Dharmasabha Speakers from left Shri. Amey Ranade, Shri. Nilesh Shirodkar, Smt. Bhavna Shinde, Shri. Easan Katir, Shri. Rajan Zed

The Dharma Sabha in typical Hindu tradition welcomed the attendees by applying vermillion on the forehead and commenced with blowing of the conch shell by the compere, Mrs. Mrunal Nanivadekar, followed by recitation of Vedic mantras by the Temple priests and lighting of the auspicious oil lamp by the Dharma Sabha speakers. It received generous support from the Sunnyvale Hindu community, who contributed towards the refreshments, technical support, publicity and other aspects of the Dharma Sabha. These inspiring contributions were commemorated in a beautiful, visual souvenir that illustrated the unique science underlying Hindu practices and highlighted issues such as denigration and persecution of Hindus. The souvenir was published with the Hindu ritual of ‘prakaashan’ at the hands of the main speaker of the Dharma Sabha, Shri. Easan Katir, who is performing and promoting spiritual practice according to Hinduism for the last 30 years in California.

Lighting of auspicious lamp (Deep-prajwalan) by speakers (from left Shri. Rajan Zed, Shri. Easan Katir, Shri. Nilesh Shirodkar, Shri. Amey Ranade, Smt. Bhavna Shinde)

The audience listened raptly as the speakers brought to attention various Hindu issues and presented solutions. The first speaker Shri. Rajan Zed, a Hindu and interfaith leader, spoke on maintaining a Hindu identity in America and urged the Hindus in America to be ambassadors of Hinduism by educating others about Hinduism. “To be an ambassador, one needs to have at least basic knowledge of Hinduism. To learn more about Hindu Dharma, do simple things like reading selected verses from basic Hindu Scriptures such as the Rigveda and Bhagvadgita and sharing stories from Hindu Scriptures amongst family members. To remove misconceptions about Hinduism, invite people from other religions to our festivals and temples, participate in charity and other humanitarian causes within the parameters of Hindu beliefs and gift Hindu Scriptures to the curious,” he urged.

Shri. Nilesh Shirodkar, an avid reader and proponent of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti website, spoke on ‘Know denigration and preserve Hinduism’. Shri. Shirodkar spoke about what is Hinduism (Dharma) and how the denigration of Dharma today has resulted in the deteriorating condition of society. He shared the harmful impact of denigration at the psychological level and in the subtle dimension. He said that at the subtle level the distressing vibrations the denigrating object emits affects our thinking negatively. It reduces the purity and clarity of our thoughts, and consequently, our actions. It sets the wrong precedent for initiates into Hinduism, including the youth, as they then feel that it is okay to trivialize the sacred. “If one does not have reverence for the divine, how can one attain the devotion or deep contemplation that is essential to experience the divine?” he asked. Shri. Shirodkar shared things that anyone can do towards stopping denigration, things within our reach, such as protesting some denigration we come across, peacefully, but surely.

The next speaker, Shri. Amey Ranade, a volunteer of the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF), illustrated SSRF’s research that shows the spiritual dimension factors underlying Hinduism concepts and Hindu issues. He presented SSRF’s spiritual research showing the existence of subtle distressing energies, their impact on individuals and society, the need to learn about it and how to combat them to preserve Hinduism. His presentation provoked thought about the need to consider the spiritual dimension to effectively overcome issues concerning Hinduism. The SSRF video demonstrated the power of Saints and the need for Their blessings for the success of in any venture.

The next speaker, Dr. Mihir Meghani, co-founder of Hindu American Foundation, showed an enlightening video about the need for advocacy of Hinduism, to ensure that the voice of the Hindu community is heard by public policy makers. His speech inspired the audience while citing practical examples that each Hindu or well wisher of the Hindu community can follow in daily life. One such example he gave was to ask for healthy vegetarian meals at public schools in America, if we value vegetarianism as Hindus living in America. He concluded that we must make use of this precious human birth as Hindus, living in this land of opportunity and freedom that is America, to make a difference for the future generations of Hindus.

