Hindus hail Vatican for its Deepavali wishes to Hindu friends
Hindus worldwide have applauded Vatican for its 'message for the feast of Deepavali' wishing 'joy-filled Deepavali' to 'Hindu Friends', published at 'Vatican: the Holy See' website on October 28.
HINDUS HAVE applauded Vatican for its 'message for the feast of Deepavali' wishing 'joy-filled Deepavali' to 'Hindu Friends', published at 'Vatican: the Holy See' website on October 28. Eminent Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada, Unnited States of America, welcomed the Vatican’s offer in this message of 'culture that promotes respect, trust and cooperation', 'promoting interreligious dialogue and relations', 'increase in cooperation and common action', 'readiness and willingness to enter into productive cooperation', 'strengthen our friendship and cooperation by mutually ensuring and enhancing respect and trust', and 'depend on each other to achieve a common purpose'.
Rajan Zed also lauded His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for reportedly including verse from ancient Hindu scripture Upanishads in the Good Friday meditations and prayers led by him at Roman Colosseum last year. Zed, commenting that it was a remarkable gesture from Pope, invited him to study more ancient Hindu scriptures, which were very rich in philosophical thought.
Last year’s 'Way of the Cross at the Colesseum' meditations and prayers on Good Friday led by Pope and put together by Vatican Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, reportedly included well-known verse from Brahadaranyakopanishad ('Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality'), line from Tagore’s Gitanjali ('Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service'.), and reference to Mahatma Gandhi.
Zed urged Pope to visit a Hindu temple in the near future to promote mutual understanding and respect between the faiths. All religions should work together for a just and peaceful world, Zed added.
Rajan Zed says that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc, passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact.
Deepavali message, titled- 'Christians and Hindus: Towards enhancing of mutual respect, trust and cooperation', was signed by President Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, and Secretary Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Zed suggested that it would be even better if such messages were signed by Pope himself.
Pope Benedict leads the Roman Catholic Church (headquartered in Vatican), which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Largest of Hindu festivals Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolises the victory of good over evil.
Rajan Zed says that in our shared pursuit for the truth, we can learn from one another and thus can arrive nearer to the truth. This dialogue may help us vanquish the stereotypes, prejudices, caricatures, etc, passed on to us from previous generations. As dialogue brings us reciprocal enrichment, we shall be spiritually richer than before the contact.
Deepavali message, titled- 'Christians and Hindus: Towards enhancing of mutual respect, trust and cooperation', was signed by President Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran, and Secretary Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Zed suggested that it would be even better if such messages were signed by Pope himself.
Pope Benedict leads the Roman Catholic Church (headquartered in Vatican), which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Largest of Hindu festivals Deepavali (Diwali), the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolises the victory of good over evil.
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Deepawali, or Diwali as it is called in short, is a five day festival. It begins on Aswina Krishna Trayodasi (13th lunar day of the dark fortnight of the luni-solar month of Aswina) and ends on Kartika Shukla Dwitiya (2nd lunar day of the bright fortnight of the luni-solar month of Kartika). The 2nd and 3rd lunar days of the festival are the most important. In the Southern and parts of the Western states, Naraka Chaturdasi is given importance. Narakasura was a demon born to Lord Vishnu and his divine consort Bhu Devi (or Earth Goddess), in Vishnu's incarnation as 'Varaha'. The boy started off well, but became a demon on account of arrogance of power. He had obtained a boon that he can be slayed only by his parents. As atrocities committed by him increased tremendously, Vishnu and Bhu Devi in their incarnations as Lord Krishna and Devi Satyabhama, killed Narakasura. Narakasura's death is celebrated by people. Nobody in their right minds will worship Narakasura. However, there exists a close parallel between Narakasura's slaying by Lord Krishna and the New Testament of the Holy Bible. When Krishna (with support from Satyabhama) killed Narakasura, many saints celebrated the event by stating that God (Vishnu is considered an aspect of Supreme God-head by Hindus) so loved humanity, that for their welfare, he sacrificed his own son. The New Testament of the Holy Bible also refers to crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ (referred to as 'Son of God' in the Holy Bible and only child of his mother Virgin Mary) in a similar way. To quote "God so loved the people of the world that for their welfare he sacrificed his son. Whoever remembers this sacrifice shall have ever lasting life." This Jesus is different from his namesake referred to as 'Son of Man' in the Holy Bible. The Son of God's parents are also worshipped by Christians cutting across denomination barriers, though worship of this Jesus is not allowed by Bible or Church. Similar to the worship of Lord Vishnu and Bhu Devi.
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