of parent-child relationships in the context of custody disputes with allegations of abuse and trauma as well as issues pertaining to coping with narcissistic partners. She formally served on the editorial board of the Journal of Child Custody. Find out more about Dr. Jennifer B. Rhodes visit her https://www.drjenniferbrhodes.com/ (website) or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/drjenniferbrhodes (@drjenniferbrhodes), Twitter https://twitter.com/jenniferbrhodes (@jenniferbrhodes), and Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjenniferrhodes/ (@drjenniferbrhodes). Follow me on:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amygraycunningham/ (AmyGrayCunningham) Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/amygraycunningham/ (AmyGrayCunningham) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnvTs4Vmm7FJFkbPmqG9Hzg (AmyGrayCunningham) Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmyCunnningham1 (AmyCunningham1) LinkedIn: https://my.captivate.fm/AmyGrayCunningham (AmyGrayCunningham) Website: https://butterflykissespodcast.com/ (ButterflyKissesPodcast) Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/butterfly-kisses/id1561256027 (Apple Podcast Reviews) and https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/butterfly-kisses-1841572 (PodChaser )

Please support this podcast by pressing the follow button and support Chinmaya Mission Mumbai projects taken up by Swami Swatmananda, through generous donations. Contribution by Indians in INR can be made online using this link: https://bit.ly/gdswatmanFor Foreign contributions please request an Indian National with Indian passport to use the above link and make the contribution.For any queries please send a mail to sswatmananda@gmail.com These podcasts @ChinmayaShivam are also available on Spotify, Apple iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Podomatic, Amazon music and Google PodcastFB page: https://www.facebook.com/ChinmayaShivampageInsta: https://instagram.com/chinmayashivam?igshid=1twbki0v3vomtTwitter: https://twitter.com/chinmayashivamBlog: https://notesnmusings.blogspot.comLinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/swatmananda

Kristin Leal is a 500 E-RYT yoga teacher and a sadhaka in the ISHTA lineage, as well as a licensed massage therapist, Reiki practitioner, and renowned author. Her popular MetaAnatomy workshops, classes, and online trainings blend serious scientific knowledge with a sense of humor and a deep connection to the divine within us all.  A licensed massage therapist since 1995 (Swedish Institute), Kristin also holds certifications in Reiki, Thai massage, and neuromuscular and myofascial release, and she helped design and teach the ISHTA Yoga Marma Point Therapy training. In this episode Kristin and I talk about anatomy + yoga, the power of the breath, modifications, important things for teachers to think about when cueing students and so much more!Connect with Kristin✨Books: MetaAnatomy: A Modern Yogi's Practical Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Your Amazing Body | Yoga Fan: Practice Guide for Everyday | MetaAnatomy: Anatomy of a Yogi Instagram: @metaanatomy YouTube: MetaAnatomy Website: www.kristinleal.com Connect with Shayla✨Instagram: @shaylaquinnYouTube: www.youtube.com/shaylaquinnTikTok: @shayla.quinnWebsite: www.shaylaquinn.comLearn more about TYIL Program ✨

Lecture by Swami Tyagananda, given on June 20, 2021, at the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, MA.

Ishta Devi is an artist, trauma informed coach, counsellor, clinical hypnotherapist, breath + meditation guide. We discuss her artistry and First Nations ancestry and how ancestral trauma has impacted her spiritual journey, art and the work she does now supporting others be free from their trauma. Find her at www.ishtadevi.com

Sarah Finger is the co-founder of ISHTA Yoga, LLC and the private yoga teacher of Dr. Deepak Chopra.  She has shared the elevating tools of ISHTA to the yoga community worldwide through training, workshops, and retreats which she co-teaches with her husband, Yoga Master Alan Finger.  Sarah believes that the yoga practice is a reflection of the reality we create for ourselves off the mat and that a deeper awareness of our habits can both transform and empower us to connect to our most authentic selves. Sarah is a legacy ambassador for Lululemon and the Board President for Exhale to Inhale, a non-profit organization that teaches yoga to survivors of domestic violence. Always a seeker, Sarah considers motherhood to be her greatest spiritual practice. Her daughter, Satya, inspires her to live a life based on love and unbound potential.Sarah Platt Finger http://sarahplattfinger.com/Ishta Yoga http://ishtayoga.com/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/splattfinger/Dr. Damaris G. is an Integrative Doctor of Nurse Practice Family Nurse Practioner Mom, Veteran,. BC Family Nurse Practioner & Holistic Integrative health, Studies Functional MedicineSocial Media

Kriya yoga is all about purifying your consciousness, says ISHTA yoga founder Alan Finger, and from there, meditation becomes easy. “You're able to sit and do nothing, which is remarkable,” he says. “Because when you're doing nothing, you're actually tuning in to unbound, universal intelligence. That's when inspiration, intuition, and insight come to us.” This meditation will help you access samadhi — or total absorption in meditation and the state of oneness. For more practices like this from world-renowned yoga teachers, join our members-only experience at yogajournal.com/activepass.

