2011Year
Facts about Zodiac horoscope
Millions of people around the world take the help of zodiac horoscopes to know about their future. There are 12 zodiacs according to birth date (sun signs) or Janma-Kundali (moon signs). We will consider here sun signs for convenience. After you know your sun sign, you can read your daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly horoscope on different websites as well as in newspapers. There are many booklets also which provide this information. There are thousands of websites that provide this service free of cost and almost every newspaper in this world provides daily, weekly, monthly, and/or yearly horoscopes. If a…
Online Live Darshan
In practice, most of the Hindus are idol worshippers. Hindus believe that by doing the Darshan (seeing/touching the idol of a particular deity) they get the grace of the particular deity. Though there are many Hindu temples across India, some temples of deities like Tirupati Balaji, Sai Baba of Shirdi, Vithoba of Pandharpur, Kashi-Vishweshwar, etc. have more importance than the other temples. Millions of devotees visit these temples every year. With the advent of technology, in particular, the Internet and computer, now it is possible to have live Darshan of the idols at the most famous temples across India while…
Hindu name for God
In philosophy, Hinduism is a monotheistic religion but in practice, it is henotheistic as well as pluralistic. The word Devas is generally used for gods. As a monotheistic religion, many words are synonymous with God. In India, there are many languages but most of the Hindu scriptures are in Sanskrit. Hence, we will try to list out all the words which mean God in Hinduism. Brahman – This word is used in Upanishads for God. Aum – Aum is the only physical form of God. Parameshwara – It means “Supreme Lord.” Ishwara – It means Lord. Adishakti – Adi means…
Origin of Hinduism | When did Hinduism start
No doubt, the place of origin of Hinduism is in India as evidenced by many excavation sites and historical documents but it is hard to pinpoint the year when did Hinduism start. The origin of other religions like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. is easy to trace because of the knowledge about the birth dates of their founders. The main reasons behind difficulty finding the exact year of origin of Hinduism are as follows: 1. Hinduism was not founded as a religion. It was just a way of life or culture you can say at most but later on, the people following…
Temples of cricketers and film stars in India
Person worship is a very popular trend in India. There are many temples of persons who are believed to have divine powers e.g. that of some saints, Yogis, incarnated deities, etc. But in some parts of India, you would find temples of actors, actresses, and cricket players also. The most famous people amongst those are Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, and some movie actresses. This is the height of the madness of the fans for their favorite personalities. It is quite natural that people follow their favorite personalities by heart. They stick pictures of them in their houses, on the…
Celibacy (Brahmacharya)
Celibacy (Brahmacharya) can be defined as an act of abstaining oneself from indulging in any type of sexual activity, speaking or imagining about sex as well as touching others with the intent of sex. Such a person is called celibate (Brahmachari). In general, a person who is not married is often referred to as a celibate. Brahmacharya has been given great importance in Hinduism. Lord Hanuman and Lord Kartikeya who are important deities of Hindus are celibates and are believed to possess tremendous spiritual powers. Most of the Hindu sages are celibates. It is believed that celibacy increases spiritual power…
Cow slaughter banned in Gujarat
Gujarat assembly passed a bill banning the slaughtering of cows on October 24, 2011, on the occasion of Dhanteras. The bill was passed unopposed as an opposition party, Congress (I), also supported it. The slaughtering of a cow, as well as transportation of it for the purpose of slaughtering, will be considered illegal and those infringing the law will be punished with seven-year imprisonment and a fine of 50,000 INR. The cow is the most sacred animal for Hindus and the ban on cow slaughtering should be extended to the whole of India. Gujarat Government has taken the right step…
Holy Cow – Why Is Cow Sacred For Hindus?
The cow is a female animal that belongs to the bovine family. The cow is considered as the most sacred animal in Hinduism. Hindus do not eat beef (cow meat). Killing a cow is considered as one of the greatest sins. Orthodox Hindus believe that 33 Crore demi-Gods dwell in the body of the cow. The statement is meant to emphasize the importance of conservation of cow. Hindus consider cow as mother. Hence, the cow is also called as Gomata i.e., mother cow. The cow is considered a very poor-natured animal. It is a symbol of sacredness, purity, motherhood, and…
Hinduism in the United States of America (USA)
Hinduism in the United States of America (USA) has witnessed steady growth since 1965 when the Immigration and Nationality Services (INS) Act of 1965 was passed. Before that the presence of Hinduism in the USA was negligible. According to the 2001 census, about 1.1 million Hindus are residing in America. In a survey in 2010, 2 million people identified themselves as Hindus. According to Hinduism Today, this number can be up to 2.4 million. But in reality, many people have not formally converted to Hinduism but practice it religiously. History of Hinduism in the United States of America: Hinduism was…
Place of origin of Hinduism
India is the place of origin of Hinduism. More specifically, it was the Northern part of India where Hinduism originated. The Hindu culture flourished on the banks of the river Sindhu. That is why Hindus got their name from. The cultures of Harappa and MohenJo-Daro developed on the banks of the river Sindhu. This civilization is called Indus Valley Civilization. Some of these sites are now in Pakistan and India. This civilization existed around 3000 B.C. or even earlier. Therefore, Hinduism is the oldest existing religion. But at that time, there was no concept of religion as such. It was…