Bolo Ram

Jagjit Singh - Bhajan - Ram Jai Jai Ram

Hey Ram

Hey Ram Hey Ram - Lord Rama Prayer

Ragupati Raghav

Ragupati Raghav Raja Ram Patit Pavan Sita Ram

Ragupati Raghav

Bhajan by Hari Om Sharan - Ragupati Raghav Raja Ram

param kripa

Shree Ramchandra - bhajan

Mujhe Apne Sharan

Sonu Nigam Sings Rafi - Mujhe Apne Sharan Mein

Sri Ram Chandra

Chami- j4u - Jagjit Singh - Shri Ram Chandra Kripalu Bhaju Mann

Sri Ram Stuti

Anuradha Paudwal - Shri Ram Stuti - Shri Ram Chandra Kripalu Bhaju Man


Lyrics - with translation

Shriramachandra kripalu bhaju man haran bhavabhai darunam,
Navakanja-lochana, kanjamukha, kara kanja pada kanjarunam.

O my heart! Sing praises of Sri Ram, Who absolves the greatest fears due to the cycle of life and death, and Whose eyes, mouth, hands, and feet are like a newly blooming red lotus

Kandarpa aganita amit chavinava neel-neeraja sundaram,
Pata peet manahu tadita ruchi shuchi noumi, janaka sutavaram.

I bow to Sri Ram, Whose beauty cannot be compared with that of the cupid Kamdev, Whose pleasing appearance is beyond any measures, Whose body is like a newly formed dense blue cloud, Whose yellow robes are shining like lightening (on His cloud like body), Whose beauty is gleaming, and Who is the consort of the daughter of Janak (Sita)

Bhaju deenbandhu dinesh danav-daitya-vansha-nikandanam,
Raghunand anandakand koshalachandra dasharath-nanadanam.

Sing praises of Sri Ram, Who is the friend of poor, Who is the Lord of Sun, Who expurgated the lineage of demons from Danu and Diti, Who is the dear one of Raghu, Who is like a cloud of happiness, Who is like a moon for Kausalya, and Who is dear one of Dashrath

Sira mukuta kundala tilaka charu udaru anga vibhushanam,
Aajaanubhuja shara-chaapa-dhara, sangrama-jita-khara dushanam.

Sing praises of Sri Ram, Who has a beautiful crown on His head, Who is adorned with ear-hoops, Who has a beautiful colored mark (tilak) on His forehead, Who has expanded and beautiful organs decorated by ornaments, Who has long hands reaching His knees, Who holds a bow and an arrow, and Who defeated Khar and Dushan in a fierce battle

Iti vadati tulasidasa shankara-sesha-muni-mana-ranjanam,
Mama hridai kanja-nivaasa kuru, kaamaadi khala-dala-ganjanam

Tulsidas says this; Ram, the enticer of Shiv, Shesh (Sheshnag), and saints, reside in my lotus-like-heart and destroy the evils generated by desire

Jai Shri Ram

Ravindra Jain - Ram Bhajan

Ramayan Bhajan

Bhajan from Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan - Jai Shri Ram Jai Hanuman.

Composed and Sung by Ravindra Jain.

Jai Hanuman

Hanuman Animation movie song

Jinke Hriday

Mukesh - Jinke Hriday Shri Ram Base

Ram Ram

Mukesh - Ram Ram Ram

Raja Ram

Tulsidas - Mohammed Rafi - Kaha Jupe Ho Raja Ram

Mujhe Apne Sharan

Tulsidas - Mohammed Rafi - Mujhe Apni Sharan Me Lelo Ram

Bhajore Man Ram

Mohammed Rafi - Bhajore Man Ram Govind Hari

Ram Kaha

Mohammed Rafi - Ram Kaha Ram Kaha

Kaha gaye

M. Rafi - Kaha Gaye Bhagavan Batado

Raghupati

Mahendra Kapoor & Mukesh - Raghupati Raghav Raja Rama

Vaishnav

Lata Mangeshkar - Vaishnav Jana tu

Shri Ram Chandra

Lata Mangeshkar - Shri Ramchandra Kripalu

Thumak Chalat

Lata Mangeshkar - Thumak Chalat Ram Chandra

Ram Ratan Anmol

Ram Bhajan - Ram Ratan Anmol

Joolat Ram

Anuradha Paudwal - Joolat Ram

RQ, I am listening to Hari Om Sharan on
www.icrradio.com

when they switch to chutney, i gon play these

Thanks RQ

Maili Chadar

Anuradha Paudwal - Maili Chadar Odhke Kaise

quote:

Originally posted by chameli:


RQ, I am listening to Hari Om Sharan on
www.icrradio.com

when they switch to chutney, i gon play these

Thanks RQ

wah deh thanks for...its my pleasure...u meh best sweet fragrance...#1 fan..

J 4 U - C H A M E L I - S W E E T - F R A G R A N C E

Ramayan Bal Kand 1


Mukesh Sings - Ramayan - Bal Kand 1/2

Ramayan Bal Kand 2


Mukesh Sings - Ramayan - Bal Kand 2/2

RQ, these are very soothing..

Rajk...am glad you took my advice and came and check here...this is Y i started this thread to focus on some of our important historical times, culture, language, philosophy and people...am not a scholar..but whateve little i come across i will post here...not for controversy but to share and learn...

HANUMAN


Hanuman (Kannada - ಆಂಜನೇಯ or ಹನುಮಂತ), (Telugu: హనుమంతుడు, Sanskrit: हनुमत्, Hanuman; nominative singular हनुमान् Hanumān, Tamil: அனுமன்), known also as 'Anjaneya' (son of Anjana) or Maruti (or Maruti nandan), is one of the most popular concepts of devotees of God (bhakti) (devotion to God) in Hinduism and one of the most important personalities in the Indian epic, the Ramayana. His most famous feat, as described in the Hindu epic scripture the Ramayana, was leading a monkey army to fight the demon King Ravana.

BIRTH

Hanuman was born to 'Anjana', a female vanara (ape-like humanoid) in the Brahmagiri hills near Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra. According to the legend, Anjana was an apsara or a celestial being, named 'Punjikasthala', who, due to a curse, was born on the earth as a female vanara. The curse was to be removed upon her giving birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. It is also said that Hanuman was born on Anjaneya Hill, in Hampi, Karnataka, near the Risyamukha mountain on the banks of the Pampa, where Sugreeva and Sri Rama met. There is a temple that marks the spot.

Along with Kesari, her husband, Anjana performed intense prayers to Shiva to beget Him as her Child. Pleased with their devotion, Shiva granted them the boon they sought. Hence, the Hanuman is also known as "Maharudra" because he was born out of the boon given to Anjana by the Shiva who is also known as Rudra. The Valmiki Ramayana, (Yuddha Kanda) states that Kesari is the son of Brihaspati and that Kesari also fought on Rama's side in the war against Ravana.

Different stories are told explaining Hanuman's birth. One is that at the time that Anjana was worshipping Lord Shiva, elsewhere, Dashrath, the king of Ayodhya, was performing the Putrakama Yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding, payasam, to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna. By divine ordinance, a kite snatched a fragment of that pudding and dropped it while flying over the forest where Anjana was engaged in worship. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Being Anjana's son, Hanuman is also called Anjaneya (pronounced Aanjanèya), which literally means "arising from Anjani".

Sri Aurobindo states that "vanara" does not refer to "monkey": "Prajapati manifests as Vishnu Upendra incarnate in the animal or Pashu in whom the four Manus have already manifested themselves, and the first human creature who appears is, in this Kalpa, the Vanara, not the animal Ape, but man with the Ape nature", i.e. primitive man such as Homo erectus.

Hanuman, in one interpretation, is also considered as the incarnation of Shiva or reflection of Shiva also known as Rudra. Others, such as followers of Dvaita consider Hanuman to be the son of Vayu or a manifestation of Vayu, the god of wind. When Ravana tried to enter the Himalayas (the abode of Shiva) Nandi stopped him and Ravana called Nandi a monkey. Nandi in return cursed Ravana that monkeys would help destroy him. Shiva, to give respect to His devotee, took the form of Hanuman.

