Why I became a Hindu Parama Karuna Devi published by Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Copyright © 2018 Parama Karuna Devi All rights reserved Title ID: 8916295 ISBN-13: 978-1724611147 ISBN-10: 1724611143 published by: Jagannatha Vallabha Vedic Research Center Website: www.jagannathavallabha.com Anyone wishing to submit questions, observations, objections or further information, useful in improving the contents of this book, is welcome to contact the author: E-mail: [email protected] phone: +91 (India) 94373 00906 Please note: direct contact data such as email and phone numbers may change due to events of force majeure, so please keep an eye on the updated information on the website. Table of contents Preface 7 My work 9 My experience 12 Why Hinduism is better 18 Fundamental teachings of Hinduism 21 A definition of Hinduism 29 The problem of castes 31 The importance of Bhakti 34 The need for a Guru 39 Can someone become a Hindu? 43 Historical examples 45 Hinduism in the world 52 Conversions in modern times 56 Individuals who embraced Hindu beliefs 61 Hindu revival 68 Dayananda Saraswati and Arya Samaj 73 Shraddhananda Swami 75 Sarla Bedi 75 Pandurang Shastri Athavale 75 Chattampi Swamikal 76 Narayana Guru 77 Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru 78 Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha 79 Ramakrishna Paramahamsa 79 Sarada Devi 80 Golap Ma 81 Rama Tirtha Swami 81 Niranjanananda Swami 81 Vireshwarananda Swami 82 Rudrananda Swami 82 Swahananda Swami 82 Narayanananda Swami 83 Vivekananda Swami and Ramakrishna Math 83 Sister Nivedita 86 John Henry and Charlotte Sevier 87 Sister Christine 87 Sister Gargi 87 Abhayananda Swami 87 Sara Bull 88 Josephine McLeod 88 Swarupananda Swami 89 Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar 89 Paramahamsa Yogananda and SFR 91 Kriyananda Swami 92 Hariharananda Giri 93 Sivananda Sarasvati and Divine Life Society 93 Chinmayananda Saraswati 96 Ghanananda Swami and the Hindu Monastery 97 Parama Karuna Devi Pranavananda Swami 97 Keshav Baliram Hedgewar 98 Ramana Maharshi 99 Sri Brahmajna Ma 100 Bhaskarananda Saraswati Swami 100 Bholanath Sarabhai Divetia and Prarthana Samaj 100 Kheteshwar or Khetaram 100 Nisargadatta Maharaj 101 Sri Aurobindo and Auroville 101 Mère 103 Mother Meera 104 Sri Chinmoy 104 Niralamba Swami 105 Yogmaya Neupane 106 Anandamayi Ma 108 Amma Amritanandmayi 108 Ganeshananda Giri 108 Matrusri Anasuya Devi 110 Amma Sri Karunamayi 111 Malayala Swamy 111 Shivabalayogi 111 Sadananda Swami 112 Vallalar 113 Udiya Baba 113 Maa Bhabamayee Paramahansee 114 Bhagwan Gopinath 115 Siddharudha Swami 115 Tibeti Baba 116 Trailanga Swami 116 Bamakhepa 117 Kururamma 117 Samarth Ramdas 118 Jalaram Bapa 119 Shivapuri Baba 119 Sant Charandas 120 Shri Kheteshwar 120 Siva Yogaswami and the Nandinatha Sampradaya 120 Sivaya Subramuniyaswami and the Saiva Siddhanta Church 121 Juna Akhara 122 Shankarananda Swami 123 Ishwar Sharan 123 Acharya Ram Sivan 124 Vidyaranya 124 Chandrasekharendra Saraswati 125 Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya 125 Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swami 126 Anandashram Swami and the Chitrapur Math 127 Nigamananda Paramahamsa 128 Sri Anirvan 129 Ramdas Swami and Anandashram 129 Yogi Ramsuratkumar 130 Sitaramdas Omkarnath 130 Sankara Giri 130 Gitananda Giri and the ICYER 130 Yogananda Giri and the Gitananda Ashram 131 4 Why I became a Hindu Rama Swami and the Himalayan Institute 132 Sathyananda Saraswathi and Hindu Aikya Vedi 133 Neem Karoli Baba 133 Baba Hari Dass 134 Haidakhan Babaji 136 Sri Anandamurti and Ananda Marg 137 Ram Swarup 139 Sita Ram Goel 140 Subhash Kak 141 Sitaramdas Omkarnath 142 Muktananda Swami and Siddha Yoga 142 Dhyanyogi Madhusudandas and Kundalini Maha Yoga 144 Gopi Krishna Yogi 144 Thakur Anukulchandra and Satsang 144 Ayya Vaikundar and the Ayyavazhi movement 145 Jiddu Krishnamurti 146 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and TM 147 Tirumalai Krishnamacharya 148 BKS Iyengar 149 Satya Narayan Goenka and Vipassana meditation 150 Shri Ram Chandraji 151 Shri Sudhanshu Ji 151 Shriram Sharma And All World Gayatri Pariwar 152 Sathya Sai Baba 153 Krishna Priya 154 Narayan Maharaj 154 Rajneesh (Osho) 154 Hans Ram Singh Rawat and the Divine Light Mission 156 Om Swami 158 Premananda Swami 158 Kripalu Maharaj 159 Avdhoot Shivanand and ShivYog 159 Mataji Nirmala Devi and Sahaja Yoga 160 Baskaran Pillai 160 Vethathiri Maharishi 161 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and The Art of Living 161 Ravi Shankar 162 Jaggi Vasudev and Isha Foundation 163 Paramahamsa Nithyananda 163 Orthodox Hinduism and Bhakti 164 Nimbarka 167 Ramdas Kathia Baba 170 The Alvars 170 Nathamuni 172 Ramanuja 173 Ramananda 173 Ravidas 174 Meera 175 Tulsidas 175 The Nayanars 177 Manickavachagar 184 The Natha Yogis 184 Shaiva siddhanta 186 Kashmiri Shaivism 188 Virashaiva and