 An interview with Ishta Mercurio, author of the picture book, Small World, and co-author of the non-fiction picture book, Bite into Bloodsuckers. Hear about her favourite first lines, her love of characters that push the boundaries of expectations, and her penchant for telling truths through metaphors. 20 minutes. All ages. A full transcript is available at CabinTales.ca. Show Notes [0:00] Intro [1:05] Interview with Ishta Mercurio CA: Have you found a difference before and after Small World was published in terms of how you feel about your work? IM: Yes and no. … when Small World had just come out, I felt an intense pressure to meet a certain bar. … And for a period of time it was stifling ….   [2:25] CA: Have you ever based the story on the news? IM: …. I am working on a story right now that is inspired by the news… but you probably wouldn't know that once this book's done. You won't be able to tell what news story triggered it.   [3:25] CA: …. Have you ever written anything that was inspired by other stories? IM: Yes. … And for a long time it was really bad because it was clearly derivative. … I just let it sit for a while until I figured out how to make it into my own story.   [4:05] CA: Do you ever do object studies or have your stories included memorable objects? IM: Yeah that happened in Small World a lot .. Nanda … notices patterns in nature …like swirls and spirals and the … fractal pattern in snowflakes. … I do whole school visits just about the shape progression in that book….   [4:55] CA: Do you have a favorite first line? IM: Yes…. Small World opens with this line: When Nanda was born, the whole of the world was wrapped in the circle of her mother's arms. Safe, warm, small. …And the story comes back around to that line. …Before I wrote Small World, my favorite first line was MT Anderson's first line in his book Feed…. And the first line is: We went to the moon to have fun but the moon turned out to completely suck. And there's just so much packed in there… The best first lines are dense, where the first line is actually the kernel of what the entire book is about.   [6:55] CA: Do you have any favourite settings? IM: … I love reading historical fiction, and what I love about reading historical fiction is the details. … I like settings that are historical. And I like settings that are unlike where I am. … I also like fantasy settings …. I used to wish that I could escape to Narnia….   [9:00] CA: Do you have any favorite fictional characters? … My favorite characters are characters who are smart and who are willing to put everything on the line for what they believe is right. … from the Harry Potter series, Snape was my favorite character. Snape and Dumbledore. … Characters who are harder to get to know… those are the characters that I like the most.   [11:50] CA: And do you have a favorite POV to write from? IM: I don't. It depends on the story and what the story needs. …. I think especially for spooky stories, sometimes first-person POV can be really great because the reader only knows what the character knows. But sometimes the best way to introduce tension is to let the reader know something that the character doesn't know, and for that you need third person. … Try it different ways. … Always, always experiment. … I think a lot of people come to writing as a career with the idea that they're going to write something and then someone will publish it. And like that revision process that happens in the middle, there's no understanding that that process is 90% of the process. …   [14:50] CA: Do you find that you edit yourself while you draft? … IM: Oh yes, I edit myself while I draft. Absolutely….. But then once I've put the comments in the margins, then I can move on …   [15:35] CA: ...Have you ever written a monster? IM: Yes. I mean, it was a person. I think the worst monsters are people…. We all know deep in our hearts that monsters aren't actually real. But people are real. And people do bad things, real bad things. …   [16:10] CA: Did you tell stories around a campfire as a kid …? IM: … One year when I was seven, my parents sent me on one of those like overnight summer camps. And I hated it so much… As a grown up I've told my kids scary stories around the campfire.   [17:35] CA: Do you have a favorite scary story or scary movie? IM: … yes. … “The green ribbon.” It's a story about a girl who has this green ribbon around her neck and she never takes it off. And then one day she does take it off. … listeners, you need to check that story out. … I can't do scary movies. … But before I had kids,… my favorite scary movie was “The Candyman.”… A recent horror movie that, again, I tried to watch is… “Get Out” … Horror -- I can't handle it. …   [19:05] CA: Do you have any phobias? IM: … I have some low-level … structural anxieties. … like in the kitchen, the cupboards that are on the wall, I just worry that the nails and screws holding them up are not quite up to the task. … sometimes you'll go to like a friend's house and you'll be cooking in the kitchen, and you'll open the kitchen cupboard and it'll just be like packed with like full bags of flour … I can't handle it. … seeing something that juts out from the wall and is that loaded down just …makes me sweat.   [20:35] CA: …Do you collect anything? IM: Yes, everything. … I collect rocks. … And I have a collection of key chains. … They have personal significance to me… I would love to have an old maps collection, of like actual legitimately antique maps. …, those ancient maps are also super expensive. So I don't collect them yet. When I write the next Twilight, I will….   [22:05] Ishta Mercurio introduces herself IM: My name is Ishta Mercurio. And I write books for kids…I have done all kinds of different things throughout my life. I've been a barista; I've worked with autistic kids; I've gone door-to-door for an environmental action group; I have been an actor. And I learned that that's okay. …I embrace this wacky creative life of doing all kinds of different things, and writing all kinds of different things for all kinds of different people. And the one thing that is constant is that the characters that I write are characters who live outside the box and tend to live outside the norm and push the boundaries of what's expected of people who look like them or sound like them. And so I try to write stories about kids who do things unexpected.   [23:50] Find out more about Ishta Mercurio You can hear more creative writing advice from Ishta Mercurio on Cabin Tales Episode 3.5: “Author Interviews about Inspiration”; on Episode 4.5: “Author Interviews about Plotting”; on Episode 7.5: “Author Interviews about Endings” and on Episode 8, “The Never-ending Story,” about revision. You can find out more about Ishta Mercurio and her books from her website at IshtaMercurio.com.   [24:55] Thanks and coming up on the podcast I'll be back next week with leftovers from my interview with the novelist Raquel Rivera, who joins us from Montreal. Thanks for listening. Credits Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use). Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Guest Author: Ishta Mercurio lives and writes in Brampton, Ontario, where she serves as the Chairman of the Board for The FOLD Foundation, a non-profit that promotes underrepresented voices in Canadian literature. Her picture book debut, Small World, illustrated by Jen Corace, won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the Canadian region. Find Ishta online at www.ishtamercurio.com.  

