Leftovers of Brahmanism

Here is report on a disgusting annual ritual practised at Kukke Subrahmanya, a prominent temple in Karnataka. This temple, located in one of the most forward districts in Karnataka and patronized by such luminaries from the Indian sports and the cine world as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Aishwarya Rai, and Shilpa Shetty, attracts lakhs of devotees every year. This temple is popular among the devotees for Sarpa Samskara, a special puja conducted to get rid of serpants' curse inflicted...

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Preface to "Science versus Miracles"

Pushpa M Bhargava The following is the Preface written by Dr PM Bhargava to the book "Science versus Miracles" of Premanand. We reproduce it as part of our effort to upload the entire book online in html format. We have already uploaded a few chapters of the book. The remaining chapters will be uploaded in due course. Man has been on our 4.5 billion year-old planet and some 12-15 billion year old universe for less than 2 million years. Our recorded history is much less than 10.000...

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Syncretism in the Caraka and Suśruta saṃhitās

Ramkrishna Bhattacharya Ancient Indian physicians were as much interested in philosophical speculations as in the problem of diseases and their cure (Chattopadhyaya 1979: 110-13; Dasgupta 1975: VI and ch. 13). Two Sanskrit compendia of medicine and surgery, the Carakasamhitā (CS) and the Suśrutasamhitā (SS), often employ the Sāmkhya and Nyāya-Vaiśesika terminology (Dasgupta 1975: ibid.; Mrinal Kanti Gangopadhyaya, Appendixes VI and VII in Chattopadhyaya 1991: 481-540). Interestingly...

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Is there a Life after Death?

Innaiah Narisetti The majority of people believe in an after-life. If there is something after death, what is it?  After death, the body is buried by some, cremated by some others, donated to hospitals by a few. These practices are common. When a person dies, along with other parts of the body, the brain also dies. That is the end of it. Now the question arises. If there is something after death, what is it that survives death? Religions jump into the fray to answer...

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The Early Miracles

B Premanand The early miracles were performed by shamans acting as oracles. Through incantations they brought the spirit of god on themselves, swaying and dancing, and making fearful sounds to prove to their followers that punishment meted out by the clan leader of the rulers could not harm them. Among self-inflicted punishments were ship lashes, cutting the body with knives and swords, standing on swords, putting hooks on their backs to haul weights, piercing the head with nail through...

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Hazards of a Spiritual Pilgrimage

Apollo Hospitals opens critical care unit with ICU facility at Sabarimala  (The Hindu, Madurai,  November 16, 2011)  The Apollo Hospitals has set up a full-fledged critical care unit with ICU facility at Sabarimala for the healthcare needs of devotees going to Lord Iyappa temple. The seven-bedded centre at Pamba was established based on the request made by Akhila Bharatha Iyappa Seva Sangam.  “Already there is an Apollo Clinic cum information centre functioning at Pamba for...

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Sri Sri Ravishankar and Art of Politics

Ram Puniyani   Ravi Shankar AS ELECTIONS in Uttar Pradesh are nearing, so is the number of travels by spiritual gurus. These gurus are giving their discourses against corruption. (November 2011). The major ones amongst them are Baba Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Sri). Sri Sri has shared space with Anna and played a considerable role when the government had arrested Anna. Sri Sri came to play the role of an interlocutor between Anna and his followers, during his prison...

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To Kill or Not To Kill: A Human Rights Perspective on Capital Punishment

Ramesh Nagaragere   Time was when a king got angry with one of his subjects and said, 'Off with his head' and it was done. Not just that. He would also order the chopped off head to be hung on the walls of the fort. At the gates. The intent was not merely to punish the guilty, whatever be the guilt, but also to prove to the people that the king was all powerful and the same fate would befall them if   they ever dared to go against the king or violate the established...

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