Shri. Easan Katir, the next speaker, brought to attention the increasing atrocities on Hindu communities worldwide, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kashmir. He briefly shared his spiritual journey in Hinduism under the guidance of his Guru. He concluded that the best way to overcome persecution of the Hindu community is to become strong Hindus ourselves, by awakening to the principles of Hinduism, practicing them through regular spiritual practice to increase our spiritual capacity, and stand united with other Hindus. He reminded the audience of the sacrifices made by our glorious leaders of the past that have brought us this luxury of being able to practice the Dharma of our choice and urged everyone to work towards preserving and promoting the Hindu heritage, as our gratitude. Shri. Katir’s speech was at once thought provoking and reassuring in the solutions it provided.

The final speaker, Smt. Bhavna Shinde has been studying and practicing the principles of Spirituality and Hinduism for the past 10 years. Her speech focused the audience on the root causes of the plight of the Hindu community today, namely, the lack of Hinduism education among Hindus and not considering the subtle spiritual dimension in the efforts to preserve and promote Hindu Dharma. She illustrated the unique science underlying Hinduism concepts and practices through practical examples like applying vermilion to the forehead and using a ghee lamp, and highlighted the Forum for Hindu Awakening’s growing youth membership as an example of the effect of sharing this unique spiritual science of Hinduism. “When our youth, growing up in mostly non-Hindu communities, become aware of this unique science and glorious scientific history of Hinduism, would they not be self-motivated to practice, preserve and promote Hinduism and stand united to dispel misconceptions?” she asked.

The Dharma Sabha concluded with the unanimous passing of various resolutions (some of them will be submitted to our policy makers) to understand, live and preserve Hinduism. The Dharma Sabha’s other highlights, such as the exhibition of a spiritually vibrant statue (murti) of Lord Ganesh, an eye-opening exhibition of Dharmik books and spiritually pure products, pictures of Hindu Deities attacked in the gross by ghosts, and seekers who had become Saints within a span of a few years doing spiritual practice as per Hindu principles, kept the interest of the attendees long after the Dharma Sabha concluded. Almost all of them signed the resolutions passed at the Dharma Sabha, and left their contact information to work together for Hinduism.

Forum for Hindu Awakening (FHA) and Sunnyvale Hindu Temple are non-profit, tax exempt organisations, dedicated to promoting Hinduism education and preserving Hindu practices.

Above: Afolabi blowing conch

Above: Deep Prajwalan

Above: Ved Mantra Pathan

Above: Felicitation of Shri Dewang Gadoya

Above: Felicitation of Smt. Kalpana Sharma

Above: Felicitation of Shri Dileep Thatte

Above: Felicitation of Shri. Shroff-ji

Above: Felicitation of Dr. Richard Benkin
Shri. Dileep Thatte, an ardent student of Hindu philosophy, has presented his “Seven Stars approach towards learning Hinduism” at various universities, groups and also at the recent World Parliament of Religions. Shri. Thatte spoke on ‘Learn the basics of Hinduism to counter misconceptions’. His lively speech spoke about how to get the youth of today interested in Hinduism. In his experience young people, around the age of 16-17 start asking fundamental questions about Hinduism, which often parents cannot answer. He feels that if those questions are answered clearly, the youth today will stay interested in Hinduism and identify themselves as Hindus. He shared a simplified version of the basics of Hinduism like non-duality, soul, Law of Karma, etc., to understand Hinduism and dispel common misconceptions about it.

Above: Shri Dileep Thatte giving speech

Shri. Shrinarayan Chandak spoke about the anti-Hindu bias in the media. Shri. Chandak, a graduate of IIT Madras and IIT Chicago, and a long-time professional in the fields of Technology and Management Consulting, is a founding board member of Sewa International that is serving the needy through healthcare and education. Shri. Chandak’s presentation clearly illustrated the anti-Hindu bias in the media, its reasons and what can be done about it. The solutions he presented were based on Sree Krishna’s teachings and resonated with the audience. He shared examples of media coverage, of how he has worked with the media to present Hinduism accurately and in a positive light. He asked all organisations to work together in this cause and share media contacts.