References to Hanuman in classical literature could be found as early as those of 5th to 1st century BC in Panini's Astadhyayi, Abhiseka Nataka, Pratima Nataka, and Raghuvamsa (Kalidasa) source

Childhood, Education, Love, and Curse

As a child, assuming the sun to be a ripe mango, he once took flight to catch hold of it to eat. Indra, the king of devas observed this and therefore threw the Vajra (thunderbolt) at Hanuman, which struck his jaw. He fell back down to the earth and became unconscious. Upset, Vayu went into seclusion, taking the atmosphere with him. As living beings began to be asphyxiated, Indra withdrew the effect of his thunderbolt, and the devas revived Hanuman and blessed him with multiple boons. A permanent mark was left on his chin (hanuhH in Sanskrit), explaining his name.

On ascertaining Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun, to be an all-knowing teacher, Hanuman raised his body into an orbit around the sun and requested that Surya accept him as a student. Surya refused, claiming that as he always had to be on the move in his chariot, it would be impossible for Hanuman to learn effectively. Undeterred by Surya's refusal, Hanuman enlarged his body, placed one leg on the eastern ranges and the other on the western ranges, and with his face turned toward the sun made his request again.

Pleased by his persistence, Surya accepted. Hanuman then moved (backwards, to remain facing Surya) continuously with his teacher, and learned all of the latter's knowledge. When Hanuman then requested Surya to quote his "guru-dakshina" (teacher's fee), the latter refused, saying that the pleasure of teaching one as dedicated as him was the fee in itself. Hanuman insisted, whereupon Surya asked him to help his (Surya's) spiritual son Sugriva. Hanuman's choice of Surya as his teacher is said to signify Surya as a Karma Saakshi, an eternal witness of all deeds.

Hanuman was mischievous in his childhood, and sometimes teased the meditating sages in the forests by snatching their personal belongings and by disturbing their well-arranged articles of worship. Finding his antics unbearable, but realizing that Hanuman was but a child, (albeit invincible), the sages placed a mild curse on him by which he became unable to remember his own ability unless reminded by another person.

It is hypothesised that without this curse, the entire course of the Ramayana war might have been different, for he demonstrated phenomenal abilities during the war. The curse is highlighted in Kishkindha Kanda and Sundara Kanda when Jambavantha reminds (the quietly wondering) Hanuman of his abilities and encourages him to go and find Sita. The specific verse that is recited by Jambavantha is :

पवन तनय ब्ल पवन समाना बुद्धि विवेक विज्ञान निधाना | कवन् सो काज कठिन जग माही जो नहि होय तात तुम्ह पाहीं ||

You are as powerful as the wind (Hanumanji was the son of Pawan, God of wind);

You are intelligent, illustrious & an inventor. There is nothing in this world that’s too difficult for you;
Whenever stuck, you are the one who can help. source

Ramayana war

The Sundara Kanda, the Fifth Book in the Ramayana, focuses mainly on the adventures of Hanuman.

Meeting Rama - Sugriva War

Hanuman meets Rama during the latter's 14-year exile in the forest. With his brother Lakshmana, Rama is searching for his wife Sita who had been abducted by Ravana. Their search brings them to the vicinity of the mountain Rishyamukha, where Sugriva, along with his followers and friends, are in hiding from his elder brother Vali, with whom he had quarrelled over a mistake.

Having seen Rama and Lakshmana, Sugriva sends Hanuman to ascertain their identities. Hanuman approaches the two brothers in the guise of a Brahmin. His first words to them are such that Rama says to Lakshmana that none could speak the way the Brahmin did unless he or she had mastered the Vedas. He notes that there is no defect in the brahmin's countenance, eyes, forehead, brows, or any limb. He points out to Lakshmana that his accent is captivating, adding that even an enemy with sword drawn would be moved. He praises the disguised Hanuman further, saying that sure success awaited the king whose emissaries were as accomplished as he was.

When Rama introduces himself, Hanuman reveals his own identity and falls prostrate before Rama, who embraces him warmly. Thereafter, Hanuman's life becomes interwoven with that of Rama. Hanuman then brings about a friendship and alliance between Rama and Sugriva; Rama helps Sugriva regain his honour and makes him King of Kishkindha. Sugriva and his Vanaras, most notably Hanuman, help Rama defeat Ravana and reunite with Sita.

In their search for Sita, a group of Vanaras reaches the southern seashore. Upon encountering the vast ocean, every Vanara begins to lament his inability to jump across the water. Hanuman too is saddened at the possible failure of his mission, until the other Vanaras and the wise bear Jambavantha begin to extol his virtues. Hanuman then recollects his own powers, enlarges his body, and flies across the ocean. On his way, he encounters a mountain that rises from the sea, proclaims that it owed his father a debt, and asks him to rest a while before proceeding. Not wanting to waste any time, Hanuman thanks the mountain and carries on. He then encounters a sea-monster, Surasa, who challenges him to enter her mouth. When Hanuman outwits her, she admits that her challenge was merely a test of his courage. After killing Simhika, a rakshasa, he reaches Lanka. source

Locating Sita

Hanuman reaches Lanka and marvells at its beauty. He also regrets that it might be destroyed if Rama does battle with Ravana. After he finds Sita sitting depressed in captivity in a garden, Hanuman reveals his identity to her, reassures her that Rama has been looking for her, and uplifts her spirits. He offers to carry her back to Rama; but she refuses his offer, saying it would be an insult to Rama as his honour is at stake.

After meeting Sita, Hanuman begins to wreak havoc, gradually destroying the palaces and properties of Lanka. He kills many rakshasas, including Jambumalli and Akshaa. To subdue him, Ravana's son Indrajit uses the Brahmastra. Though immune to the effects of this weapon Hanuman, out of respect to Brahma, allows himself be bound. Deciding to use the opportunity to meet Ravana, and to assess the strength of Ravana's hordes, Hanuman allows the rakshasa warriors to parade him through the streets. He conveys Rama's message of warning and demands the safe return of Sita. He also informs Ravana that Rama would be willing to forgive him if he returns Sita honourably.

Enraged, Ravana orders Hanuman's execution, whereupon Ravana's brother Vibheeshana intervenes, pointing out that it is against the rules of engagement to kill a messenger. Ravana then orders that Hanuman's tail be lit afire. As Ravana's forces attempted to wrap cloth around his tail, Hanuman begins to lengthen it. After frustrating them for a while, he allows it to burn, then escapes from his captors, and with his tail on fire he burns down large parts of Lanka. After extinguishing his flaming tail in the sea, he returns to Rama. source

Hanuman Lifting a Mountain

When Lakshmana is severely wounded by Indrajit during the war against Ravana, Hanuman is sent to fetch the Sanjivani, a powerful life-restoring herb from the Drona Giri mountain in the Himalayas, to revive him.

Ravana realises that if Lakshmana dies, a distraught Rama would probably give up, and so has his uncle Kalnaimi tempt Hanuman away with luxury. Hanuman is tipped off by a crocodile (actually a celestial being under a curse) and kills Kalnaimi.

When he is unable to find the specific herb before nightfall, Hanuman takes the entire Dronagiri mountain to the battlefield in Lanka, thus helping others find the herb to revive Lakshmana. An emotional Rama hugs Hanuman, declaring him as dear to him as his own beloved brother Bharat.

source

Bharata's Vow

When the war ends, Rama's 14-year exile has almost elapsed. Rama then remembers Bharata's vow to immolate himself if Rama does not return to rule Ayodhya immediately, on completion of the stipulated period. Realising that it would be a little later than the last day of the 14 years when he would reach Ayodhya, Rama is anxious to prevent Bharata from giving up his life. Hanuman therefore flies to Ayodhya to inform Bharata that Rama is on his way home.

Rama Honours Hanuman

Sshortly after he is crowned Emperor upon his return to Ayodhya, Rama decides to ceremoniously reward all his well-wishers. At a grand ceremony in his court, all his friends and allies take turns being honoured at the throne.

Hanuman approaches without desiring a reward. Seeing Hanuman come up to him, an emotionally overwhelmed Rama embraces him warmly, declaring that he could never adequately honour or repay Hanuman for the help and services he received from the noble Vanara. Sita, however, insists that Hanuman deserved honour more than anyone else, and asks him to seek a gift. Upon Hanuman's request, Sita gives him a necklace of precious stones adorning her neck. When he receives it, Hanuman immediately takes it apart, and peers into each stone. Taken aback, many of those present demand to know why he is destroying the precious gift.

Hanuman answers that he was looking into the stones to make sure that Rama and Sita are in them, because if they are not, the necklace is of no value to him. At this, a few mock Hanuman, saying his reverence and love for Rama and Sita could not possibly be as deep as he implies. In response, Hanuman tears his chest open, and everyone is stunned to see Rama and Sita literally in his heart. source

Hanuman tears his chest open, and everyone is stunned to see Rama and Sita literally in his heart.

Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman Chalisa - Beautiful Devotional Sounds

Hanuman Chalisa

Alka Yagnik sings Hanuman Chalisa

Hanuman Katha

Kumar Vishu - Hanuman Katha Bhajan

Aaj Mangalvaar

Lord Hanuman Bhajan - Aaj Mangalvaar Hai

Hanuman Ko Kushi

Bhajan - Hanuman Ko Kushi

Bajrang Bali

Bhajan - Bajrang Bali

Hanuman Amritvani

Shri Hanuman Amritvani - Anuradha -Sankat Mochan Hanuman

Sankat Mochan

Lord Hanuman Prayer - Sankat Mochan Naam Tiharo

Aarti Kije

Aarti Kije Hanuman Lalla Ki

Hanuman Stavan

Shri Hanuman Stavan

ARYA SAMAJ

Arya Samaj (Sanskrit ārya samāja आर्य समाज "Noble Society") is a Hindu reform movement founded in India by Swami Dayananda in 1875. He was a sannyasi (renouncer) who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda advocated the doctrine of karma and reincarnation, and emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya (chastity) and sanyasa (renunciation). There are approximately 3-4 million followers of Arya Samaj worldwide.

The Founding of the Arya Samaj - Vedic Schools

Between 1869 and 1873, Swami Dayanand, a native of the Princely State of Gujarat, made his first earnest attempt at affecting a substantial and lasting reform in his native India. This attempt took the form of the establishment of several so-called "Vedic Schools" which, in contradistinction to other public schools at the time, put a marked emphasis on attempting to impart Vedic values, culture and religion to its students. The first was established at Farrukhabad in 1869 and reported 50 students as being enrolled in its first year. This initial success led to the founding of four additional schools in rapid succession at Mirzapur (1870, Kasganj(1870), Chhalesar (1870)& Varanasi(1873).

The Vedic Schools represented the first practical application of Swami Dayanand’s vision of religious and social reform. They enjoyed a mixed reception. On the one hand, students were not allowed to perform traditional idol worship (murtipuja in hindi) at the school, and were instead expected to perform sandhya (a form of meditative prayer using mantras from the Vedas) and participate in agnihotra twice daily. Also, disciplinary action was swift and not infrequently severe. On the other hand, all meals, lodging, clothing and books were given to the students free of charge, and the study of Sanskrit was opened to non-Brahmins. The most noteworthy feature of the Schools was that only those texts which accepted the authority of the Vedas were to be taught. This, in the opinion of Swami Dayanand, was critical for the spiritual and social regeneration of Vedic culture in India.

Due primarily to organizational problems, the Vedic Schools soon ran into many difficulties. Swami Dayanand had considerable trouble finding qualified teachers who agreed with his views on religious reform, and there existed a paucity of textbooks which he considered suitable for instruction in Vedic culture. Funding was sporadic, attendance fluctuated considerably, and tangible results in the way of noteworthy student achievement were not forthcoming.

Consequentially, some of the schools were forced to close shortly after opening. As early as 1874, it had become clear to Swami Dayanand that, without a wide and solid base of support among the public, setting up schools with the goal of imparting a Vedic education would prove to be an impossible task. He therefore decided to invest the greater part of his resources in the clear formulation and widespread propagation of his ideology of reform. Deprived of the full attention of Swami Dayanand, the Vedic School system all but collapsed shortly thereafter, and the last of the remaining schools (Farrukhabad) was finally closed down in 1876 due to Muslim takeover.

Later, Swamiji's disciples Swami Shradhnand,who established Gurukuls like Gurukul Kangri Haridwar and many others, and Guru Datt Vidyarthi, Lala Hans Raj established Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (D.A.V.) Schools and Colleges in India to spread the Arya Samaj Principles, Mission and Vedic education based on Vedas. These Gurukals and DAV schools are now spread over the whole world for Vedic preachings. source

Arya Samaj Foundation Day

The whole Aryan world is celebrating the 133rd foundation day of Arya Samaj on 7th April, 2008 with great zeal and fervor. It was on this very day in 1875 that Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, the great revolutionary, social reformer, reviver of our great Vedic culture founded Arya Samaj in Bombay at Kakarwadi location in shri Manik Rao’s bagicha (garden). As we all know that Maharishi was a great supporter, worshipper, promoter of knowledge and he wanted to dispel all ignorance so that the world may live in the light of learning and knowledge. He was of the firm opinion that ignorance breeds evils like superstition, blind faith, orthodoxy, dogmatism, bigotry and all such evil tendencies that create differences among people and sometimes make them fight with each other.

Ignorance was the greatest impediment on the path of progress and also human, mental and spiritual advancement so his aim behind the foundation of Arya Samaj was not to start another religion Swami Ji said "I do not entertain the least idea of founding a new religion or sect. My sole aim is to believe in Truth and help others believe in it, to reject falsehood and help others to do the same." and to remove the evile practices that were against the Vedas and laws of nature. It was for this reason that he established Arya Samaj as a reform movement, without any distinction of caste and creed, by fighting against the enemies of society viz. “Agyan, Abhaav and Anyaya” i.e. ignorance, scarcity and injustice and entrusted to it the role of propagating Vedic ideologies.

It was Arya Samaj that strongly advocated the cause of women education and equality of all human beings, and preached against child marriages and also interpreted dharma in such a way which was purely scientific and acceptable to all.

Arya Samaj produced leaders like Swami Shradhanand who was a great pioneer in the field of Gurukul education and also Shuddhi Andolan. Mahatma Hansraj who was the founder principal of DAV institutions and who served these institutions as an honorary head for almost 25 years. It is due to his sacrifice that we can hold our head high today. Arya Samaj gave us Lala Lajpat Rai who is popularly known as the Punjab Kesri Lala Lajpat Rai who shook the British Empire to its very roots and paved the path of freedom which we achieved in 1947. Arya Samaj also gave us Pandit Gurudutt Vidyarti who was a renowned Vedic scholar whose book, the terminology of Vedas, was included in the BA level Sanskrit syllabus of the then Oxford University, England.

The foundation of Arya Samaj marks a turning point in the world history, it was a landmark in the history of human civilization and also it freed the humanity from the darkness of ignorance and defused the light of knowledge. The whole world is indebted to Maharishi Dayanand and Arya Samaj in many ways especially in the sphere of knowledge, reasoning, scientific approach to religion and elimination of superstitions. Maharishi Dayanand and later on Arya Samaj and scholars associated with Arya Samaj focused their attention on the Vedas as the only and the sole source of pure knowledge transmitted to humanity direct from God through the four Rishis in the beginning of the creation.

Foot Note. Pandit Om Kumar after serving almost for a year a Residence Priest at Arya Samaj Markham and having completed his obligation went back to India. By Pandit Om Kumar Arya. Jind. Haryans-India. source

Aum - The Official Flag & Symbol of Arya Samaj

ADI BRAHMO SAMAJ

While traveling (1872 – 1873), Swami Dayanand came into close and extended contact with several of the leading Indian intellectuals of the age, including Navin Chandra Roy, Raj Narayan Bose, Debendranath Tagore and Hemendranath Tagore all of whom were actively involved in the Brahmo Samaj. This reform organization, founded in 1828, held many views similar to those of Swami Dayanand in matters both religious (e.g. a belief in monotheism and the eternality of the soul) and social (e.g. the need to abolish the hereditary caste system and uplift the masses through education). Debendranath Tagore had written a book entitled Brahmo Dharma, which serves as a comprehensive manual of religion and ethics to the members of that society, and Swami Dayanand had studied it thoroughly while in Calcutta.

Although Swami Dayanand was persuaded on more than one occasion to join the Brahmo Samaj, there existed several points of contention which the Swami simply could not overlook, the most important being the position of the Vedas. Swami Dayanand held the Vedas to be divine revelation, and refused to accept any suggestions to the contrary.

Despite this difference of opinion, however, it seems that the members of the Brahmo Samaj and Swami Dayanand parted on good terms, the former having publicly praised the latter’s visit to Calcutta in several journals and the latter having taken inspiration from the former’s activity in the social sphere.

SATYARTH PRAKASH - THE LIGHT OF TRUTH

Swami Dayanand made several changes in his approach to the work of reforming Hindu society after having visited Calcutta. The most significant of these changes was that he began lecturing in Hindi. Prior to his tour of Bengal, the Swami had always held his discourses and debates in Sanskrit. While this gained him a certain degree of respect among both the learned and the common people alike, it prevented him from spreading his message to the broader masses. The change to Hindi allowed him to attract increasingly larger crowds, and as a result his ideas of reform began to circulate among the lower classes of society as well.

