News Analysis India

Tag: Hinduism

  • Pradosh Vrat In May 2024: Date, Puja Timings, Pradosham Tithi, Rituals And More | Culture News

    Pradosh Vrat is regarded as the most auspicious fast that is observed by devotees twice in the month of Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha. Pradosh Vrat has been said to be very significant in Hinduism as devotees worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on this day and offer prayers. The word Pradosh means removal of darkness. Pradosh vrat falls twice every month during the Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha and this year in May two Pradosh Vrats will be observed in May 2024, one on Sunday, May 5 known as Ravi Pradosh Vrat and the other on May 20 also known as Som Pradosh. Vrat.

    Pradosh Vrat 2024: Tithi and Puja Muhurat

    The first Pradosh Vrat in May 2024 will be observed on May 5, Sunday or ‘Ravivar’ on the Trayodashi tithi of Krishna Paksha in the month of Vaishakha.

    As per Drik panchang, the Ravi Krishna Pradosha Vrat falls on Sunday, May 5, 2024, with the Pradosha Puja Muhurat from 06:59 pm to 9:06 pm, lasting for 2 hours and 7 minutes. The Trayodashi Tithi begins at 5:41 pm on May 5, 2024, and ends at 2:40 pm on May 6, 2024.

    Pradosh Vrat: Significance

    Pradosh Vrat is observed to honor and commemorate Lord Shiva and the holy day when the lord himself consumed poison during Samudra Manthan to save the people and earth and all its creations. During Samudra Manthan when the devas and asuras churned the ocean to look for the Amrit, the first thing that came out of the ocean was Halahala or poison.

    The day, when Lord Shiva drank the poison, began to be known as the day of Pradosh.

    Pradosh Vrat has great importance in Hinduism. On this day devotees observe fast with a pure heart and worship Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It is believed that all the wishes of those who keep Pradosh Vrat for the whole day are fulfilled.

    Pradosh Vrat 2024: Puja vidhi/Rituals

    – On this day, wake up early in the morning, take a bath etc., wear clean clothes and resolve or ‘Sankalp’ to fast by taking water in your hand.

    – After this, clean the temple and worship. In Pradosh Vrat, worship is done during Pradosh period and hence in the evening worship Bholenath with rituals.

    – Offer Belpatra, Bhang, Dhatura, Gangajal, milk, lamp and flowers to Bholenath.

    – After this, light a ghee lamp and read Pradosh Vrat Katha.

    – Observe a day-long fast from sunrise to sunset and perform puja twice in a day.

    – Then perform aarti of Lord Shiva and break the fast the next day after sunrise.

    – Offer bhog and distribute it as prasad to all family members.

    (This article is intended for your general information only. Zee News does not vouch for its accuracy or reliability.)

  • ‘Hinduism Is No Religion, Just Deception’: SP Leader Swami Prasad Maurya Makes Controversial Remarks Again |

    NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya has courted controversy once again and this time he has said that Hinduism is not a religion but just a deception. In a video shared by news agency ANI, the Samajwadi Party leader cited RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Prime Minister Narendra Mmodi’s past remarks highlighting that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living.

    “Hindu bus ek dhokha hai…RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religion…Sentiments don’t get hurt when these people make such statements but if Swami Prasad Maurya says the same, it causes unrest…” Maurya was quoted as saying by ANI in a video.

     

    #WATCH | Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya says, “Hindu ek dhokha hai…RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat has said twice that there is no religion called Hindu but instead, it is a way of living. Prime Minister Modi has also said that there is no Hindu religion…Sentiments… pic.twitter.com/1qnULH1rqt
    — ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2023

     

    Samajwadi Party leader’s remarks have once ignited a heated discussion and prompted diverse reactions from various quarters.

    Impact On the Hindu Community

    Maurya’s statement challenges the core identity of the Hindu community, raising concerns about the potential repercussions on its members. Many individuals and religious leaders within the community have expressed their displeasure and condemned the assertion as misleading and disrespectful.