Above: Shri Shrinarayan Chandak giving speech

Smt. Kalpana Sharma, a volunteer of the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF), spoke with conviction about the spiritual dimension underlying Hinduism concepts and Hindu issues. She presented SSRF’s spiritual research that shows that subtle negative energies breed unrighteousness (adharma) and so we have to learn about them and how to combat them if we are to be successful in preserving Hinduism. Her speech and videos provoked thought about the need to consider the spiritual dimension to effectively stop denigration and misconceptions about Hinduism, or anti-Hindu bias. The SSRF video demonstrated the power of Saints and the need for Their blessings in any mission.

Above: Smt. Kalpana Sharma giving speech

Shri Hakumat Shroff of Lake County Hindu Mandir was felicitated for his efforts towards Hinduism. He welcomed everyone on behalf of the Hindu Mandir and urged them to share with others interested in Hinduism what they have learned at this Hindusm Summit. He reminded everyone that the Hindu temple is a place for Hindu worship, but also Hinduism education.

Above: Shri Hakumat Shroff giving speech

Shri. Dewang Gadoya, an avid reader of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti website, who had come for the Hinduism Summit all the way from Canada, spoke on ‘Know denigration and preserve Hinduism’. Shri. Gadoya spoke about what is Hinduism (Dharma) and how the denigration of Dharma today has resulted in the deteriorating condition of society. He shared the true impact of denigration at the psychological and subtle level. At the subtle level the kind of distressing vibrations the denigratory object creates affect us subtly, at the level of our thinking. It reduces the purity and clarity of our thinking, and consequentially, our actions. It sets the wrong precedent for initiates into Hindu Dharma, including the youth/children, as they feel then that it is ok to trivialize the sacred. “If one does not have reverence for the divine, how can one attain the devotion that is essential to worship and experience the divine?” he asked. He shared things that any person can do towards this cause, things within the reach of the common man, like protesting some denigration we come across, peacefully, but surely.

Above: Shri Dewang Gadoya giving speech

Dr. Richard Benkin spoke about the current situation of ethnic cleansing and religious persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. Dr. Benkin is a human rights activist, author and speaker. During his fiery speech, Dr. Benkin not only made all the attendees aware of the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus clearly, but also shared practical things for everyone to do toward this cause. He shared how 9 million Jews had stopped the might of the Russian government. How all Jewish people had got together and collected donations, started protests, held rallies, etc. If 9 million Jews can do that, there are 900 million Hindus! We should be able to do much more. It is our responsibility, no one else will do it. His practical tips included contacting our elected representatives regarding this situation; supporting his organization in whatever way we can; awakening the Hindu community to the plight of Hindus everywhere; holding any protests we can, however small, in front of the Bangladeshi consulate, etc. He shared that he had recently received 3 emails from Anti-Hindus asking him not to attend this Summit so whatever we were doing there must be working. He received spontaneous applause from the audience several times during his speech.

Above: Dr. Richard Benkin giving speech

The final speaker, Smt. Bhavna had the audience spellbound as she spoke about the current challenges the Hindu community is facing. She emphasized that the main reason for the conversion and other problems faced by Hindus today is the lack of Hinduism Education. She said that such is the state of Dharma that the so-called scholars and educators of Hinduism today are either non-Hindu and often anti-Hindu, like Wendy Doniger, a professor of Hinduism at the University of Chicago. The solution is to take and impart education about Hinduism that shows its unique spiritual scientific basis. Once anyone knows that, including the youth, like Hindus apply vermillion (kumkum) for its spiritually pure properties that aid concentration, they will be inspired to understand, live and preserve Hinduism. Smt. Shinde also shared how to be a Hindu by promoting spiritual purity in oneself and in the surroundings. How the quickest way to attain the aim of Hinduism, God realisation, is through the grace of the Guru. She ended the speech with a saying that in the current age of Kaliyug there is strength in unity and urged Hindus to make concerted efforts to preserve Hinduism. She shared a success story of how just a few Hindus protesting denigrating books in the academia have been able to stop the books from being given awards or circulated further. The audience applauded section after section of her speech.

Above: Smt. Bhavna Shinde giving speech

The summit concluded with unanimous passing of the following resolutions (some of them will be submitted to our policy makers) :

1. The Bangladeshi government should be pressured to stop the persecution of Bangladeshi Hindus!
2. We shall create awareness about the plight of our Bangladeshi Hindu brethren !
3. Hinduism should be recognized as a major religion as are others like Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism !
4. We shall protest every denigration of Hinduism peacefully but surely !
5. We shall not support any art, product, academic textbook or media that denigrate Hindu concepts and practices !
6. We shall take Dharma Education ourselves and impart it to our children and others, who are interested in Hinduism !

About an hour before the Dharma Sabha, as we were rushing to complete all its sevas, one of the speakers, Shri. Dileep Thatte ji arrived and asked me if I had taken Darshan of the Deities in the temple sanctum sanctorum upstairs. I said I had not yet (since being busy with Dharma Sabha sevas in the temple auditorium downstairs.) So he suggested that we go for the Darshan first and accordingly, we went upstairs. When I came to the murti of Sree Krushna, I said to Sree Krushna, “How is it that You are Muralidhar (beholding the flute) here and downstairs (in the Dharma Sabha hall), You are Chakradhari (beholding the sudarshan chakra)?” Sree Krushna replied, “Yes, I am downstairs already, why did you come upstairs for Me (leaving Dharma Sabha sevas)?”

Before beginning the speech, as I said that I begin the speech with obeisance to Sree Gurudev and Baba, and closed my eyes to pray, the only prayer that occurred was, “Sree Krushna, You only speak through me.” Later, a fellow seeker commented that they felt that Sree Krushna Himself was speaking during the speech.

- Smt. Bhavna Shinde, Sree Guru’s ashram in Reston, USA.

With God’s grace I could attend the Hinduism Summit online, and all throughout it was full of divine consciousness (chaitanya) , I was feeling shanti and my chanting was happening automatically, slowly and steadily. Mrs Bhavna Shinde answered questions very well and during that time her face was looking tejaswi and was filled with divine consciousness (chaitanya).

- Shri. Milind Khare UK.

Above: Saatvik Rangoli which invokes Sree Krishna principle was drawn as per the Spiritual Science in Hindu Dharma

Above: Shri Atul Dighe blowing the conch

Above: Deep Prajwalan

Above: Swami Shankaranand Ji Receiving the ‘Vishwa Hindu Ratna’ award

Above: Shri Bhakta Das Receiving the ‘Vishwa Hindu Ratna’ award

Above: Shri Sean Clarke Receiving the ‘Vishwa Hindu Ratna’ award

Above: Shri Rohan Mehta Receiving the ‘Vishwa Hindu Ratna’ award
The speakers spoke to an attentively packed hall and the audience viewing the online live webcast with a lot of concern for the current state of Hindu Dharma and also the uniqueness about it. They listened raptly as Pandit Abhay Awasthi opened the presentations, highlighting the universal Sanatan Dharma. He emphasized how important it is for us and our children to have Dharma education. Shri Sean Clarke inspired the audience to consider spiritual measures in resolving issues facing the Hindu community, through SSRF’s spiritual research video footage showing the power of Saints and subtle negative forces. Mahant Swami Shankaranand expressed in very nice simple words how unique Sanatan Dharma is, how God is in each and every person and that we need to connect to everyone. Shri Bhakta das also shared the same principle of how following Sanatan Dharma and Vedic culture is the only sure solution to all our problems in this materialistic world. He also emphasized that if we take one step towards God, He takes 100 steps towards us. Shri Rohan Mehta spoke passionately about the need to stop rampant denigration of Hinduism and proposed practical methods to learn about denigration and stop it. Shri Atul Dighe concluded the presentations with emphasis on Hinduism education and spiritual measures to overcome issues facing the Hindu community and to experience firsthand the unique science underlying Hinduism concepts and practices.

On this auspicious occasion, Mahant Swami Shankaranand also inaugurated a Souvenir on understanding, living and preserving Hinduism.

Above: Inaugration of souvenir by Swami Shankaranand (left). Shri Atul Dighe on the right.

The Hinduism Summit concluded with the speakers answering questions from the members of the press and the attendees, on the direction ahead to understand, live and preserve Hinduism. Majority of the attendees expressed their desire to acquire education on Dharma and to start a Hindu school in the area.

This historic event was inaugurated as per Hindu tradition by the blowing of the panchajanya conch, recitation of auspicious verses, recitation of Vedic mantras by Shri. Anant Rawal and the lighting of an oil lamp. When the compeer recited the shloka “Vakratunda Mahākaya….” to invoke the blessings of Sree Ganesh, all the attendees joined in the recitation enthusiastically.

Baal Seeker blowing conch

Vedamantra Pathan

Samai after Deep prajawalan

 
Many Hindus have been performing some of these actions since childhood but they lack true understanding of the spiritual background of these actions, they are usually done as tradition only. Today, the attendees discovered that there is so much more a these actions. Now they can start practicing them with much more knowledge and spiritual emotion. For example, it was explained that the conch is a Divine weapon that invokes the destroyer aspect of God (marak tattva) and destroys negative energies from the surroundings, filling it with Divine Consciousness. While the conch is being blown we should make a prayer to Sree Krushna to blow His Panchajanya conch Himself to remove all the obstacles.
Following the inauguration, the Vishwa Hindu Ratna (Hindu Gem of the World) award was presented to the speakers, Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra of Geeta Mandir for serving humanity through disseminating the message of Bhagvad Gita by putting it in practice; Shri. Kalyan Vishwanathan of Sanatan Dharma Foundation for promoting Hindu identity and unity at international conferences and seminars on Sanatan Dharma; and Dr. Richard Benkin of Forcefield for selflessly fighting for the human rights of Bangladesh’s Hindu community. The Vishwa Hindu Ratna Award was presented by Shri. Prasad Yalamanchi, who is the vice president of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation or GHHF. Smt Shilpa Kudtarkar of Spiritual Science Research Foundation or SSRF was felicitated with the Vishwa Hindu Ratna Award in the Hinduism Summit held at New Jersey in Kartik 5111 i.e. October 2009. She was presented with the award for creating awareness about the unique spiritual science behind Hindu concepts and practices.

Dr. Sanjay Mehrotra of Geeta Mandir being felicitated with Vishwa Hindu Ratna

Sree Kalyan Vishwananthan of Sanatan Dharma Foundation being felicitated with Vishwa Hindu Ratna

Dr. Richard Benkin og Forcefield being felicitated with Vishwa Hindu Ratna

Swami Varadananda of Vivekananda Vedanta Society blessed the Summit with His presence. The Swami was honoured duly at the hands of Shri. Prasad Yelamanchi of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, among other honoraries, namely the Hindu temple president L Bhima Reddy, Shrinarayan Chandak of Global Media Forum, Madhu Patel and A. V. L. Narsimharao.

Left to right – Swami Varadanandji, Shri. Prasad Yelamanchi of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation

 
The compere of the Hinduism Summit, Smt. Rishita Gadoya then introduced the organizers of the Hinduism Summit, namely the Forum for Hindu Awakening (FHA) and Hindu JanaJagruti Samiti (HJS). FHA is a charitable, tax exempt organisation, devoted to dispelling misconceptions about the concepts and practices held sacred in Hinduism. It aims to unite all persons and organisations interested in the practice of Hinduism in order to resolve issues concerning Hindus, within Hinduism’s tradition of peace and tolerance. HJS is a charitable organisation, dedicated to awakening and uniting Hindus, and creating awareness about issues of concern to Hindus and Hinduism. It was shared that about 10,000 people visit FHA and 150,000 visit HJS every month.

