Posted April 6th, 2010 by Sushant
Almost every Indian knows about Vedas. It is perhaps the earliest written records of Indian civilization. Considered to be the literary records of the entire Aryan race, the Hindu Vedas are divided into four major groups. The origin of the word Veda is credited to the word ‘Vid’ which means ‘Root’. So, in a way Veda refers to root knowledge pertaining to essentials of life. All the four Vedas are invaluable fortune of knowledge. The literature is not just about sacred rituals but also tells us about attaining higher levels of understanding about important facets of life like survival, life and death. The four Vedas are; Rig veda, Atharva Veda, Sama Veda and Yajur Veda.
The Rig Veda is supposed to be the oldest one and it contains sacred hymns representing the ancient Hindu thoughts and philosophies. Belonging to the period around 1500-1000 B.C., the Rig Veda is simply a powerhouse of crucial concepts like self-sacrifice, Moksha and knowledge about self etc. It is the basis of all other Vedas. Rig Veda is also the oldest book in Sanskrit and even in any other Indo-European language.
The Atharva Veda is fourth and last Veda and is quite different from other three Vedas. It has comparatively more diverse hymns. It primarily talks about socio-cultural and religious aspects of the society apart from dwelling on dark side of science and other religious aspects.
The Sama Veda contains collection of hymns and sacred texts that are meant to be sung instead of simply recited. These hymns are sung in praise of God. Derived from Rig Veda, the hymns are religious and philosophical in nature. They contain the lessons of Rig Veda. Last Veda is the Yajur Veda that has information regarding the various methods of performing sacred rituals and rites. It is basically a manual that tells about how different religious rituals are needed to be performed. It is an elaborate and descriptive step by step guide to attain the maximum benefit of the religious ceremonies. Yajur means sacrifice and Veda means knowledge. Apart from these four Vedas, there are the Upanishads also that are a crucial part of the Holy Scriptures. The teachings of ancient mystics and sages are explained in the Upanishads.
Posted March 28th, 2010 by Sushant
It was in 1906 that the preliminary design for the Indian flag was created. It was done by sister Nivedita. However it was Madam Bhikaji Cama who first unfurled the first Indian flag of freedom in Stuttgart in the year 1907 at the socialist congress meeting. This flag had the sun, the moon, seven stars and the lotus with Vande Mataram inscribed on the central white portion. However, it was on 22nd July 1947 that the new design of the National Flag of India was adopted by India’s constituent assembly. The flag of India symbolizes freedom. India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru called the flag a symbol of freedom for all people and not just for the countrymen.
The national flag of India is in tricolor having three horizontal stripes with deep saffron at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportions. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate what is known as the Dharma Chakra which is considered to be the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. This chakra is a Buddhist symbol dating back to 200th century BC. It has 24 spokes in it which stands as a metaphor of life in movement and death in stagnation. The saffron color stands for courage and sacrifice; the white stands for purity and truth and the color green stands for faith and fertility. The final design of the Indian flag was approved on 22nd July 1947 by the constituent assembly. This is the design, which is unfurled on all occasions of Indian flag hoisting, to fill the hearts of Indians with patriotism. A national protocol is supposed to be observed while displaying the national flag in India.
During the Indian flag hoisting, the Flag should always be hoisted briskly and lowered slowly. The hoisting and lowering of the flag should be simultaneously with the bugle calls, if any. During the ceremony of hoisting, all persons present should face the Flag and stand in attention. They should render the appropriate salute. Indian Flag represents the hopes and aspirations of the people of India, national pride and patriotism.