After hearing some of Swami Dayanand’s speeches delivered in Hindi at Varanasi, Raj Jaikishen Das, a native government official there, suggested that the Swami publish his ideas in a book so that they might be distributed among the public. Witnessing the slow collapse of the Vedic Schools due to a lack of a clear statement of purpose and the resultant flagging public support, Swami Dayanand recognized the potential contained in Das’ suggestion and took immediate action.

From June to September 1874, Swami Dayanand dictated a comprehensive series of lectures to his scribe, Pundit Bhimsen Sharma, which dealt with his views and beliefs regarding a wide range of subjects including God, the Vedas, Dharma, the soul, science, philosophy, childrearing, education, government and the possible future of both India and the world. The resulting manuscript was edited by Sharma and others, and was eventually published under the title Satyarth Prakash or The Light of Truth in 1875 at Varanasi. This voluminous work would prove to play a central role in the establishment and later growth of the organization which would come to be known as the Arya Samaj. source

NAVALAKHA MAHAL - A PROFILE

Navalakha Mahal is situated in the heart of a blooming rose garden(Gulab Bag) which was originally laid out in the nineteenth century in the historical city of Udaipur also known as the "City of Lakes".

This Navalakha Mahal carries in its bosom the hallowed memories of Maharishi Dayanand, a remarkable sage and reformer who brought the light of Vedic learning to the Indians who in the nineteenth century were groping in darkness and ignorance. A profound scholar of Vedas and scriptures and a perfect Yogi, Maharishi Dayanand sacrificed his very being on the alter of humanity.

Maharishi Davanand who arrived in Udaipur on 10 August 1882 on the invitation of His Highness Maharana Sajjan Singh, the 72nd ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar, remained here for almost six and a half months and stayed in Navalakha Mahal.

In this sacred Navalakha Mahal Maharishi Dayanand completed the writing of his best work, the immortal Satyarth Prakash. This Satyarth Prakash was his code of conduct for human life. He wrote it for the well being of mankind and also for transmitting divine knowledge to the common man. For this reason, this Mahal had a hallowed place in the history of the Indian Renaissance of the 19th century and deserves to be named as Satyarth Prakash Bhavan.

Satyarth Prakash

Teachings, derived from the divine knowledge of the Vedas are epitomized in a simple and logical style in the immortal work entitled Satyarth Prakash which was completed by Maharishi Dayanand in this Navalakha Palace. The work addresses itself to all personal, family, social, national and spiritual problems of human life and offers solutions for them. The saint drew it up as a code of conduct for the well-being of individuals.

It came out to be a popular, epochal and enduring work and easily became a source inspiration to many freedom fighters and revolutionaries. More than two million copies of this illustrious book have been sold and it has been translated into 23 languages of India and abroad.

The Mahal

At one time, it was the principal guest house of Maharana Sajjan Singh of Mewar. Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was accommodated in this Mahal by his royal host. However over the years, it fell into neglect and could not withstand the ravages of time. Once its main gate too crumbled down due to rains.
The Trust got the main gate built, with a domed pavilion above, both in line with the original architecture style of Navlalakha Mahal and named this gate as a Swami Tattvabodh Dwar.

The Interior of the Mahal

Like the entrance gate, the interior of the Mahal too was worn out and in a poor state. The Trust undertook to renovate it at a huge cost. Now this Satyarth Prakash Bhawan, with its lush green lawns, is a delight to the eye.
Hundreds of guests and devotees flock to this historical and hallowed place to have a glimpse of it. For the convenience of these visitors, many room and conveniences have been built.

The Vedic Bookshop

As a source of inspiration to hundreds of visitors to the memorial, an ''Aarsh Literature Sales Center'' has also been set up, close to the entrance of the Mahal. From here, one can get the Vedic literature, other publications which elevate the spiritual, national, social and family life of individuals and cassettes of devotional songs (Bhajan). Literature of the estimated value of Rs. 35 lakhs has been sold through this Centre in the last 12 years.

The Office

This is the chamber from where the President of the Trust, esteemed (Late) Swami Tattvabodh Saraswati launched his challenging venture of transforming the edifice from nothing worth the name to an institution of trans-national fame. It is not just a room. It is not an office. It is where one can hear the heart throb of Satyarth Prakash Bhawan. After the sad demise of Swami Tattvabodh Ji, this chamber is still the centre of all activities of the nyas.

The Inner Courtyard

This spacious chowk (courtyard) is a unique example of the architecture of the historical Navalakha Mahal. There are nine arched doors on the three sides of the courtyard. The name of the building is perhaps due to these nine doors. The verandahs on the three sides of the chowk have been renovated and given a new look. On the walls of this chowk are displayed the useful teachings of Satyarth Prakash inscribed on wooden panels. Above on the walls, are the hymns of the Vedas with their Hindi translations. Inside the verandahs are the boards exhibiting the tenets of the religion of the Vedas. A Vedic scholar is at hand to guide the innumerable visitors who flock to this memorial every day.

Library and Reading Room

A room in the side of the courtyard houses a Vedic Library and Reading Room. The Library specializes in books on the Vedic lore. Satyarth Prakash is very much in this library with all its translations in 23 languages. Plans are afoot to further enrich the library. A conspicuous feature of this library is a permanent exhibition of current Vedic literature for which revolving glass showcases have been installed in the verandahs, displaying Satyarth Prakash and significant works related to the Vedas. Reading Room provides a rich collection of Aryan magazines and periodicals brought out from India and abroad.

Here Satyarth Prakash Was Written

In the flank of the right hand
verandah is the holiest of the holies,
the chamber in which Maharishi Dayanand
sat regularly to write his immortal Satyarth Prakash.

Musical Fountains

It is in the inner chowk of the Mahal that the ruler and the citizens of the Kingdom of Mewar had the taste of the eloquence of Maharishi Dayanand who delivered his discourses on religious and spiritual topics every day for almost six and a half months.

To perpetuate the memory of this leading light of Indian renaissance, musical fountains have been installed in this courtyard at the cost of Rs. 5 Lakh. Watching these fountains is rare feast to the eye. Water springs forth from the fountain-heads and appears to dance in colours on tunes of the songs eulogizing the great Rishi.

Here Satyarth Prakash Was Written

In the flank of the right hand
Verandah is the holiest of the holies
The chamber in which Maharishi Dayanand sat
Regularly To Write His Immortal Satyarth Prakash.

Yajnashala

Yajna and Yajnashala have a pivotal place in the culture of the Aryans. This gorgeous Yajnashala and its Yajnavedi have been built under the supervision of Vedic scholars and are strictly in accordance with the Aryan traditions. Up to 500 devotees can be seated at one time. In this colorful Yajnashala, Vedic hymns on the glory of the Yajna together with their Hindi translations are painted on the wall surrounding the Yajnashalal.
This Yajnashalal is in use for holding morning and evening Yajnas every day. Large scale Yajnas, accompanied by chanting of the hymns of different Vedas and Vedkatha are held this Yajnashala.

In this colorful Yajnashala, Vedic hymns on the glory of the Yajna together with
their Hindi translations are painted on the wall surrounding the Yajnashalal.

Sadhana Kutir

Determined to build up the historical Navalakha Mahal as an international memorial and propagate the ideology of the Vedas far and wide, Shri Hanuman Prasad Choudhary wound up his flourishing business and mundane life. To him, this was the best way to devote the rest of his life, on full time basis, to his avowed objective. In this process, he had to abandon hid residential house which was disposed off. Donating Rs. One Crore to the Trust, this illustrious devotee of Dayanand has taken up residence in the Sadhana Kutir, situated in the premises of Navalakha Mahal. source

Maharshi Picture Gallery

On the first floor of the Mahal is the much admired picture gallery, built at the cost of over Rs. 5 Lakh. Sixty seven oil paintings, exhibited in the gallery, portray the life of Maharishi Dayanand from the life of the Maharishi Dayanand from birth to Nirvana. Each painting has captions both in English & Hindi.