Mr. Sanjay Mehrotra giving speech
Shri Kalyan Vishwanathan of the Sanatana Dharma Foundation came to speak to the attendees of this Hinduism Summit all the way from Dallas. He volunteered to do that because of the importance he gives to Hinduism conferences and need for Hindus to establish a significant media presence and develop leaders well-versed in Dharma. Shri Vishwanathan is a Global Practice Director with Tata Consultancy Services and the President of Sanatan Dharma Foundation or SDF, Dallas, Texas. Shri. Viswanathan has published a few articles and papers, most notably his paper exploring “the limits of Ahimsa as a tool for political change” presented at the WAVES conference in Orlando in 2008.
In his speech he said that unified action of Hindus is a bit difficult because of the fragmented identity of Hindus today like through different linguistic groups, jatis, sampradays, Gurus, Acharyas, etc. He suggested five shared spaces: Academia, Media, Leadership, Networking, and Youth. That spirituality must be brought into the academic domain and chairs of Hindu studies must be founded in many universities. The youth born today should be grounded in Dharma.

Sree Kalyan Vishwanathan giving speech
The next speaker was Smt. Shilpa Kudtarkar from the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF). Smt. Kudtarkar is an electrical engineer and has worked in the IT field for several years. For the past 7 years she has dedicated herself to spreading the spiritual research of SSRF for the benefit of humanity.
She spoke about importance of blessings of saints for any activity and the importance of education about the spiritual dimension. The spiritual dimension is subtle in origin and it can be perceived through sixth sense. SSRF has done extensive research and tried to capture spiritual dimension using gross scientific techniques. Videos were shown on a technique called DDFAO (Computer-Aided Screening and Functional Diagnosis) and PIP (Polycontrast Interference Photography). The importance of learning about the subtle dimension and about the distressing energies that breed unrighteousness was shared.

Mrs. Shilpa Kudtarkar giving speech
This was followed by refreshments with videos on spiritual research done on PIP technique and Pendulum experiment. The video reflected the importance of Saints and benefits of being around Saints. The compeer explained the importance of these experiments to the audience before they watched them. She shared that the subtle distressing energies (asurs) are the biggest impediment in the re-instatement of Dharma, as seen from all our revered epics. If this root cause is not dealt with, no amount of political leverage, Hindu groups or gatherings can help. So the videos were shown to provoke thought about augmenting our efforts for Hinduism with spiritual measures against subtle distressing energies.

Shri Dewang Gadoya of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, the fourth speaker, who had come for the Hinduism Summit all the way from Toronto Canada, spoke about knowing denigration and preserving Hinduism. He conducts public lectures and satsangs to educate society about the various denigrations faced by Hindu Dharma today and how to effectively stop such denigrations. He organizes public events, such as peaceful protest demonstrations and public exhibitions on the need to preserve Hindu Dharma.
He spoke about what Dharma is and how the denigration of Dharma today has resulted in the deteriorating conditions of society. Hinduism shows us how to increase the sattva component within us, which will eventually lead us to God. He shared the HJS website and its different sections with the attendees because it provides a platform for each of us to do something about Dharma, as per our capacity. Towards the end of his speech, he shared a quote by Swami Vivekananda which said, “Change occurs not by big miracles, but by acts within reach of the common man” and ended his speech with a rousing Har Har Mahadev!!! The attendees responded in a like manner, with a resounding Har Har Mahadev!

Sree Dewang Gadoya giving speech
The next speaker, Dr. Richard Benkin spoke about the current situation of ethnic cleansing and religious persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. Dr. Benkin is a human rights activist, author and speaker. Over the past five years, he has among other things freed a journalist from imprisonment and torture in Bangladesh, forced Bangladesh’s notorious RAB (Rapid Action Battalion) to release an abductee unharmed, halted an anti-Israel conference in Australia, and raised the issue of Bangladesh’s ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Washington and other capitals.
During his fiery and engaging speech, he not only made all the attendees aware of the plight of Bangladeshi Hindus clearly but also shared practical things for everyone to do toward this cause. He shared that his job is trying to bring out news that CNN, BBC, etc. don’t tell you. He shared how 9 million Jews had stopped the might of the Russian government. How all Jewish people had got together and collected donations, started protests, held rallies, etc. If 9 million Jews can do that, there are 900 million Hindus! We should be able to do much more. It is our responsibility, no one else will do it. His suggestion was that we as Hindus have to changes ourselves. Many attendees were moved by his speech and came forward to donate and support his mission.

