Category Archives: Saraswati

Sita Ram

Posted on July 16, 2015 by

I mentioned in a recent post about a trip my wife and I took to visit friends in Indiana, how while visiting a temple one of our friends asked my wife (who I described as a “cautious seeker”) to go … Continue reading →

Posted in agnostics, American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Durga, Hanuman, Hindu Temples, Hinduism, Saraswati, Vaisnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Art of Hinduism

Posted on October 11, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda I passed on Saraswati Puja last night. I just wasn’t feeling up to being in temple last night. I just felt like having a very quiet night. During the afternoon I had re-connected with a friend who is … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Bhagavad-Gita, bhakti, blogging, Brahma, Comparitive Religion, creativity, current events, Deepavali, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Mother, Diwali, Durga, Eastern Philosophy, faith, Festival of Colors, Festival of Lights, Ganesh, Ganesha, Gita, God, Hanuman, Hindu Festivals, Hindu Scriptures, Hinduism, Holi, idolatry, India, Indian culture, inspiration, Kali, Kalki Avatar, Krishna, Kurukshetra, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Maha Navaratri, Mahabharata, myth, Narayana, painting, philosophy, poetry, poojas, pujas, Radha, Rama, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Shiva, Sita, spirituality, Trimurti, Uncategorized, Vedic culture, Vishnu, Western Hinduism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Spiritually Flighty

Posted on July 17, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda This post is titled thusly because given the subject-matter, one may label me as such. For you see, even though I have recently begun identifying as “Smarta with Vaisnav leanings” or some such madness, as opposed to strictly … Continue reading →

Posted in avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Bhagavad-Gita, bhakti, Bharat War, blogging, Brahman, Comparitive Religion, current events, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Mother, Durga, Eastern Philosophy, Ganesh, Ganesha, Gita, God, Hare Krishna, Hindu Festivals, Hindu Scriptures, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, ISKCON, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, minorities, monotheism, Narayana, panentheism, pantheism, philosophy, pluralism, polytheism, religion, religious conversion, Saivism, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Shaivism, Shakti, Shaktism, Shiva, Smartism, spirituality, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Multi-Tasking Media Murtis

Posted on June 4, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda You know what really grinds my gears? Has anyone noticed the sharp increase in advertisements in magazines and online wherein multi-tasking is illustrated by a human form with multiple arms each holding a different object? Does it look … Continue reading →

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Brahma, Comparitive Religion, creativity, current events, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, faith, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, Hanuman, Hinduism, India, Indian culture, inspiration, Ishvara, Islam, Kali, Krishna, Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Muslim, Narayana, opinion, Rama, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Shaivism, Shakti, Shaktism, Shiva, social commentary, spirituality, Trimurti, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Suggestion for Gurupurnima 2013

Posted on May 12, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda While pondering my bookshelf last night, it occurred to me that I am likely not alone in having a large collection of books that goes unread. I am definitely not alone in being a seeker of Sanatana Dharma … Continue reading →

Posted in American Hindus, books, Comparitive Religion, creativity, current events, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, guru, Gurupurnima, Hindu Festivals, Hindu Scriptures, Hinduism, holidays, Indian culture, inspiration, philosophy, pluralism, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Sikh Temple, Sikhism, spirituality, Upanishads, Vedanta, Vedas, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Vaisnavaganza

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda In a recent post I wrote about Vaisnavism, and Hinduism in general in the Kali Yuga. In doing so, I considered the form of Vishnu which is prescribed for devotion in the Kali Yuga, that of Venkateswara, or … Continue reading →

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, bhakti, Brahman, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, Gita, Hare Krishna, Hinduism, holidays, inspiration, ISKCON, kali yuga, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, Lakshmi, Lord Rama, meditation, Narayana, Navratri, opinion, panentheism, pantheism, philosophy, Radha, Rama, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Shakti, spirituality, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

If God Had a Face

Posted on April 3, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda When I was in my teens, I recall once sitting in my family’s living room where the telly was tuned into MTV, and Joan Osborne’s song “One of Us” was playing. I recall telling my mom that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, agnosticism, agnostics, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Brahma, Brahman, Buddha, Buddhism, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Consciousness, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, ego, faith, famous quotes, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, guru, Hanuman, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, idolatry, inspiration, Ishvara, Kalki Avatar, Krishna, Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Mahavatar Babaji, Maya, monotheism, myth, Narayana, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, Rama, religion, Sai Baba, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Sathya Sai Baba, Shaivism, Shakti, Shiva, spirituality, Trimurti, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lunch-Break Wheelchair Suryanamaskar

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda Suryanamaskar is intended to be done at dawn, as the sun rises, ideally, I think. But there are really no rules when it comes to dharma. Therefore, on Saturdays I have come to practice my own version of … Continue reading →

Posted in avatars, Ayurveda, bhakti, Brahma, Brahman, chakras, Creation, creativity, current events, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, God, gratitude, Hinduism, inspiration, karma yoga, meditation, monotheism, neurology, New Thought, non-dualism, pantheism, Patanjali, philosophy, Psychology, pujas, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, science, self-realization, Spina bifida, spirituality, Suryanamaskar, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, wheelchair, White Hindus, work, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Simplified Hinduism?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda I would not have written this post had I not heard no fewer than three Indian Hindus say that they felt that Hinduism is “too complex” and “has too many Gods.” I myself have noted the similarities amongst … Continue reading →

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Babaji, bhakti, Brahma, Brahman, Buddhism, Christian, Comparitive Religion, Creation, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, faith, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, Hanuman, Hare Krishna, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, idolatry, India, Indian culture, inspiration, Ishvara, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Krishna, Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Mahavatar Babaji, Maya, monotheism, Muslim, Narayana, non-dualism, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, polytheism, quotes, Radha, Rama, religion, Sai Baba, Saivism, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Sathya Sai Baba, Shaivism, Shakti, Shaktism, Shiva, Sikhism, Sita, social commentary, spirituality, Trimurti, Upanishads, Vaishnavism, Vedanta, Vedas, Vedic culture, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Suryanamaskar and “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”

Posted on March 4, 2013 by

by Aranyakananda I just watched the strangest movie I’ve seen in a while. Disney’s “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is what it was called. It is about a married couple who cannot conceive a child. So naturally, they write … Continue reading →

Posted in American Hindus, Aum, Ayurveda, bhakti, Brahman, Creation, Dharmic Faiths, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, film, film review, God, gratitude, Hindu Festivals, Hinduism, India, inspiration, life, meaning of life, meditation, movie review, movies, New Age, New Thought, non-dualism, panentheism, pantheism, philosophy, pluralism, poojas, pujas, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, satsang, Shaivism, Shakti, Shaktism, Shiva, spirituality, Trimurti, Vaishnavism, Vedanta, Vedas, Vedic culture, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments