| Advaita Vedanta | Advaita Vedanta (pronounced as "?dvait? vé:dα:nt?") is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of philosophy of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita (total six). "Advaita" literally means "not two", and is often called a monistic or non-dualistic system which essentially refers to the indivisibility of the Self (Atman) from the Whole (Brahman). The key texts from which all Vedanta (lit., end or the goal of the Vedas) texts draw are the Upanishads (twelve or thirteen in particular), which are usually at the end of the Vedas, and the Brahma Sutras (also known as Vedanta Sutras), which in turn discuss the essence of the Upanishads. More information on this topic may be found on Wikipedia. |
| Badaganadu | Literally, it means the northern land, probably originating from vadaga (north) and tenkana(south) etc. of Tamil. Referred to the community, it might mean people from the northern parts of Tamilnadu - the Archakas - who were brought to perform pujas in Sanskrit language.
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| Brahmins | A Brahmin (pronunciation is Brahmann) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. The word is related to, but not to be confused with, the Hindu religious conception of the transcendent and immanent supreme soul, "Brahman". The word Brahmin is said to literally mean One who has realised or attempts to realise Brahman. The traditional duties of this caste include studying Hindu religious scriptures of Vedas and preserving them in memory and transmitting them orally to the next generation. Additionally, they were also the philosophers, contributing to Hindu Philosophy and religion. The priests of Hindu temples are also from this caste. In India, in ancient times they also served as spiritual advisors ofKshatriya Kings. In Hinduism, Brahmins are regarded to be the highest order caste. More information on Brahminism can be found on Wikipedia. |
| Hitachintakaru |
Well-wishers. Literally: people who think good about others.
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| Sathyanarayana Pooja |
Satyanarayana Pooja is an event celebrated by Hindus on every full moon. It is a major event all over India, and for the diaspora serves as a time when Indians can get together. Read more here.
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