T OUCHED BY T RUTH ———BHARAT Touched by Truth What moves and spiritually inspires people? Why do so many people feel drawn to India? What can we learn from Hinduism? This book offers a unique collection of personal reflections celebrating the ways Hindu wisdom has helped people. Through personal, often moving and enriching stories the 22 contributors share lessons about life and love with wider humanity. Readers will also learn about Hinduism itself, its world-view, its ways of coping with life, its moral and ethical drives. Hinduism offers potent insights on religious pluralism, non-violence and peaceful living, panaceas for our troubled world. This book aims to contribute to the process of community bridge building and human understanding through these uplifting and illuminating reflections. ISBN 1-85072-355-9 CONTENTS III. Look around! PREFACE There are FOREWORD: Lord Navnit Dholakia of Waltham Brookes OBE DL I. He listened intently apparently ordinary people INTRODUCTION as he put his arms II. Hinduism lives in the guarding the REFLECTIONS: around me in a gesture household of the person : Director, M K Gandhi Institute of Non-Violence, USA. of love and comfort. extraordinary I Arun Gandhi who practices it. within. TRUTH: Dancer, NEVER Choreographer, LIES: The Meaning Lecturer of Godin Life Skills, UK. II Athipet Sudha Vepa A GENTLE BUT LASTING TOUCH: Lord of the Dance /touchedbytruth.html /touchedbytruth.html : Artist, Teacher, Writer, India www.spiritualityfordailylife.com information: more For es I could III Atreyee Day lain cloth were in p which MY BELOVED CHARIOTEER: The Royal Path use they with him : Youth Leader, Anoopam Mission, UK. IV. Beca converse Bhavisha Tailor e him and women. IV sit befor ssible for ise not po FINDING MY WAY: The Importance of a True Guru XXII. I always knew I wanted something is otherw : Founder/Principal/Coordinator, Hindu Vidyapeeth-Nepal, Nepal. greater in life . V Chintamani Yogi LIFE IS ANLeader, ENDLESS Ramakrishna JOURNEY: Vedanta A Selfless Centre, Service UK. ; all the Dayatmananda, Swami: V. We are all Brahmin VI THE ETERNAL COMPANION: The Value of One variations are only illusions. : Director, Minorities of Europe, UK. ers. VII Deepak Naik ived to oth have rece SEARCHING FOR WISDOM: Invocations to Lord Ganesh what you : Founder/Convenor, Global Peace Initiative of Women, USA. XXI. Give VIII Dena Merriam rfaith Centre, Oxford, UK. VI …..This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, A VISION OF UNITY: A United World a IX Jael Bharat: (Former) International Inte k/books/rel_gen.html upad dogmas, books, temples etc are all secondary details. rabh al, P it. AS FAMILY NAME WE CHOSE BHARAT: God is Love. y go ealise : Director, Vivekananda Centre London, UK set m to r X Jay Lakhani esus lenge X. J chal X e the PROPHET OF PLURALISM: Religious Plurality, Religious Unity set m : Member of Rajya Sabha, India. VII. I have always learnt most. aboutTheir XI Karan Singh a Bhavan, Bangalore, India. my religion from non-Hindus. TOWARDS: Exec THE Director, LIGHT: Bharatiya Who? Vidy questions stimulated me . XII Mathoor Krishnamurti a in Classrooms, USA. THE Author;WORLD Founder, IS ONE Indi FAMILY: Wisdom of the Vedas www.innerbookshop.com/trade/book62400.htm here else but in Hinduism is XIII Mona Vijaykar: VII.I W www.sessionsofyork.co.u so boldly PUNAHR-NIRMAAN: Messages of Shirdi Sai Baba publisher: from order To bliss, God-intoxication, : Peer, House of Lords, UK proclaimed and open to everyone? XIV Navnit Dholakia XIX. I am writing this short piece to express my de A WAY OF: Leader, LIFE: London Seize the Sevashram Day Sangha, UK ep gra at: Online titude to my mother, Kameswari, ... XV Nirliptananda, Swami ve said uld ha SIMPLE AND PROFOUND: Message to Humanity d I co : Academic and author, Canada. ppene ’…... Ravi Ravindra his ha an see XVI XVIII I deeply cherish my tradition, but do not efore t at I c terfaith Centre, Oxford, UK. IX. B e in wh FATHER AND SON: Gitanjali wish it ever to be the only religion in the world. believ : (Former) International In ‘I only XVII Sandy Bharat COLONEL: Academic; OF Chief THE Editor, HIMALAYAS: Encylopedia Remembering of Hinduism, God USA. XVIII Seshagiri Rao X. Simple mathematics disproves this. Take nts! nishme infinite from infinite and infinite remains. RELEVANCE: Senior OFLecturer, ALL RELIGIONS:University of Birmingham, Reverence for UK All Religions itary pu No mil XIX Sharada Sugirtharajah XVII. ve. Only lo MY MOTHER: Hymns to Divine Mother : Director, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, UK XX Shaunaka Rishi Das . ary XI. Once one gets above a certain level, FROM KRISHNA WITH LOVE: The Bhagavad Gita din : Sishya, Saiva Siddhanta Church, Singapore. or then individuation ceases . Sivakumar Saravan £8/€12/$14 Price hna . tra XXI Kris ex is is as THE GIFT OF GIVING: At Thy Footsteps here w : Acharya, Chinmaya Mission, UK. .all t ce I. en XXII Sumati Chaitanya Illustrated. cms. 15.3 X 23 XV es XI.I PAGES 176 PAPERBACK pr . I feel no dif s ference with p A DEEPER HEALING: A Web of Love hi eople of other re t in ligions go GLOSSARY I ng eli TEXT AND IMAGE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS fe he XIII. I often find myself in RESOURCES . T V the midst of rebellion, X XIV. I was born asserting a just cause . a Hindu, raised as one and will die as one. .