Ved Prachar Vehicle

This vehicle has been enlisted for service, at a cost of over Rs. 5 lakh for in-depth dissemination of vedic Knowledge among tha masses. It is equipped with various media of mass communication, including multimedia projector. Books and publicity material on the Vedic lore is also stored init for sale and distribution. On the top of it all, Bhajan Mandali, that is, a group of singers of devotional songs and eloquent preachers are also accommodation in this vehicle. In short it is a temple on the wheels which moves from place to place propagating the teachings of Dayanand. This being a highly successful venture of the Trust. source

Mapping Dayanand’s Travels

Maharishi Dayanand undertook long and strenuous journeys across the country. After leaving home, he spent 14 years (1846-60), wandering in the quest of knowledge, dependable teachers and Yogis. This quest ended when he found his Guru for three years (1860-63) to get initiated in the study of Vedas.

After this, he again set out on his unending journey to radiate the light of Vedic learning among the masses and rid them of their darkness and ignorance. This he did for good twenty years(1863-83) till his nirvana.

Despite the rather primitive means of transportation in his day, these travels covering thousands of kilometers speak of Swamiji''s devotion to truth and humanity. A map, depicting his travels throughout the country is displayed near the entrance of the Mahal.

Mata Leelavanti Vedic Sanskriti Prashikkhana Kendra

With the aim of creating a beutiful space in Navlakha Mahal an airconditioned
hall has been built for various purposes like Yog Prashikshan, various competitions,
summer camps etc,. With the help of Rs.30 lakhs donated by Karmayogi Mahashaya Dharma Pal Ji, Delhi.
source

Satyarth Prakash Stambh

An history is about to happen at Udaipur, in the shape of Satyarth Prakash Satambh.
The 12 bigha of land has already been purchased. It will be a remarkable project displaying teachings of Satyarth Prakash in various ways.

The major part of this 50 crore rupees project is being funded by Nyas President Manniya Mahashaya Dharm Pal ji. Rest of the support will be from the Arya world, we are sure for that.

source

Ved Prachar Mandal

This organization is formed mainly to attract more people towards
the Ideals of Maharishi Dayanand.

Membership is of three Categories, namely; Patron, Prominent and Ordinary.
By paying contribution for 11 Years in advance, one may become life member under each category.
Interesting concept...for retirement...just a thought...worth noting...
good info site...

Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Swami Dayananda Saraswati (स्‍वामी दयानन्‍द सरस्‍वती) (February 12, 1824 - October 31, 1883) was an important Hindu religious scholar and the founder of the Arya Samaj, "Society of Nobles", a Hindu reform movement, founded in 1875. He was the first man who gave the call for Swarajay in 1876 which was later furthered by Lokmanya Tilak.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati was the first to proclaim India for Indians. Lokmanya Tilak also said that Swami Dayanand was the first who proclaimed Swarajya for Bharat i.e.India.

One of his notable disciples was Shyamji Krishan Verma who founded India House in London and guided other revolutionaries like Madam Cama, Veer Sawarkar, Lala Hardyal, Madan Lal Dhingra, Bhagat Singh and others. His other disciples were Swami Shradhanad[3], Lala Lajpat Rai and others who got their inspiration from his writings.

His book SATYARTH PRAKASH contributed to the freedom struggle by inspiring the freedom fighters. On the basis of these facts some believe that Swami Dayanand rightfully deserves to be called as Grandfather of the Indian Nation.

He was a sanyasi (ascetic) from his boyhood, and a scholar, who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas.

Dayananda advocated the doctrine of karma, skepticism in dogma, and emphasised the ideals of brahmacharya (celibacy and devotion to God). The Theosophical Society and the Arya Samaj were united for a certain time under the name Theosophical Society of the Arya Samaj.

Among Swami Dayananda's immense contributions is his championing of the equal rights of women - such as their right to education and reading of Indian scriptures - and his translation of the Vedas from Sanskrit to Hindi so that the common man may be able to read the Vedas. The Arya Samaj is rare in Hinduism in its acceptance of women as leaders in prayer meetings and preaching.
source

Early Life

Dayananda was born in the village of Tankara near Morvi(Morbi) in the Kathiawar region of modern-day Gujarat, into a Brahmin family on February 12 in 1824. He was named Moolshankar and led a very comfortable early life, studying Sanskrit, the Vedas and other religious books so as to prepare himself for a future as a Hindu priest.

A number of incidents resulted in Dayananda questioning traditional beliefs of Hinduism and inquiring about God in early childhood. Still a young child on the night of Shivratri (literally: the night for God Shiva) when his family went to a temple for overnight worship, he stayed up waiting for God to appear to accept the offerings made to idol of God Shiva.

While all else slept, Dayananda saw mice eating the offerings kept for the God. He was utterly surprised and wondered how a God, who cannot even protect his own "offerings", would protect humanity. He argued with his father that they should not be worshipping such a helpless God.

The deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from cholera, caused Dayananda to ponder over the meaning of life and death and he started asking questions, which worried his parents.

His parents decided to marry him off in his early teens (common in 19th century India), but he decided marriage was not for him and ran away from home in 1846. source

Search For Knowledge

He was disillusioned with classical Hinduism and became a wandering monk. He learned Panini's Grammar to understand Sanskrit texts, and learnt from them that GOD can be seen.

After wandering in search of GOD for over 2 decades, he found Swami Virjananda near Mathura who became his guru (gu: darkness; ru:light- i.e. one who makes you reach towards light from darkness). Swami Virjananda told him to throw away all his books, as he wanted Dayananda to start from a clean slate and learn directly from the Vedas, the oldest and foundational books.

Dayananda stayed under Swami Virjananda's tutelage for two and a half years. After finishing his education, Virjananda asked him to spread the knowledge of the Vedas in society as his gurudakshina (tuition-dues). It is during his mission, Dayanand Saraswati gave the call "Back To The Vedas".

Dayanand's Mission

Dayananda set about the difficult task with dedication despite attempts on his life. He traveled the country challenging religious scholars and priests of the day to discussions and won repeatedly on the strength of his arguments.

He believed that Hinduism has been corrupted by divergence from the founding principles of the Vedas and misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandisement. Hindu priests discouraged common folk from reading Vedic scriptures and encouraged rituals (such as bathing in the Ganges and feeding of priests on anniversaries) which Dayananda pronounced as superstitions or self-serving.

Far from borrowing concepts from other religions, as Raja Ram Mohan Roy had done, Swami Dayananda was quite critical of Islam and Christianity and also of the other Hindu faiths like Jainism, Buddhism and Idol Worshipping in Hinduism - as may be seen in his book Satyartha Prakash. He was against what he considered to be the corruption of the pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements within Hinduism, the Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the 6th principle of the Arya Samaj.

Arya Samaj is a rare stream in Hinduism that allows and encourages converts to Hinduism.
Dayananda’s concept of Dharma is succinctly set forth in his Beliefs and Disbeliefs. He said,

I accept as Dharma whatever is in full conformity with impartial justice, truthfulness and the like; that which is not opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas. Whatever is not free from partiality and is unjust, partaking of untruth and the like, and opposed to the teachings of God as embodied in the Vedas - that I hold as adharma.

He had also said:
He, who after careful thinking, is ever ready to accept truth and reject falsehood; who counts the happiness of others as he does that of his own self, him I call just.

Dayananda's Vedic message was to emphasize respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the Divine Nature of the Individual - 'Divine' because the body was the temple where the human essence (Soul or "Atma") could possibly interface with the creator ("ParamAtma").

In the 10 principles of the Arya Samaj, he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefitting mankind" as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. In his own life, he interpreted Moksha to be a lower calling (due to its benefit to one individual) than the calling to emancipate others.

Dayananda's "Back to the Vedas" message influenced many thinkers. Taking the cue from him, Sri Aurobindo decided to look for hidden psychological meanings in the Vedas. Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1972. The ideology presented in the works of Dayananda has been used to support the Hindutva movement of the 20th century.

Ruthven regards his "elevation of the Vedas to the sum of human knowledge, along with his myth of the Aryavartic kings" as an instance of religious fundamentalism, but considers its consequences as nationalistic, since "Hindutva secularizes Hinduism by sacralizing the nation".

Arya Samaj

Swami Dayananda's creation, the Arya Samaj, is a unique contribution in Hinduism.

The Arya Samaj unequivocally condemns idol-worship, animal sacrifices, ancestor worship, pilgrimages, priestcraft, offerings made in temples, the caste system, untouchability, child marriages and discrimination against women on the grounds that all these lacked Vedic sanction.

The Arya Samaj discourages dogma and symbolism and encourages skepticism in beliefs that run contrary to common sense and logic. To many people, the Arya Samaj aims to be a "universal church" based on the authority of the Vedas

Principles of Arya Samaj

The 10 Principles of the Arya Samaj was agreed on unanimously (including Swami Dayanand, the founder of the Arya Samaj) at the formation of the Lahore Arya Samaj on 24 June 1877. This replaced the original list of 28 rules and regulations drafted by Dayanand for the Rajkot Arya Samaj. This simplified the principles, while the bylaws were removed to a separate document.