Dr. Richard Benkin giving speech
The final speaker, Smt. Bhavna Shinde has been studying and practicing the principles of spirituality (adhyatma) and Hinduism for the past 10 years while working in the IT industry as a software developer. The spiritual principles that Smt. Bhavna has learnt under the guidance of her Guru over the years have helped her in all dimensions of her life. Smt. Shinde now devotes all her free time in helping others understand and practice the principles of spirituality and Hinduism.
In her speech she shared about the current challenges the Hindu community is facing and the importance of considering the main root causes for an effective solution. We cannot be truly motivated to do something to understand, follow and preserve Dharma without knowing about it and thus she emphasised the importance of Education about Dharma. We have to understand the uniqueness of our Dharma else we cannot be proud of it. She shared how FHA is doing it by educating us on simple acts we are used to doing. She gave the example of applying kumkum on the forehead and the spiritual science behind its benefits. The attendees realised that knowing the benefits can motivate everyone to apply kumkum. She also shared about how to be a Hindu by promoting sattvikta and destroying negativity. How the quickest way to attain the aim of Hinduism, God realisation, is through the grace of the Guru. Simple steps towards attaining Guru’s grace which is the path that leads to rapid spiritual progress – Chanting, satsang, satseva, sacrifice and love were also shared. A lot of love for humanity was felt during her speech and the atmosphere was very peaceful.

Mrs. Bhavna Shinde giving speech
The speeches were followed by a video on ‘How to take Darshan in a Temple,’ followed by the arati || Jyot se jyot Jagao || written by Swami Muktanand. Many attendees sung the arati with a lot of devotion.
The summit ended with the announcement of five resolutions passed today at the suggestion of a devout Hindu. The resolutions passed were:
1. The Bangladeshi government should be urged to stop the persecution of Bangladeshi Hindus!
2. We shall create awareness about the plight of our Bangladeshi Hindu brethren!
3. Hinduism should be recognized as a major religion as are others like Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism!
4. Every denigration of Hinduism should be protested peacefully but surely!
5. We shall not support any art, products or any media that denigrate our revered concepts and practices!
6. We shall take Dharma education ourselves and impart it to our children and others, who are interested, through Dharma education satsangs and other means!

All audience members were asked to chant || Har Har Mahadev || after each resolution to indicate their agreement with the resolution. The chant of || Har Har Mahadev || reverberated through the hall, loudly and enthusiastically after each resolution. All audience members were spontaneously chanting the chant. The energy of the chant was felt by many seekers.
All audience members visited the exhibition of books and posters and bought many of the books which were on sale.
After the conclusion of the Summit there was a question and answer session which was supposed to be for 30 minutes. There was such a enthusiastic participation from the attendees and the speakers that this session lasted more than an hour. Many interesting points were shared and ideas about uniting different Hindu groups were shared. All present there wanted more done for Bangladeshi Hindus and Hindus that are persecuted in all other regions like Kashmir, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the areas of India that have an Islamic majority.
Some feedback from attendees:
1.    Many of the attendees and even non-attendees that work at the venue appreciated the commitment and dedication to the cause of Hindu Dharma. They said that they will support and work with FHA.
2.    Others shared that Hinduism Summits should be done on frequent basis and that the programme was very good. Speakers were very good and articulate. The videos were very informative. Keep up the good work!
3.    Many shared great program and well organized. Perhaps next one can focus on the needs of the youth.
Some other highlights:
1.    A great saint from India, the founder of Sanatan Sanstha His Holiness Dr. Athavale conveyed His blessings to all for this Dharma Sabha. This Dharma Sabha has received blessings also from:

•    Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamkoti Peeth
•    His Holiness Pande Maharaj of Sanatan Sanstha
•    His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of The Art of Living Foundation
•    Swami Sarvadevananda from Vedanta Society of Southern California.
2.    Throughout the Hinduism Summit, the attendees were given short, one-sentence action points by the compeer, e.g. to say Namaste instead of Hi, to grow sattvik plants like Tulsi (holy basil), etc.
3.    The online attendees had positive feedback for the Summit. They appreciated the videos and found them informative. There were many comments on the speeches and many other interesting points were shared.