YogaWorks teachers and teacher trainers have come together to form the first-ever yoga union. In this episode, Sarah interviews Markella, Jodie, and Laurel; three of the New York City YogaWorks teachers; about why they are unionizing and what forming a union would mean for yoga teachers and the yoga industry as a whole. To find out more about the unionization efforts, visit them on Facebook or Instagram. You can also learn more about yoga teacher unionization and find resources at Shut Up & Yoga.Want to connect with Sarah? Reach out to her on Instagram, Facebook. or directly via email at sarahdittmore@gmail.com.The Beginner's Mind is created in partnership with Shut Up & Yoga. Check out their new books at www.shutupandyoga.com/books or join the conversation via the new facebook group, Shut Up & Yoga Forum for Modern Yogis. Laurel Beversdorf, YACEP, E-RYT 500, is an international yoga educator, the creator of Yoga with Resistance Bands classes and trainings and Body of Knowledge anatomy and biomechanics workshops, and a Yoga Tune Up® and Roll Model® trainer. Laurel regularly presents trainings and workshops at locations like Kripalu, YogaWorks, and studios around the world. Her classes blend strength training, rehabilitation practices, myofascial release, and yoga. Laurel has written for Yoga Journal, Shut Up & Yoga, and the Tune Up Fitness blog. A Wisconsin native, she lives in NYC with her husband, baby girl, and two cats. You can connect with her at laurelbeversdorf.com.Jodie Rufty is a Senior Trainer and East Coast Director of Trainer Development for YogaWorks in NYC. She has been teaching Yoga since 1995 and is registered to teach through Yoga Alliance at the EYT 500 hour level and has been certified to teach both by Alan Finger in the ISHTA lineage as well as Alison West of Yoga Union and YogaWorks. Jodie co-founded Amrita Yoga Center NYC in September of 2002 and helped launch Nava Yoga Center in Zagreb Croatia in June 2004. She is also the author of “The Art of Yoga Sequencing” published in 2008. Jodie has continued her education with many teachers including Rodney Yee, Genny Kapuler, Desikachar, and Ana Forrest, completing several Training Intensives in 1998, 2000 & 2003. Jodie now resides in NYC where she continues to study, practice and teach Yoga at YogaWorks as well as privately. You can connect with her at jodieruftyyoga.com.Markella Los started practicing yoga in 2008. After years of faster-paced sports and martial arts, she thought she would find yoga slow and boring. Obviously, she was wrong. In 2015, she completed her first teacher training through YogaWorks under the mentorship of Chrissy Carter and has been teaching full time since. After almost ten years practicing yoga, and only yoga, she developed pain in her hips. More yoga and passive stretching didn't help. Instead, she had to completely rethink her practice, and therefore her teaching, to give her body more strength and stability. This led Markella on a path of discovery, advanced education in anatomy, kinesiology, and biomechanics, and further training. Now she helps people move and feel better while doing the practice they love and in their daily lives. Her teaching style is grounded, light-hearted, and rooted in resilience and exploration. You can connect with her at markellalos.com or on Instagram.