God and religion are two separate identities. If we look at the genesis of religion, there was no God; instead, humans introduced Him or Her much later. In principle and virtually, religion is a code of conduct for a civil society. It all started from here. As society progressed, the code of conduct also evolved, resulting in its expansion, formalization, and application. When civilization started taking root, the management of society began. A significant part of human evolution reveals and explains the origin of religion. Ancient religious orders were a set of regulations and principles ..read more

Today marks April Fool’s Day on the first day of the month. But let us give the traditional custom of practical jokes, hoaxes, or harmless pranks a little more elaboration and celebration to recognize that we all carry an eccentric strain of foolishness within our creative and intellectual cognitive senses. We are fools or do foolish things occasionally or quite often. Then why not celebrate them as these testify to be life’s experiences? An inner fool within us behaves from time to time in mischievous and playful ways, an inner child who is cheerful and lighthearted. Foolishness is not s ..read more

“Satnam Waheguru” – two simple yet profoundly meaningful words encapsulating the essence of spiritual connection. In the solitude of contemplation, “Satnam Waheguru” becomes more than just a phrase; it transforms into a reverent acknowledgment of the universal Truth and wonders surrounding us. And that adoration becomes a prayer, Satnam Waheguru, Satnam Waheguru…. Breaking it down, “Sat” represents Truth, while “Nam” signifies the identification of that Truth. “Wahe” evokes a sense of awe, akin to a moment of divine wonder, and “Guru” symbolizes the path guiding us from darkness into light. I ..read more

by Promod Puri In my social, religious, and political sentiments that influence my behaviour and outlook toward society, I am neither a Leftist nor a Rightist. Further, I’m not a Centrist either, as I feel strained sitting indiscreetly between the Left-Right ideologies. Yet I occasionally deflect towards the Left or the Right or drive neutral. My doctrine or faith has a stable and discretionary abode of evolving rationalism, which stands on a firm foundation of humanism. Socialism, the bedrock for Leftist ideological motivation and hoisting morally and ethically sound principles, seeks a soci ..read more

God and religion are synonymous influences subjected to evolution in humankind’s ongoing social construction. In this evolution, atheism can also contribute because of its credible roots in various religious ideations. The main reason is for its earnest call for humanism in the conduct of our lives. The fact is, since the time God got institutionalized in the religious orders, atheism, despite being firm on His non-existence, has played a challenging and stimulating role in man’s spiritual and divine pursuits. For those reasons, atheism received acceptance as a valid philosophical concept in ..read more

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Religions offer more than rituals, customs and traditions, dos and don’ts, gods and goddesses. In fact, they also embody profound philosophies, ideologies, and intricate thoughts that are deeply intertwined with spirituality. In the realms of faith, belief, conviction and perception, while lacking empirical or laboratory-based evidence, religions often appear to clash with the principles of logic, rationale, sanity or sense. However, beyond their rich tapestry of beliefs exists the rationale that goes further than the observational explanation in the realm of metaphysics. The latter is a bran ..read more

The sprawling Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Ram was inaugurated on January 24 in Ayodhya. The ceremonial and sacred word “Prana-pratishtha” emerged in the extensive coverage of the event. According to its dictionary meaning, the English equivalent is consecration, “to make or declare sacred.” Prana-pratishtha carries the same sense, plus elaborate rituals involved to ‘declare sacred,’ in this case, the idol or murti of Lord Ram. Prana in Sanskrit means breath, and Pratishtha means establishment. Before the Prana-pratishtha, the fifty-one-inch-tall Ram murti, as carved by a sculpture, was ju ..read more

(320 words, 2mts. of reading time) Staying in an environment exclusively reserved for the self leads to an experience called mindfulness. Residing in this environment are the present moments connected to what one is doing, cohering internally with one’s body and mind while keeping an absolute awareness of breath’s inhalation and exhalation flow. Mindfulness is the idea of being present with oneself at the moment while the world’s events pass unnoticed. It is a practice of being intensely aware of what a person is sensing and feeling in a moment without interpretation or judgment. Based on anc ..read more

Most of north India, as it passes through in the grip of a cold wave, the Hindu-frenzy public warms up in Bhakti mode. “Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram” fills the air as the new national anthem of the nation. Don’t pose questions like, “Since when did the government’s job be to inaugurate temples and its prime minister lead the puja commemoration as a chief invitee? This is how the Ram Mandir will look after completion. In the fast-changing and religiously-infused hot climate, it would be contemplated as anti-national and anti-Modi or even blasphemy while hurting the religious sentiment of the ora ..read more