hiduism

MAY THE DIVINE BLESSING BE ALWAYS WITH YOU AND YUR FAMILY:
Dialy morning have a look at the hands and tell the following slogan:
Karagre vasate laksmih karanadhye Sarasvati IKaramule tu govindah prachate karadarsanam II 1 II
The front part of hands (i.e. finger tips as ascribed to Laksmi ( goddess of wealth). the middle (i.e. the palm proper) to Sarasvati (goddess of learning), and the root (i.e. part of the hand near the wrist) to Govinda (God). Therefore, every morning one should respectfully have a look at one's hands (which symbolise honest labour).

Prthvi Sagadha sarasatathapah sparsi cha vayurjvalanama cha tejah INabhah sasabdam mahata sahaiva kurvantu sarve mama suprabhatam II
The Earth with its quality of smell , Water with its quality of taste, Air with its quality of touch, Fire with its quality of teja (glow), Akasa (space) with its quality of sabda (sound)---- may all these elements along with the element of Buddhi (intellect) make my morning auspicious for me !
PUJA - MEANING
Puja is a word in sanskrit language. In this language words are formed with meaning in mind. For instance in the word puja, 'p' stands for 'paapa' meaning sins. 'j' stands for 'janma' means birth. With 'p' it removes all accumulated sins, and with 'j' it makes your life's(birth) purpose fulfilled.
The literal meaning is : worship, honour, adoration, respect, homage

Japamalai
All faiths use malas containing beads; hindus generally have 108 beads in a mala; you chant a name(or mantra) for each bead.
Also what is the meaning of the phrase " these things" mala and mantra ?
some times mala is used for chanting a mantra'. mantra is a name for a word or phrase which is used to 'cross over' or 'dissolve' the mind. The purpose of chanting is same in all religions. Only, in Hindu religion, the end product of chanting and process of how the mantra operates are very clear, scientific.
mantra means mananaat trayate iti mantraH meaning by constant chanting you cross over, is called

When someone dies in Guyana or Guyanese hindu dies, they generally put a piece of gold in the corpse's mouth. coin given in the mouth of the dead body is the dakshina or shulka (tax- that which is due) for work done. The agni devata to whom the body is offered for consumtion is offered a dakshina for doing that job. when a girl is given in marriage at the time of kanyadaan (whne water is poured on the hands of boy - saying that i am giving this daughter of mine to you) a kanya shulka is kept (normally five rupees or so);(this shulka has now bloated into varadakshina). In all pujas the dakshina(money given for work done) is a must.

someone dies the men/boys shaves their head and they keep a little patch of hair at the back of their head. the source of all knowledge is brahman; the foundation of knowledge is atmavidya; the interpretor is one who is established in atmavidya. He is like a professional gardner who pulls of weeds and prunes existing plants and sows new seeds. He need not have to go universities to learn agriculture; often the farmer by experience knows what is right time to plant and water, than a student of agriculture who has books(secondary knowledge) as the source.
All sins seems to be in the hairs of the body; so removal of hairs from the body is considered as a purificatory right. This is done before upanayanam (giving of a new eye - administering knowledge of gayathri mantra), or before shraaddha (purificatory rites for the departed).
shaving the head mustaches and beard have two significances
1. as one of purificatory rites: before anything auspecious is being done, you try to rid yourself of all sins. The other purificatory rites are aachamana-sipping of water with Lord's names, atma shuddi- sprinkling of water on the body, nyasa - consecretion of diffierent portions of the body, snana - bath etc.
The second significance is to assist each of us to come out of that body feeling(dehaabhimaana) and make us rest in the ultimate knowledge( that i am the spirit-atman) temporarily. The priest class always shaved their heads except for a tuft on top. 'the disfiguring' (like they do the same for widows) is a silent(now unknown) prayer to the lord that i am with you and i am yours, and i am no longer interested in decorating myself to attract others, my life is yours. and hence i keep a small tuft on top of the head to enable me to tieup the tulsi or flowers offered (nivedya) to you and which was returned by you (as prasad). In otherwords, symbolically, i reaffirm that even what i keep ( tuft) will be used only for your purpose and not mine.


Srimad Bhagavad Gita, or Srimad Bhagavatham, or Shri Vishnu Sahasranamam orGayathri mantram speak one langualge. "Wake up from the sleep" Start chanting Sri Vishnu sahasranama daily. Its benefits are numerousGives you health, wealth, importnace, status, knowledge, presence of mind,fortitude, a clean mind and heart, eventual peace and ultimate good. Inaddition satanghis now chant Shiva sahasranama(targert 108 times for1997), Rama sahasrananama (as we appraoch Ram navami - target 108 times),and then Aanjaneya sahasranama etc.

Daily reading of one chapter of Gita with meaning (average 6 to 15 minutes)and one chapter of Srimad Bhagavatha will assure you of knowledge of theVedas.

Satsang
Satsangh is the company of a good person. 'Sat' stands for godliness, 'sangh' for company.
Company of the sants (saints, which word came from sant) ennobles, educates (in a higher sense) and 'purifies' us. Purifies means removes from our mind greed, lust, pride, jealousy, vanity and delusion. We generally see these defects in other people. But in Satsangh, I start seeing them in myself, because I am in the Satsangh basically for myself, to correct myself.