On the occasion of MahAshivarAtri 2023, I am publishing this episode featuring Swami Sakshatkrtanandaji's elegant explanations of fundamental tenets of the Hindu philosophical system known as non-dualism, or Advaita VedAnta.
He is one of the foremost teachers of this traditional method of questioning and understanding ourselves and the world around us. His crystalline explanations as answers to my questions are priceless, so I do urge you to listen to the whole episode. It will be worth putting up with the uneven audio quality many times over!
Swami-ji offers wise counsel on how Hindus in the West can keep their faith relevant and how Advaita VedAnta offers people everywhere and of all beliefs a practical way to lead a contented life.
I recorded this interview in Rishikesh, India which has a unique role in the history of the Hindu faith. It was once, centuries ago, an exclusive preserve of ascetics and renunciate monks, a place that was hard to reach and harder to survive in, far from the noise and crowds. A place reserved for those who chose to not participate in conventional society and opt instead for sadhana (spiritual discipline) and austerities amidst the natural environment of the Himalayas and the holy river Ganga.
Rishikesh, an ancient holy site, later became known as the place where the Beatles descended in the '60s to seek refuge with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Transcendental Meditation. Today, it is a bustling town with all the amenities of any large urban center. Yet, the historic ashrams along the banks of the Ganga still stand and continue to provide education and training for spiritual aspirants from around the world. Many Hindu Indian-Americans like myself travel to India to visit sacred sites such as Rishikesh. It is an experience that serves to reinvigorate faith and reconnect ties to cultural heritage. 
I wanted to publish this episode on the occasion of MahAshivarAtri (February 18, 2023), an annual Hindu festival marked across India and Hindu communities around the world. Lord Shiva is especially venerated in Rishikesh because he is the lord of ascetics, always absorbed in meditation. On MahAshivarAtri, the Great Night of Lord Shiva, he reveals his power and glory through his tandava dance to rebalance the energy forces at play in the cosmos.

Much more to come on many of the themes embedded in this episode!

With profound gratitude to:
-Swami Sakshatkrtananda Saraswati, Swami Dayananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India
Website: www.dayananda.org
-My mother, Swamini Vedavedyananda Saraswati, Charleston, SC, for introducing me to Sw. Sakshatji, Sw. Dayanandaji, Advaita Vedanta, Hinduism, and so much more! 

additional audio credit: xserra-temple-iit-mumbai from freesound.org

Credits:
theme music track: timbre-loopcentury-bhajan from freesound.org

It is autumn now, at least in the northeastern part of the U.S. when the magic of leaves changing colors combines with festivities of Halloween and Thanksgiving, yielding a plethora of sensory stimuli, especially for children and youth. It is also the time when school has been underway for a few months and everyone is looking forward to the first long holiday!  

Hundreds of children of Hindu Indian origin living across the U.S. have been attending another school on the weekends that has also been in session simultaneously. That school may be called Bal Vihar, Bal Vikas, or some variation originated by the specific institution or organization that hosts the school and reflects its own identity in the name, but basically, the meanings all translate to 'children's religious education program.' It is Sunday School for Hindu American kids.

In this Sunday school, however, classes focus on stories about many different Gods and Goddesses, teach an assortment of Indian languages, and have lively discussions about melding American and Indian traditions and values.

I interviewed a husband and wife team that has been volunteering to teach kids in their community about Hinduism for more than 20 years. Listen to their passionate discussion on the invaluable role of such religious heritage education programs in giving children growing up in the diaspora a strong foundation on which to build their identities.

Credits:
theme music track: timbre-loopcentury-bhajan from freesound.org

The Sacred Thread series will feature voices of Millenial and Gen-Z  individuals from varied backgrounds and experiences. Listening to American Hindus of Indian heritage voice their perspectives on navigating connections to multiple cultural identities provides scope for understanding  second- and even third-generation Hindu Indian Americans. What are some challenges they face and some advantages they reap, in belonging to American, Indian, Hindu, and other  identities simultaneously? This series presents, mostly in narrative style,  the hearts and minds of the Indian Hindu diaspora's American youth who find themselves at the nexus of many different, sometimes competing, influences and learn to develop, in turn, rich and complex responses.

In the first episode of this series, a Gen-Z Hindu American male reflects on the formative stages of his religious identity and assesses some of the challenges that came along the way. His lived experience speaks to approaches by which young Hindu Americans carve their paths through the public and private terrains of Hindu faith life in the American diaspora. The episode features an engaging conversation with a young man, 23 years old, born and raised in the U.S. within a traditional Hindu Indian American family. I pose questions to him about his engagement with Hinduism in various facets of his life. The opportunities for cultural self-awareness that young Hindu Americans have today are much richer than in previous decades. Even so, it is a challenging process. Hindu Indian American youth who want to proudly subscribe to their heritage must face the fact that, on one hand, Hinduism is widely marketed in mainstream American society for traditions like Yoga and Ayurveda, while other aspects of the religion continue to be misunderstood and portrayed as exotic and mystical. 

Credits:
theme music track: timbre-loopcentury-bhajan from freesound.org

This episode highlights Philadelphia Ganesh Festival and its premise as a celebration centered on the elephant-faced Hindu deity commonly addressed as Ganapati or Ganesha. PGF has earned the title of being the largest Ganesh festival in North America. It is a 10-day annual event, hosted at Bharatiya Temple in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania, a northwestern suburb of Philadelphia.

Credits:
theme music track: timbre-loopcentury-bhajan from freesound.org