Of the ten, the first three principles are seen as comprising the doctrinal core of the Arya Samaj, as they summarize the member’s beliefs in regard to God, the nature of Divinity and the authority of the Vedas.

The remaining seven principles reflect the reformative ambitions of the Samaj in regard to both the individual and society at large.

The 10 Principles of the Arya Samaj

Arya Samaj Ki Niyam

१- ईश्वर सभी विद्याओंका मूल है |
२-ईश्वर की ही शरण जायें और उसी की प्रार्थना करें |
३- वेद प्राचीनतम सत्यशास्त्र है उसका नित्य पाठ और अध्ययन करें |
४- सत्य का आश्रय करें असत्य का त्याग करें |
५- सोच विचार कर बोलें |
६- सभी का भला करें और द्वेष किसी से न करें |
७- व्यवहार सदैव मधुर होवे हमारा |
८-सत्शास्त्रों का अध्ययन और प्रचार नित्य करें|
९- निःस्वार्थ भाव से रहें और सभी की उन्नति में अपनी उन्नति समझें |
१०- अनुशासित रहें और सामाजिक नियमों का पालन करें |

Principle One: God is the original source of all that is true knowledge and all that is known by physical sciences.

Principle Two: God is existent, Conscious, All Beautitude, Formless, Almighty, Just, Merciful, Unbegotten, Infinite, Unchangeable, Beginningless, Incomparable, the support of All, the Lord or all, All-pervading, Omniscient and Controller of All from within, Evermature, Imperishable, Fearless, Eternal, Pure and Creator of the universe. IT alone must be worshipped.

Principle Three: The Vedas are the books of all TRUE knowledge. It is the paramount duty of all Aryas to read them, to teach them to others, to listen to them and to recite them to others.

Principle Four: All persons should always be ready to accept the truth and renounce the untruth.

Principle Five: All acts ought to be performed in conformity with dharma (Righteousness and Duty) i.e. after due consideration of the truth and the untruth.

Principle Six: The primary object of the Arya Samaj is to do good to the whole world i.e. to promote physical, spiritual and social progress of all humans.

Principle Seven: Your dealings with all should be regulated by love and due justice in accordance with the dictates of dharma (righteousness).

Principle Eight: Avidyaa (illusion and ignorance) is to be dispelled, and Vidyaa (realisation and acquisition of knowledge) should be promoted.

Principle Nine: None should remain satisfied with one's own elevation only, but should incessantly strive for the social upliftment of all, realise one's own elevation in the elevation of others.

Principle 10: All persons ought to dedicate themselves necessarily for the social good and the well being of all, subordinating their personal interest, while the individual is free to enjoy freedom of action for the individual well being. source

Dayananda Saraswati - Works

Dayananda Saraswati wrote more than 60 works in all, including a 14 volume explanation of the six Vedangas, an incomplete commentary on the Ashtadhyayi (Panini's grammar), several small tracts on ethics and morality, Vedic rituals and sacraments and on criticism of rival doctrines (such as Advaita Vedanta).

Some of his major works are Bhratnivaran, Sanskarvidhi, Ratnamala, Vedabhasya. The Paropakarini Sabha located in the Indian city of Ajmer was founded by the Swami himself to publish his works and Vedic texts.

1. Satyarth Prakash - Light of Truth - Translated to English - Published in 1908

2. Rigvedādi-Bhāṣya-Bhūmikā - An Introduction to the Commentary on the Vedas. ed. B. Ghasi Ram, Meerut (1925) Reprints 1981, 1984 ed.

3. New Book Society of India, Glorious Thoughts of Swami Dayananda (1966)

4. Autobiography, ed. Kripal Chandra Yadav, New Delhi : Manohar, 1978.

5. Yajurvēda bhāṣyam : Samskritabhāṣyaṃ, Āndhraṭīkātātparyaṃ, Āṅglabhāvārthasahitaṅgā, ed. Mariri Kriṣṇāreḍḍi, Haidarābād : Vaidika Sāhitya Pracāra Samiti, 2005.

6. The philosophy of religion in India, Delhi : Bharatiya Kala Prakashan, 2005, ISBN 8180900797

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Dayanand Saraswati -Great Gift to India

From 1877 to October, 1883 his time was spent in preaching, teaching and writing books including Ved Bhashya.
In his lifetime thousands of Aryasamajs were set up in Bombay, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and other places. He upheld the right of all human beings to learn and study the Vedas He denounced the superstitions, harmful and misleading beliefs, customs and practices of Hindu society e.g. child marriage, denial of education to women, idolatry, untouchability, caste-system etc. He opened the eyes of his countrymen and wrote his great book Satyarthprakash (The Light of Truth) which was published in 1875.

It is a unique book to dispel all doubts and it is in fact the beacon light leading people from darkness to light, irrationality to rationality, irreligion to religion. It embodies the teachings of Swami Dayanand Saraswati on all matters – religious, social, educational, political and moral, also his beliefs and disbeliefs and the way of life as envisaged by the Vedas and the Vedic culture, which prevailed throughout the whole world about 5000 years back (This book refers to 377 books, quotes 290 books to prove the facts and cites1542 Vedic hymns and the total number of inferences is estimated to be 1886).

In introduction to this book, Swamiji wrote: “The world is fettered by the chain forged by superstition and Ignorance. I have come to snap asunder that chain and to set slaves at liberty. It is contrary to my
mission to have people deprived of their freedom”. He pleaded that Hindi should be link language of the entire country and he was the first crusador to raise voice against cow-slaughter and wrote the booklet “Go-Karunanidhi” on 24th February, 1881 underlining the utility and economy of the cow.

Very aptly, Sir Jadunath Sarkar described Swamiji as “A true statesman – who could set the forces at work which will go on influencing the lives and thoughts of unborn generations.” source

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Dayanand Saraswati - Death

Swami Dayanand breathed his last in Ajmer on Deepawli day, the 30th October, 1883.

In September, 1883 he had gone to Jodhpur as the guest of the Maharaja where he was poisoned which proved fatal despite varied efforts. The final moments of his life are worth description when he asked all those present in the Bhinai House (the last resting place at Ajmer) to stand behind him.

After blessing all present there, he recited the Gayatri, engaged himself in Samadhic meditation for a few minutes and then lay down. The last words he uttered were: “Merciful Father! Almighty God! This is thy will! Let thy will prevail. Wonderful are thy ways.” Saying this, he turned on his side, drew a long breath and threw it out and that was his last breath.

This very sight converted Gurudutt a staunch atheist to be a great believer in God and a missionary to carry out the master’s task was born. souce

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Dayanand Saraswati - Swaraj Movement

In the words of Sw. Dayanand Saraswati “self-rule is far better than any sort of foreign rule;
however well governed it may be.”

The movement of Aryasamaj was very strong initially in North India and there was social awakening in every sphere. Swami Shradhanand (1856-1926) founded gurukul at Kangri, Haridwar in 1902; Mahatma Hansraj (1864-1938) was a pioneer of D.A.V. movement; Shri Gurudutt Vidyarthi (1864-1890), initially an atheist
got transformed by mere witnessing the spectacle of Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s death at Ajmer .

He contributed his efforts with such intensity that he sacrificed his life by overworking and neglecting his own health. Pt. Lekhram (1858-1897), a fearless and undaunted soldier of his master worked for Shudhi movement (re-conversion into Hinduism) and became a martyr at the hands of a fanatic. It is a matter of pride that 80% of martyrs of Indian freedom movement belonged to Aryasamaj.

Shyamji Krishan Verma (1857-1930) played important role off Indian shores in this respect. Lala Rajpat Rai (1865-1928), a staunch Arysamajist played a glorious role against British empire and sacrificed his life for this cause. Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev, Madan lal Dhingra, Pt.Ram Prasad Bismal, Bhai Balmukund, Bhai Parmanand(1876- 1947), Mahasha Rajpal(1885- 1929) etc. were inspired by Aryasamaj and like these patriots, innumerable people contributed in the struggle for freedom. Aryasamaj will continue to be remembered for its contribution to Indian Independence by way of the Hyderabad Satyagrah against Nizam of Hyderabad under the leadership of Mahatma Narainswami in 1939.