    Debate Over Definition Of Religion

    This incident has fueled a broader debate about the definition of religion and how different communities perceive and practice their faith. Scholars, theologians, and religious experts are engaging in discussions to dissect the implications of such statements on religious harmony and understanding.

    Calls For Clarification and Apology

    In response to the backlash, there are calls from the Hindu outfits demanding clarification on the intent behind the words. Additionally, some have demanded a public apology, citing the potential harm caused by such a sweeping declaration about a major religious tradition.

  • Hindutva-Hinduism debate splits Congress leadership

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: As the Hindutva vs Hinduism debate rages in Congress following former party chief Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments, there is a split in the leadership. Some are worried that the party should avoid getting into this debate ahead of Assembly elections while others feel the party needs to talk about it to remain electorally relevant in its fight against BJP.

    Rahul’s comments that killing innocent people is not Hinduism but Hindutva invited wrath from various fronts. But crucially, his own party now appears divided over the matter. Senior leader and MP Manish Tewari said that Congress might have started a slide down on a slippery slope by deviating from the Nehruvian ideal of secularism and that he was confused about the Hinduism vs Hindutva debate.

    1/2 Ideal that Religion is a private space activity. Everyone has the right to practice,profess & propagate their religion in their private lives. In Public domain there should be a strict separation of the Church & State.I am a Hindu,I worship my God but that is not my politics
    — Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) November 17, 2021
    “In the Hinduism Versus Hindutva debate, some people in Congress miss a fundamental point. If I were to believe that my religious identity should be the basis of my politics, then I should be in A Majoritarian or Minoritarian Political Party. I am in the Congress because I believe in the Nehruvian ideal that religion is a private space activity,” Tewari said on Twitter.     

    Many in the grand old party feel that getting into this debate ahead of upcoming Assembly elections could be suicidal and that party leaders should avoid getting into this debate. The party is already battling references made by another senior party leader Salman Khurshid equating Hindutva with ISIS and Boko Haram.  

    However, some others in the party are for ‘soft Hindutva’ to reach out to people. They say  the party cannot woo people if it is seen as only for the minority sections. “The party cannot ignore the majority (Hindus) and have to reach out to them to win elections. It does not mean following the BJP style of spreading hate and anger in the name of religion. But making such (like Khurshid) statements will dent our chances and we will be projected as against the majority,” said a leader from Uttar Pradesh.

    Plagued with infighting in a few states, this internal debate is something Congress could have done without.

  • It’s in the nature of Congress, Gandhi family to attack Hinduism whenever they get a chance: BJP

    He said that Congress leader Salman Khurshid's comparing Hinduism with Boko Haram and ISIS or Shashi Tharoor's giving the term Hindu Taliban is not a coincidence but an experiment.

  • Muslims should bow to ‘Indian culture’; Ram, Krishna, Shiva were their ancestors: Uttar Pradesh Minister

    By PTI

    BALLIA: Uttar Pradesh minister Anand Swaroop Shukla has said that lord Ram, Krishna, and Shiva were the ancestors of Indian Muslims and they should bow to the “land and culture of India”.

    In provocative remarks here, the minister of state for parliamentary affairs also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath have defeated the mindset which intended to create an Islamic State in the country by raising the flag of Hindutva and “Indian culture”.

    Presenting the account of Adityanath government’s work during the last four-and-a-half-years before the media on Thursday evening, Shukla said: “The ancestors of the Muslims of India are lord Ram, Krishna and Shankar (Shiva). They do not need to see the land of Kaaba. These people should bow to the land and culture of India.

    ” After Syria and Afghanistan, some people from different countries want to make the world an Islamic State. Some in India have this mindset too.

    But, the Modi and Adityanath governments at the Centre and state have raised the flag of Hindutva and “Indian culture” in the country and defeated this mindset, Shukla said.

    Referring to controversial posters put up in Sambhal recently, Shukla said they were the outcome of Samajwadi Party’s support to Islamic terrorists and its MP Shaifur Rehman Barq’s statement supporting the Taliban.

    Posters calling Sambhal the land of the “ghazis”, an apparent reference to Islamic warriors, had come up ahead of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s meeting there earlier this week.

    The BJP had strongly objected to the posters, after which they were removed by workers of the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM).

    Shukla said ghazis have been completely eradicated from Uttar Pradesh.

    Such powers will not be able to raise their heads in future, he said.

    Attacking Owaisi, Shukla said his ancestors wanted to make Hyderabad a separate nation but could not succeed.

    “There are still people with such mentality. These are stupid people. Their ancestors became Muslims out of fear. This kind of thinking cannot flourish under the Modi and Adityanath governments,” he said.

  • Cow should be declared national animal: Allahabad High Court

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Denying bail to a person accused of cow theft and slaughter, Allahabad High Court observed that no one could be given the right to kill a cow, how old the cattle may be. The court also said that the cow should be declared a national animal and its protection should be made a fundamental right of Hindus for the welfare of the nation.

    Claiming that cow was connected to the culture of the country, the single-judge bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said that if the culture and faith of a country were hurt, the country itself became weak.

    Refusing to grant bail to one Javed of Sambhal, accused of cow slaughter, the judge said that the plaintiff, booked under Section 379 of IPC and 3/5/8 of Cow Slaughter Prevention Act, had committed not only the cow theft but also beheading it and preserving its meat.

    Observing that fundamental right was not the prerogative of beef eaters only, Justice Yadav said those who reared the cow, worshipped it, and were financially dependent on it, too had the right to lead a meaningful life.

    Justice Yadav said that the right to life was above the right to kill and to eat beef could never be considered a fundamental right.

    ALSO READ | 2022 UP polls: Yogi govt may go on district renaming spree to woo voters

    Plucking from the pages of history, the judge claimed that the importance of the cow was understood and acknowledged both by the Hindus and Muslims. “Five Muslim rulers including Babur, Humayun, and Akbar had banned the sacrifice of cows on religious events,” observed the judge adding that Haider Ali, the nawab of Mysore, had made cow slaughter a punishable offence.

    Noting that those who had been entrusted by the government to take care of the cow in government cow sheds were not performing their duty properly, Justice Yadav said that there were examples when cows died due to hunger and disease. “They are kept in the filth. Sick and mutilated in an accident on roads and streets, cows when old, often go unattended,” lamented the judge.

    He brought home the point in his observation that the cow was useful even when it was not lactating. “When the cow is old and sick, its dung and urine are used in agriculture and medicines,” said Justice Yadav. Moreover, he added, despite the old age, the cow was worshipped as a mother by Hindus.

    Justice Yadav also referred to the judicial orders passed by many courts and the apex court as well from time to time for the protection, promotion of the cow keeping the faith of the people in mind. In the legislature, the judge said that Parliament and the state assemblies had made rules for cow protection.

  • Where have you got your knowledge on Hinduism, PM asks Cong

    Launching a stinging attack against the Congress for questioning his knowledge on Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday used the dynast-worker analogy to ask the opposition party where it got its expertise on the religion.

    Addressing an election rally in this Rajasthan town, the prime minister said in a sarcastic jibe that he was a small “kaamdar” (worker) who never claimed to have full knowledge of Hinduism but the “naamdar” (dynast) has the right to speak.

    Modi has often referred to Congress president Rahul Gandhi as “naamdar”.

    He also brought up India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and first president Rajendra Prasad.

    Nehru objected to Prasad’s visit for the consecration of Somnath temple, which was destroyed by foreign invaders and renovated by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the prime minister told the gathering ahead of elections in the state on December 7.

    The country, he said, was celebrating Prasad’s birth anniversary.

    The Congress, Modi alleged, has become a university for spreading lies. People who lie more get new posts in the party, he said.

    Rahul Gandhi, he asserted, has great capacity for speaking lies.

    “The Congress’ dreams have been crushed in all states. This will happen in Rajasthan also,” he said.

    The opposition party thinks it can come to power because of the trend in Rajasthan of alternate parties forming government but this will be proved wrong in the upcoming state elections, Modi declared.