Hinduism

The American brewery that announced it is soon going to launch a beer called 'Kali-Ma' has apologized and postponed its release and has said that it would rename their product following protests by Hindu groups.

Not long ago the Oregon based brewing company enthusiastically announced in a press release: "Burnside Brewing is excited to finally release the highly anticipated beer 'Kali-Ma' in 150 very limited 1ltr Magnum sized swing top bottles and on draft on Tuesday May 15th at their pub.

Kali-Ma, is inspired by the Hindu goddess and her tribute in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The name Kali comes from kala, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali-Ma the beer is an Imperial wheat ale or wheat wine made with toasted cardamom, fenugreek, and cumin spices added in addition to almost 400 pounds of apricot. Fermented with a Belgian ale yeast harvested from Upright Brewing. We then dry hop it with 8 pounds of scotch bonnet and native India dandicut peppers... Come worship "the black one" Kali as the ultimate reality or Brahman this Tuesday!"

Hindus were naturally upset to have one of their favourite Goddesses as a beer label. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed said that inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or symbols for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stressed that Goddess Kali was highly revered in Hinduism and she was meant to be worshiped in temples and not to be used in selling beer for mercantile greed. Goddess Kali, who personifies Shakti or divine energy, is widely worshipped in Hinduism. She is considered the goddess of time and change, and Bengali poets described her as the Supreme Deity.

After Hindus protested, Burnside was quick to retract. In an announcement published on their Facebook page, the company said:

"...In response to pleas from the Hindu community we have decided to postpone the limited release of "Kali-ma" our imperial wheat ale flavored with Indian spices and Scotch-Bonnet peppers. It is never our intention at Burnside to offend or alienate any race, creed, religion or sexual orientation. The inspiration for the beer label simply came from a favorite childhood movie in the "Indiana Jones" series and we were unaware that it could be offensive to anyone. We are currently scrambling to re-name the beer and intend to release it soon afterwards... to anyone we have offended we sincerely apologize... Sincerely, the crew and ownership of Burnside Brewing."

It also tweeted an apologia cancelling the launch (see screenshot)

In 2010, in a similar move, another US company Archie McPhee launched mints branded as Curry Flavored Kali Mints that feature Goddess Kali on top of its round tin lid with a mint pellet on her tongue. Hindus protested but the company was adamant.

Are you offended to see Goddess Kali on beer bottles? Is it a condonable or a culpable act? Please post a comment and have your say!

Hindu pilgrims have started registering for the ancient annual pilgrimage of Amarnath Yatra to the 13,500-feet high cave shrine of Lord Shiva in the Indian Himalayas.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) began the registration process on May 7 for this year's yatra or pilgrimage, which will commence on June 25, 2012 and culminate on August 02, which falls on the full moon night of the Hindu month of Shravana and coincides with the Raksha Bandhan festival.

The countdown has begun with the Jammu & Kashmir State Government finalising all arrangements for the pilgrims. India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will deploy about 5,000 personnel to ensure adequate safety and security of the pilgrims. Despite militant attacks in 2006, there has been no dearth of pilgrims for the yatra.

Despite the fact that last year, 107 pilgrims had lost their lives, the number of yatris or pilgrims has been growing with an average of over 400,000 people taking part in the yatra each year. Besides, the pilgrimage has come to become a symbol of Hindu Muslim unity in the troubled Kashmir valley, with the local Muslims providing necessary support services to the pilgrims in keeping with the peaceful secular traditions of India.

Nearly half of the pilgrims have chosen to travel to Amarnath via Baltal route, while the rest opted for the traditional Pahalgam-Amaranth route via south Kashmir. While most people commit to travel on foot chanting the slogan 'Baba Amarnath ki Jai', a helicopter service from Pahalgam to Panchtarni, the nearest airbase, is also available for devotees who can afford it. For senior citizens, there are ponies and palanquins to reach the highest point of the route at Mahaguns, which is about 14,500 feet above sea level. Read more

Today is the birthday of Rabindranath Tagore - the first Hindu Nobel Laureate.

Tagore's native state in India, West Bengal is celebrating the 151st birth anniversary of  Tagore with customary grandeur. In the Hindu Calendar followed by the Bengali people in both India and Bangladesh, the day is no less than any religious festival. Known as 'Pachishe Baishakh,' Tagore's birthday is a bona fide holiday in the State.

To mark the occasion, the West Bengal Government has organized a number of cultural events where major exponents of music, dance, drama, poetry and literature will converge and perform shows based on Tagore's works.

Joining them will be Bangla music bands Bhoomi, Chandrabindu and Dohar that have modernized Tagore songs to make them more appealing to the Gen Y crowd.

Tagore's university at Shantinekatan, the Visva-Bharati will celebrate their 'Gurudev's birthday with traditional rituals and offerings to pay homage to the legendary literary figure of Bengal.

On this occasion, read some of his thoughts on god and religion taken from his various works.

While many Hindus regard Tagore as the 'god of poetry', what actually makes him unique is his 'poetry of god'. Here's a look at the mystical side of the myriad minded bard of Bengal.

Rabindranath Tagore, the first Hindu Nobel Laureate - brought out the essence of Eastern spirituality in his poetry like no other poet. His spiritual vision, as he himself said, is imbued "with the ancient spirit of India as revealed in our sacred texts."

