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Thread: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

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    23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    PUDUCHERRY 06th August 2012
    As many as 23 Italian citizens from Vatican received Diksha from Brahmasree Veda Samrat A Raja Sastrigal at a Veda Patasala (religious school) at Karuvadikuppam here on Sunday. The three-hour ceremony was held at the Gomaatha Kovil amidst chanting of mantras and hymns by the Italian devotees.
    The Italian team (consisting of four children) comprised professionals like teachers, doctors and engineers. All of them had undergone a basic course under Raja Sastrigal in Vatican, before coming here. It all began with one Italian man, Flavio, who got influenced by the Hindu way of life, came into contact with Raja Sastrigal, way back in 2001. Sastrigal went to Vatican and stayed there for three months to teach Flavio, and his wife Stepano, the basics of Sanskrit hymns and Vedas. Over the years, the couple has gathered followers, who were also influenced by Hindu spirituality.
    The couple developed their diction and pronunciation over the years. The few local people assembled were astonished to hear the Italians’ near-perfect rendering of Sri Rurdram Chamakam, Rudrajapam, Srisuktham, and portions from Upanishads.
    Flavio and Stepano even changed their Italian names, adopting Hindu names Shivananda Saraswati and Savithri. Aurora, an Italian team members, told Express that she believes India is a Karmabhoomi and the Hindu way of life has led to understanding herself better.
    The Italian lady, who is now known as Lalitha, said she would follow the footsteps of her Guru Shivananda Saraswati. The training for chanting the mantras and hymns lasted for about three hours and Raja Sastrigal performed kalasa theertha (sprinkling of holy water) on the trainees as per the rituals of the Hindu religion at the end.
    The team members would spend a couple more of days in Puducherry, before returning for more learning after a few months.

    http://newindianexpress.com/states/t...icle583641.ece

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha


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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Namaste,
    What is this? A slap on vatican's face?
    satay

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Quote Originally Posted by satay View Post
    Namaste,
    What is this? A slap on vatican's face?
    Namaste,

    Perhaps...it is also possibly a slap on the face of born-Indian-Hindus who proclaim Hinduism/Vedas chanting is only for them.

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Its always good to see people from other nations embracing parts of ancient Indian cultural heritage.

    Not relating to this story about Italians, here is a nice blog on how strictness and varna orthodoxy has come to bite us back. This was in relation to current upheaval in Asssam

    http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes...ecome-muslims1

    How the peasantry of Bengal became Muslims is an issue that has not been analyzed deeply. However it seems that with the Mughal conquest of Bengal beginning the last decades of the sixteenth century their local governors made frenetic efforts to settle land and expand agriculture. Large parts of East Bengal were nothing but thickly forested swamps in those days. People staying on the margins of society involved in boating, fishing etc who were loosely speaking Hindus but actually of no religion became part of this Mughal imperial design. They were settled on land and induced to farm and they were socially moored by small mosques led by spiritual preceptors who came into convert the locals to a new way of life. There was not much opposition because these were new areas but the local Hindu communities that existed reacted by closing their ranks and becoming more conservative. This had the result of expulsion of many Hindus from the fold on the grounds that they had been polluted by contacts with the Muslims. These Hindus of course became Muslims. The net result was that more people started becoming Muslims.
    I however believe future of Hinduism lies in shedding its brahmanical pretense and formally declaring that much of current Hinduism has nothing to do with bramanical religion and one doesn't need varna and vedas to be Hindu.

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Vannakkam; It would be interesting to know this group closer, and what else they do besides learn Sanskrit. Hopefully other stories will pop up.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Namaste WM,

    Quote Originally Posted by wundermonk View Post
    Namaste,

    Perhaps...it is also possibly a slap on the face of born-Indian-Hindus who proclaim Hinduism/Vedas chanting is only for them.
    The Indian born Hindus who rightly proclaim this have been abused for centuries so another slap on their faces doesn't make any difference but a slap on Vatican, now that's something one doesn't see everyday.

    Ps: try not to turn every thread into varna discussion.
    satay

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Quote Originally Posted by satay View Post
    Namaste WM,

    The Indian born Hindus who rightly proclaim this have been abused for centuries so another slap on their faces doesn't make any difference but a slap on Vatican, now that's something one doesn't see everyday.
    Vannakkam: Didn't we (Hindus) basically slap the pope's face the last time he went to India? I can't remember the details, but he certainly wasn't welcomed with open arms by everyone.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Quote Originally Posted by wundermonk View Post
    Namaste,

    Perhaps...it is also possibly a slap on the face of born-Indian-Hindus who proclaim Hinduism/Vedas chanting is only for them.
    You know, wundermonk, it would probably help a great deal if you could stop ascribing impure motives to those who disagree with you. At the very least, if you must ascribe such bad motives, try to make sure they make sense at least.

    There is no material motivation in anyone claiming the Vedas for themselves. You can't make money off of it. In today's anti-religion, anti-brahmin society, you certainly can't get much prestige out of it. It doesn't make any sense to uphold or agree with traditional restrictions if materialistic motivations are the reason. It makes more sense, if materialistic motivations are in play, to eschew the traditional birth-based varna roles, because only by doing so can one rationalize his abandonment of prescribed duties and taking up of more profitable ventures.


    Let's try to be sensible, please.
    Philosoraptor

    "Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato

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    Re: 23 Italians receive Hindu Diksha

    Quote Originally Posted by philosoraptor View Post
    You know, wundermonk, it would probably help a great deal if you could stop ascribing impure motives to those who disagree with you. At the very least, if you must ascribe such bad motives, try to make sure they make sense at least.

    There is no material motivation in anyone claiming the Vedas for themselves. You can't make money off of it. In today's anti-religion, anti-brahmin society, you certainly can't get much prestige out of it. It doesn't make any sense to uphold or agree with traditional restrictions if materialistic motivations are the reason. It makes more sense, if materialistic motivations are in play, to eschew the traditional birth-based varna roles, because only by doing so can one rationalize his abandonment of prescribed duties and taking up of more profitable ventures.


    Let's try to be sensible, please.
    I call a on this.

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