Lingayats 188 5 Parama Karuna Devi The Varkari tradition 191 The Mahanubhava movement 191 The Deity of Vitthoba 192 Dnyaneshwar 193 Namdev 194 Chokhamela 195 Kanhopatra 195 Kabir 196 Damaji Pant Deshpande 196 Eknath 197 Tukaram 197 Bahinabai 197 Sankardev 198 Madhavdev 200 The Haridasas 200 Madhva 202 Narahari Tirtha 204 Madhva mathas 294 Puri Jagannatha 205 Some famous devotees of Jagannatha 208 Buddhism as a Hindu movement 210 Jayadeva Gosvami 217 The Bauls 221 Madhavendra Puri 224 Ramananda Raya 226 Oriya vaishnavism 227 Atibadi Jagannatha Dasa 229 Balarama Dasa 230 Achyutananda Dasa 231 Sisu Ananta Dasa 232 Yasobanta Dasa 232 Salabega 232 Gaudiya Vaishnavism 233 Krishna Chaitanya 242 Nityananda parivara 251 Sri Krishna Prem 251 Advaita parivara 252 Bijoy Krishna Goswami 252 Other companions 254 The six Gosvamis 255 Bhaktivinoda and Bhaktisiddhanta 258 Bhaktivedanta and Iskcon 263 Conclusion 267 6 Preface Satyam eva jayate May Truth be victorious! Dharmo rakshati raksitah Dharma protects those who protect Dharma Why this book? Just like all my other books, this publication is intended as a compendium of my answers to the questions that many different people have asked me at various times. Because I like to be precise, clear and exhaustive in my elaborations to avoid misunderstandings - and this is rather difficult when dealing with impromptu questioning - I have found that writing is a very valuable instrument of communication, as written words are less vulnerable to subjective and superficial interpretations by those who receive them. Many people confuse race with religion. This puts them in serious disadvantage because they become surprised and confused when faced with facts that clearly contradict their prejudice, and therefore they remain unable to take proper and effective action as required by the circumstances. I understand that superficial judgment and prejudice might have caused uninformed observers to classify me as a Christian because I was born in a region and a family within a general Christian population, and because when I was an infant I was forcibly baptised. However, the definition of "religion" is based on the concepts of belief and practice, and if we automatically and unquestionably assign a particular religion to individuals merely because of their birth, the concept of religious freedom becomes meaningless. Christians certainly believe that individuals can change their religion, and this is the reason why they are so busy with conversion missions, therefore under their influence the international legislation and the general opinion at global level have come to officially recognise the principle that a person's religious identification must be based on a free choice in regard to personal religious beliefs and practices. This should work both ways. I consider myself a orthodox Hindu because I strongly believe in the original Vedic shastra and I have dedicated my life to applying their teachings in practice. My beliefs and practices are explained in this and in my other publications and presentations. My official conversion to Vaishnavism was solemnised in February 1979 with a public diksha ceremony and homa at the Iskcon center in Rome Italy, officiated by Somaka Swami and Bhagavan Swami, then local representatives of Bhaktivedanta Swami. After dissociating myself from Iskcon, I was given a fresh diksha into the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya by Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Swami, the acharya of the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission, during my pilgrimage to Mathura-Vrindavana in 1989. In 1998 I received important instructions and blessings from Lingaraja Swami during the Parama Karuna Devi Lingaraja Ratha yatra on Ashoka astami in Bhubaneswar; such instructions were also confirmed by other religious authorities. I have also undergone the traditional Vedic purification ceremonies known as suddhi, prayaschitta, vratyastoma and diksha under the guidance and tutelage of Bhagavan Mishra (Deula purohita of Sri Jagannatha Puri Mandir) and Jagannatha Mahapatra (Mukti mandapa brahmana of Sri Jagannatha Puri Mandir) and with the encouragement and support of several representatives of the orthodox Hindu community in Jagannatha Puri. The rituals were personally performed by Bhagavan Mishra on the auspicious Ratha yatra day in 2008, together with the prana-pratistha ceremony for our Jagannatha Deities in our Piteipur Ashram. Official Hindu organisations such as RSS and VHP have also recognised me as a dedicated Hindu who has been working actively since 1998 in the Hindu Resurgence Movement, and in that capacity I have been invited to participate in numerous programmes along the years. However, my dedication and allegiance is not towards some sectarian organisation or political party, but only to Bhakti, Dharma and Vidya, and although I have always been very