A seeker who does not understand English watching the entire Hinduism Summit
Our mother is visiting us in Toronto. She does spiritual practice on another path but was very enthusiastic about the Hinduism Summit because we were participating. She sat with me to watch the Summit but soon realised that due to the distortion in sound and because she does not understand English very well, she could not understand much of what was going on. But in spite of that she sat and watched the entire summit. Later she told me that she sat because she felt sattvikta or positive vibrations coming from the screen. She felt as if she was doing her own meditation throughout the Summit.  So she experienced the Summit in the subtle! That was simply amazing and I learned from her experience. Gratitude Sree Krushna.
Kum.. Rajal Joshi, Toronto, Canada

Visualizing the Form of Lord Sree Ram Vanara Sena
In the morning of Kamala Ekadashi, 5112 while the group of seekers was leaving for the venue of the Hinduism Summit suddenly a picture run in my mind that Lord Shree Ram’s Vanara sena is going to march. I felt so blissful.
Smt. Sonali Potrekar, California, USA

• Understanding of the unique spiritual science and scientific history underlying Hinduism
• Awakening to the misconceptions about Hinduism
• Living simple practices and concepts of Hinduism in day-to-day life
• Preserving the sanctity of Hinduism from denigration and malpractices

Inauguration of Hindu Dharmasabha by lighting Samai

With the blessings of H.H. Bhaktaraj Maharaj and H.H. Dr. Athavale, the Forum For Hindu Awakening held the first Hinduism Meet in North America, on Ashadh Krushna Ekadashi Kaliyug 5111 (18th July 2009) at the Durga Mandir in Washington DC. It was enthusiastically attended by around 100 Hindus and Americans attending from various states of North America and Canada.

Devout Hindus present for Hindu Dharmasabha

This historic event was inaugurated as per Hindu tradition by the blowing of the conch, recitation of auspicious verses, recitation of vedic mantras and lighting of an oil lamp. The spiritual science behind all these actions was explained to the Dharma Sabha attendees.

Recitation of Vedmantras at the beginning of Hindu Dharmasabha

Conch blowing by Dr. M.G. Prasad at beginning of Dharmasabha

Many Hindus have been performing these actions for years thinking them to be just tradition. Today, as they discovered that there is so much more to these actions, they will start practicing them with much more knowledge and spiritual emotion.

For example, it was explained that we recite the vedic mantras to bring divine consciousness to the atmosphere and to protect us from negative energies. During their recitation many attendees felt the energy of the mantras. Upaay was happening on attendees during the recitation.

Then the compeers, Smt. Mrunal Nanivadekar and Smt. Rishita Gadoya of the Forum For Hindu Awakening or FHA, invited Shri Siva Subramaniam from Shiva-Vishnu temple to honour the speakers by the presentation of an award – Vishwa Hindu Ratna (Hindu Gem of the World) This award was presented to Shri Rajan Zed, Dr. M.G. Prasad, Dr. Kusum Vyas, Shri Dewang Gadoya and Smt. Maya Jairam for their selfless and dedicated efforts for the cause of Hindu Dharma. They were also presented with a shawl and a spiritual CD for coming to this Meet and sharing their zeal with us.

The Dharma Sabha was attended by 75 guests. It was also honoured by the presence and blessings of:

1. Shri Siva Subramaniam of Shiva Vishnu Mandir
2. Mr. Harold Boulette of the International Community of Christ
3. Shri Hitendra Patel of the BAPS Swaminarayan mandir
4. Shri Krishan Gulati of Bapu Asaram Ashram
5. Shri Sant Guptaji of Durga Mandir

Smt. Rishita Gadoya introduced the Forum for Hindu Awakening and shared its aims. FHA is a charitable organisation devoted to awaken society to the unique spiritual science behind Hindu Dharma concepts and practices. She showed to attendees on how to use the website. She explained about the various sections of the website such as the quiz section, the denigration section, sections on preserving and living Hinduism. The attendees were then shown a video on how to take darshan of a deity in a temple a production of Sanatan Sanstha.