Swami Adiswarananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, says, "Tagore's philosophical and spiritual thoughts transcend all limits of language, culture, and nationality. In his writings, the poet and mystic takes us on a spiritual quest and gives us a glimpse of the infinite in the midst of the finite, unity at the heart of all diversity, and the Divine in all beings and things of the universe."

Tagore's Gitanjali or 'Song Offerings' that contains his own English prose translations of Bengali poetry was published in 1913 with an introduction by the Irish poet W. B. Yeats. This book won Tagore the Nobel Prize for Literature that year.

Read this selection of poetic prose to realize that "We had not known that we loved God, hardly it may be that we believed in Him," as Yeats puts it. See also: A dozen quotes from Tagore on God

Select Books on Tagore:

• Rabindranath Tagore by Krishna Dutta & Andrew Robinson
• The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore by Kalyan Sen Gupta
• The Heart of God: Prayers of Rabindranath Tagore by Herbert F. Vetter

'Namaste' or 'namaskar' is the Hindu way of greeting each other. It is not a superficial gesture or mere word, but has deep spiritual significance. When we greet one another with namaste, it means, 'may our minds meet', indicated by the folded palms placed before the chest.

Namaste also has a deeper spiritual significance. It recognizes the belief that the life force, the divinity, the Self or the God in me is the same in all. Acknowledging this oneness with the meeting of the palms, we honor the god in the person we meet. That is the essence of Hinduism. Read more...

In Hinduism, Buddha is often mentioned as the 9th avatar of Vishnu. We celebrate Buddha's birthday - "Vaisakhi Purnima" or "Buddha Jayanti" - which falls on May 6, 2012 - with this article on the Buddha's relation with Hinduism, his reform movements and his refining of Hindu beliefs.

Buddha, as we know, began his meditation as a Hindu. He was awakened with a new enlightenment only to denounce Hinduism and emerge as the founder of a new religion. Therefore, to understand Buddhism fully, one should not separate it from Hinduism; while at the same time view it separately from Hinduism. Buddha's way of life was "the golden mean" and a relief from the pagan stigmas and caste system prevalent in Hinduism.

Jesus had the same relationship to Judaism as Buddha to Hinduism. Both Hinduism and Judaism are ethnic and non-missionary traditions, and are characterized by an element of segregation between the castes and races, unlike Buddhism and Christianity. Swami Kriyananda compares Buddha's position relative to Hinduism with Martin Luther's to the Roman Catholic Church. Read more...

Every human being, deep inside, is discontented. We all feel that something is missing. We want more. No matter how much we possess, it is never enough. We are afraid to die. We want to live longer, be healthier, look younger and accumulate more wealth. We want to increase our knowledge and awareness. We want to experience more joy and happiness.

All these lead to unbearable restlessness. Ultimately we're driven towards finding the ultimate reality. We search for spiritual succor, and we become conscious about the existence of God - a Supreme Being, who we call "Brahman."

But, the big question is: Is Brahman a reality? If so, how does one to perceive God? Swami Atma, in this brilliant article uses us analogy of the snake and the rope, to explain the nature of God and how to realize it. Read more...

A series of Hinduism Summit or 'Hindu Dharmajagruti Sabha' have been organized by the Forum for Hindu Awakening (FHA) this summer in the US, Canada and Australia.

The 'Hindu Dharmajagruti Sabha' conventions aim to promote an understanding of the unique science behind Hindu concepts and practices, and provide practical guidance on living the life of a Hindu. The Hinduism Summits also serve as a platform to unite everyone interested in Hinduism, preserve it in the face of denigration and misconceptions about Hinduism in today's world.

Event schedule:

• Canada: Hindu Heritage Center, Mississauga - Saturday, April 28, 2012
• USA: Fremont Hindu Temple, Fremont, California - Saturday, May 12, 2012 (Featuring author Linda Johnsen) View video advertisement
• Australia: Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Melbourne - Sunday, May 27, 2012

These free events will commence with traditional Hindu conch blowing, Vedic recitations and lamp lighting. The summit will showcase informative and educational videos and exhibitions on topics such as the tenets of Hinduism, maintaining a Hindu identity, and Hindu spiritual healing remedies on health, relationship and financial problems. The summit is followed by an exhibition of books and posters on Hinduism and free refreshments.

The Summit welcomes everyone interested in understanding Hinduism. For details of the above events and to register yourself, please visit the FHA website.

Hindus believe in the theory of 'mahurats' or auspicious timings in every step in life - be it to begin a new venture or making an important purchase. Akshaya Tritiya is one such momentous occasion, which is considered one of the most auspicious days of the Vedic Calendar. It is believed, any meaningful activity started on this day would be fruitful.

Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day of the bright half of Vaishakh month, when the Sun and Moon are in exaltation; they are simultaneously at their peak of brightness, which happens only once every year. This year Akshaya Tritiya falls on the 24th of April... Read more

Lord Parasurama, also known as the "axe-wielding Rama," was the sixth avatar of Vishnu, whose main objective was to deliver the world from the oppression of the Kshatriya rulers or unrighteous kings who strayed from the path of dharma.

Parasurama Jayanti or the birthday of Lord Parasurama is an major festival for the Brahmin or the Hindu priest class. On this day, devotees worship Parasurama and observe a ritual fast in his honor. Parasurama Jayanti usually coincides with Akshaya Tritiya, which is considered one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar. This year, the festival falls on April 24, 2012.

Read more about Parasurama and lessons from his life

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