(Sw.Dayanand Saraswati was the first person to use the word swarajya in 1874-75, followed by Dadabhainaroji in 1906, Shri Lokmanya Tilak in 1916 and the Congress in 1926) source

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Arya Samaj - Retardation March

Of late we observe great retardation in Aryasamaj’s march owing to infighting and absence of zeal and spirit but there are always hurdles in the path of success and it is earnestly hoped that with proper introspection and resolve to fulfill the mission, the young generation who have a rational approach to life will come forward to lead it and rid the society of its ailments.

Our country is still acutely faced with the problems highlighted by Swamiji and presently efforts are being made to tackle them with various legislative measures but to achieve results, committed people are required and leaders of various sects and religions have to discard their rigidity and non-Vedic beliefs and identify the universal interests and draw inspiration from Vedas which preach Universal brotherhood as enunciated in
RgVeda X.191.2: “May you move together, speak together in one voice; let your minds be of one accord and like the ancient sages, may you enjoy your assigned share of fortune”. source

Vedo Ka Danka

Pradeep Bhajan - Vedo Ka Danka Aalam Main

Navalakha Mahal

Satyarth Prakash - Navlakha Mahal Musical Fountain - Udaipur

Rishi Dayanand Gaatha

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Rishi Dayanand Saraswati Gaatha 1

Rishi Dayanand Gaatha

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Rishi Dayanand Saraswati Gaatha 2

Rishi Dayanand Gaatha

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Rishi Dayanand Saraswati Gaatha 3

Rishi Dayanand Gaatha

ऋषि दयानन्द‌ - Rishi Dayanand Saraswati Gaatha 4

Om Hai Param Pita

Bhajan - Kavi Pradeep - Om Hai Param Pita Ka Naam

Gayatri Mantra

Anuradha & Kavita Paudwal - Gayatri - Mandalas

Hymn of Creation

The Nasadiya Sukta (ná ásat "not the non-existent") is the 129th hymn of the
10th Mandala of the Rigveda. Prof. Mark Muesse deciphers the obscure meaning.

Poornamidah Poornamidam

Vedic Shanti Mantra - Lata Mangeshkar - beginning a pic of Hubble deep
field of galaxies then turns into WMAP picture of visible early Universe...

OM Mantra Sounds

OM - A - U - M

Om is the symbol for the whole universe. It carries three basic sounds: A-U-M. These three basic sounds through which all the sounds have evolved.

Om is the basic trinity of sound, the synthesis of all the basic roots.

That's why Om is considered the secret mantra, the greatest mantra, because it implies the whole existence,
it represents the sound of soundlessness, the beauty of silence.

OM represents the music of existence, the soundless sound, the sound of silence. OM represents the inner most music of our being, the inner harmony, the inner humming sound which happens when our body, mind, soul are in deep totality, when the visible and the invisible, the un-manifest and the manifest, the relative and absolute, the-outer and inner are in deep togetherness.

To become one with OM-the music of existence is to attain fulfillment. source

Merkabah Ascension Chariot

The Merkaba Field is a permanent and highly ordered Merkabic structure of
inter-connectedelectro-magnetic counter-rotating energy spirals that exist
as an integral part of ALL CREATION.

Namaste India

Embark on Self Discovery

Incredible India

An Incredible Journey

Mystic India

Explore India Mysticism

Salaam India

Experience Incredible India

Amazing & Incredible Facts about India and Indians!

The Ancient Name for India was Arya Varta. Later was known as Bharata Varsha.

The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharata - popularly called Bharat Mata.

The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus.

The valleys around which were the home of the early settlers.

The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu.

The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers

To the land of the Hindus as Hindustan, and its people as Hindustani.

India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.

India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history

India invented the Number System.

Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages.

Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software.

A report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans.

Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.

Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha

visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development,

India was the richest country on earth until the British invasion in the early 17th Century.

Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.

Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun

hundreds of years before the Astronomer Smart.

Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.

Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry came from India.

Quadratic Equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century.

The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106

Whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10**53(10 to the power of 53)

With specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period.

Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12).

The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana.

He explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem.

He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European Mathematicians.

USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion.

In the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless

communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.

The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.

According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana

was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time.

Sushruta is the Father of Surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time

Conducted complicated Surgeries like Cesareans, Cataract, Artificial limbs,

Fractures, Urinary stones and even Plastic surgery and Brain surgery.

Q. Who is the Co-founder of Sun Microsystems?

A. Vinod Khosla

Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the
today's computers run on it)?

A. Vinod Dahm

Q. Who is the Founder and Creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)?

A. Sabeer Bhatia

Q. Who was the President of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator
of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)? Received US Medal of Tech.

A. Arun Netravali

Q. Who was the GM of Hewlett Packard? He was Co-Inventor and General Manager of Hewlett
Packard's E-speak project in 1999, and was one of the developers of the IA-64 architecture

A. Rajiv Gupta

Q. Who was the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000,
responsible to iron out all initial problems?

A. Sanjay Tejwrika

Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, & Mckensey

A. Vikram Pandit, Rajat Gupta

Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America

even faring better than the whites and the natives.

There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA - 1.5% of population.

The game of snakes & ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat.' The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil actions to a cycle of re-births

The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh.

Built in 1893 after levelling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.

India has the most post offices in the world !

Did you know?

India also celebrates the birthday of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Former President
and Vice-President and Great Statesman, as "Teachers' Day".

Born on September 5, 1888, at Tiruttani, 40 miles to the north-east of Madras,
Radhakrishnan grew to become the most famous Indian teacher and philosopher of all times.

In his honour, this day is celebrated as Teacher's Day.

He was also the Vice-President of India from 1952-1962. He held the Office of the Chancellor,
University of Delhi, before taking over as the -2nd - President of India in May 1962.

For his services to education, he was knighted by the British Government in 1931,
but did not use the title in personal life preferring instead his academic title 'Doctor'.

The number of New Economy millionaires is in the thousands, though many have been bitten by the meltdown. Some successes are well known, such as Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems; Sabeer Bhatia sold Hotmail to Microsoft for $400 million; Massachusetts' Gururaj Deshpande, co-founder of a number of Network-Technology Companies, was at one time worth between $4 billion and $6 billion.

This high average comes as no surprise. American Indians are running Fortune 500 companies
and regularly featured in top business magazines across the world. Rono Dutta, President of
United Airlines; Rakesh Gangwal, President and CEO of US Airways; Kolkata-born Rajat Gupta,
the Managing Director of Consulting giant McKinsey & Co.

SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH

South Asian Heritage Month is the name given to the month long celebration in Canada each May of the presence and heritage of people with roots in the South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan.

In Canada, 'South Asian' refers to those who have come directly from these countries to Canada (and their descendants) as well as those who have made second and even third migrations from more than 15 other countries, such as Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Martinique and others from the Caribbean from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa from Africa, from Europe, the Middle East, South America and Oceania.

The first South Asians first arrived in Canada in the year 1897, when soldiers from the Indian army passed through the country on their way back home from London, England after attending the Diamond Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria. Some of these Indian soldiers later returned to live in Canada permanently.

The first known Caribbean based South Asian was Dr Kenneth Mahabir, a Trinidadian medical student who came to Halifax in 1908 and stayed on.

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Origins

It was not until the 1980s that events marking the coming of South Asians to Canada appeared. They were pioneered by Indo-Caribbeans, descendants of the Indians who had first arrived in the West in Guyana in 1838 and in Trinidad in 1845, and who had made a second migration to Canada in large numbers since the 1960s.

In 1986 a Toronto based group Ontario Society for Services to Indo-Caribbean Canadians (OSSICC) was formed primarily to celebrate the upcoming 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians to Guyana in 1988. OSSICC continued to celebrate Indo-Caribbean Heritage Day until the year 2000, with interest coming mainly from Indo-Caribbeans.

In April, 1997 the Indo Trinidad Canadian Association (ITCA) was formed and immediately started Indian Arrival Day celebrations that year. In that year too community activist Asha Maharaj organized a display of Indian artifacts, the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Ottawa held its first celebration, and the Caribbean East Indian Cultural Organization headed by radio host Richard Aziz organized an Indian Arrival celebration in Toronto.

By 1998 ITCA had decided to celebrate the event as Indian Arrival and Heritage Day, and held a huge show/display/dance at the Etobicoke Olympium. It was never an Indo-Caribbean for ITCA but always Indian, meaning all people with roots in the Indian subcontinent.

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Indian Arrival and Heritage Month

By 1999 ITCA had moved to celebrate the month of May as Indian Arrival and Heritage Month. At this stage only ITCA and OSSICC were organizing events.

By the year 2000 a Council for Indian Arrival and Heritage Month was in place, composed of people from ITCA, OSSICC, the Guyanese group GEAC, the Hamilton group CICA and several individuals.

The catch line from the letterhead for the Council in 2000 was "Commemorating the 162nd anniversary of the arrival in the Americas of the people and heritage of the Indian subcontinent". This included all the groups who are now satisfied to be called South Asians, such as Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans etc.

The group was marking the arrival of Indians in the West as 1838 when they first landed in Guyana, and 1897 as the year the first Indians (Punjabi Sikh actually) arrived in Canada.

By that time the number of events for Indian Arrival and Heritage Month had gone up to 11, and the council had support from the following 25 groups:

Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association, Caribbean Educational Association of Canada, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, Devi Mandir Dhantal Radio, Educators of South Asian Origin, Guyanese Association of Manitoba, Guyanese East Indian Association of Canada, Indo-Trinidad Canadian Association, Indo-Caribbean Golden Agers Association, Inter Cultural Neighbourhood Support Services, Indo-Caribbean World, Jahaji Association for Indian Advancement in Guyana, Lakshmi Mandir, Ontario Society for Services to Indo-Caribbean Canadians, Nritya Kala Kendra, Other Eye Publications, Riverdale Immigrant Women's Centre, Saaz-O-Awaaz, Satya Jyoti Cultural Sabha, Shiv Shakti Gyaan Mandir, South Asian Women's Centre, Trinidad and Tobago Association of Ottawa, Vedic Cultural Centre, West Indians United.

Those who actually held events in 2000 were: Saaz-O-Awaaz (Academy of Indian Music), Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association, Other Eye Publications, Indo-Caribbean Golden Agers Association, Indo-Trinidad Canadian Association & Knox Presbyterian Church, Voice of Dharma Mandir, Guyanese Association of Manitoba, Guyanese East Indian Association of Canada, Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association, Indo-Trinidad Canadian Association, Trinidad and Tobago Association of Ottawa, Ontario Society for Services to Indo-Caribbean Canadians, Satya Jyoti Cultural Sabha.

Since 1997 ITCA and later the Council for Indian Arrival and Heritage Month had decided not to make this an Indo Caribbean event. They realized that Indo Caribbeans were only about 10 per cent of the "Indian" group in Toronto, and if they confined Indian Arrival to Indo Caribbean it would remain forever a marginal event.

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Attracting the wider South Asian Community

But even though the Council tried to attract the support of the other groups, it was a hard sell and they did not usually get a positive response. In the Caribbean the word Indian includes everybody who came from what was then united, colonial India.

In Canada it was different. When the word Indian was used, the assumption was that it referred to people who had come from India, if it wasn't confused with native Indians. Many of the Punjabi Sikhs did not related well to India because of their political problems with that country, and did not want to see themselves as Indians.

The Pakistanis did not respond to the word Indian Arrival and Heritage Month or to Indian Arrival events.
The Sri Lankans also said they were not Indians and ignored Indian Arrival and Heritage Month. There were similar problems with people from Bangladesh and Nepal.

The Indian Arrival celebration was going nowhere.

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Becoming South Asian Heritage Month

When Indian Arrival and Heritage Month was launched at the Scarborough Civic Centre in 2001, the keynote speaker was Raminder Gill, at the time the South Asian Member of the Ontario Parliament. Gill said he would introduce a bill in the legislature to legitimize the event, and he did so later that same year.

Gill obtained multi-party support for the bill, but was told the legislature would not accept Indian Arrival and Heritage Month because it would cause confusion with the Indian Act and other laws relating to Native Indians.

The name was changed to South Asian Heritage Month, and the bill received unanimous support
and was signed into law in December 2001.

Since then, South Asian Heritage Month has grown dramatically. Dozens of celebrations take place each year, including events at the Ontario Parliament, the Gerard Street bazaar, numerous religious and community groups and the media.

It has been embraced enthusiastically by the Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, and most of the 20 plus sub groups in the South Asian community. Efforts are being made to extend the celebration throughout Ontario and to other Provinces and Territories in Canada.

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Declaration of South Asian Heritage Month

AN ACT TO PROCLAIM MAY AS SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH

AND MAY 5 AS SOUTH ASIAN ARRIVAL DAY

Preamble

South Asian immigrants began arriving in Ontario at the start of the 20th century. Working primarily in the sawmill industry, South Asian immigrants settled in various parts of the province. For South Asians, the month of May has been a time of celebration and commemoration of their arrival from the Indian subcontinent to the Americas beginning on May 5, 1838.

While most South Asians came to our country from India, many others came to Ontario from such places as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. Today, South Asians make up a significant proportion of Ontario's population and are proud to draw upon their heritage and traditions, contributing to many aspects of culture, commerce and public service across this province.

It is appropriate to recognize and pay tribute to the contributions South Asian immigrants have made, and continue to make, to the development and general welfare of Ontario.

Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

South Asian Arrival Day

1. May 5 in each year is proclaimed as South Asian Arrival Day. South Asian Heritage Month

2. The month of May in each year is proclaimed as South Asian Heritage Month.

Commencement 3. This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent. Short title

4. The short title of this Act is the South Asian Heritage Act, 2001.

Explanatory Note

The Bill would proclaim May as South Asian Heritage Month and May 5 as South Asian Arrival Day,
in recognition of the contributions made to Ontario by persons of South Asian descent.

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South Asian History

South Asian History is a non-commercial project that brings the most vital aspects of the sub-continent's history to web users.

Our selections illuminate aspects of South Asian History that aren't always very well known, but of crucial importance to the region's future.

Although most of our selections focus primarily on the Indian experience, there are many aspects of Indian history that also reflect the history of its South Asian neighbours. In the ancient world, social and political borders were neither fixed nor did they always tally with present national divisions. For instance, during much of India's Buddhist period (and also during the Gupta period), Afghanistan was politically and culturally affiliated with Northern India. This was also true during the Islamic period, when Afghanistan and Northern India both came under the rule of the Lodhis and the Mughals.

Trade and cultural links between India and its neighbours like Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and Sri Lanka were usually quite extensive, even extending to Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam in the East, and Persia, Central Asia, the Arab world and coastal E. Africa in the West. With Nepal, cultural and political contacts were especially extensive.

Moreover, developments in philosophy, science, technology and manufacturing often encompassed many regions of the sub-continent and were transmitted fairly widely as time progressed. Thus, in its broad contours the history of India is as much the history of the entire sub-continent and vice-versa.

As our essay on Indian Languages amply demonstrates, many Asian languages share a common structure when it comes to oganization of their script that is not very well known.

We may also note that the process of colonization had a dramatic impact on most nations of the world - whether in Asia, Africa or Latin America. Although the intensity of exploitation may have varied from one colonized nation to another, and there may have been differences in detail with respect to concrete practice - there were many commonalities in the way most nations were colonized.

To that extent, these pages from the history of the Indian sub-continent may also enlighten readers from other parts of Asia or Africa, or anyone else interested in broadening their view of world history.

Please see the topics index for a list of articles and links that have a Pan-Asian or broad relevance.
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PAGES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT

Development of Language in the Indian Sub-Continent

Theories about the development of language and written scripts in India have been routinely coloured by the colonial project whereby indigenous developments have been made to look as though they were derivative of more powerful external trends or merely peripheral in nature.

The following essay exposes some of the grave limitations of the Indo-European framework that is used to classify Indian languages and shows how Indian languages(from North to South) share much than is commonly realized.

Colonial Constructs about Indian Languages

The "Indo-European" Model and Beyond

Most educated Indians know that most Indian languages are divided into two broad linguistic streams - i.e. the "Indo-European" and the "Dravidian". Tied in with this linguistic classification is the theory that the North Indian languages came with "Aryan" settlers. During colonial rule, it may have seemed comforting to North Indians to know that they enjoyed a historical genetic and cultural connection with the "superior" races of Europe who had by then come to rule much of the world. Of course, this provided little comfort to the South Indians who were indirectly told that their own cultural history was inferior to that of the North because they lacked the all-important European connection.

To this day, influential historians (such as Romila Thapar) and others at the JNU (and several other leading Indian universities) continue to swear by this colonial era model. Critics of this colonial-era formulation are usually dismissed as "amateurs" or "national chauvinists" who are somehow unable to comprehend the supposedly well-established "science" of "modern" linguistics.

But is this classification truly "scientific" or a construct that derives more from purely political considerations as some recent critics have argued?
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