The world has changed significantly within the last few years. Many of these changes are very concerning, especially the casual talk by some politicians about the possibility of a nuclear war, and the dangers of artificial intelligence, which will not only render many jobless and possibly directly influence our thoughts, but may even go out of human control. Further, the big economic downturn in many countries and the increasing censorship of speech. It seems as if the world is moving towards a China-type controlled one-world society.

In this scenario, social media is both a boon and a bane. It is a bane, when it keeps our attention, addictively, on scrolling for ever more information or entertainment, without giving us a break to be present in the here and now—the most important place and time of our life. And our phones may even lure us into debasing our life with violent computer games or pornography.
Yet, on the other hand, social media has also contributed greatly to waking people up to what is happening. ‘Deep State’ has become a household word. Mainstream media has lost the trust of many. Even science, academia, and medicine have come under scrutiny and do not look so good and innocent any longer. Too many claims, ridiculed by the media as ‘conspiracy theories’, have unfortunately been confirmed as true.

There is another, very positive aspect which gets traction, and that too, is thanks to social media platforms—more and more people are searching for the Truth—not merely questioning facts that are presented by the media, but searching for the big, transcendental Truth about God and themselves.
Many Westerners are going back to Christianity and declaring their faith in Jesus. Even a decade ago, it would have been inconceivable that Tucker Carlson, a big American influencer, would ask Russell Brand, a big British influencer, on stage to lead an audience of ten thousand in prayers.

I consider it a good development for Westerners. The erosion of belief in a Supreme Power was obviously planned—starting in Russia and China with communism and taking root in the West with the Hippie movement of the 1960s.
Now, there is a pushback against the agenda which wants us to identify only with the body, and focus only on sensual enjoyment, never mind how low that enjoyment may be. The Zeitgeist is changing, even though the elite still try to convince us that ‘It is ridiculous to believe in a God or a soul’ (a recent quote by the celebrated historian and author, Yuval Noah Harari who is a regular at the World Economic Forum).

Yet, I wish that people all over the world would know about Bharat’s Eternal Wisdom, called Sanatana Dharma. Or rather, I wish they would know what this Eternal Wisdom is really about and not be influenced by false, mischievous claims by those who don’t want this Wisdom to be known.
The reason: Sanatana Dharma is closer to the Truth than Abrahamic religions.

Devotion to God or Jesus or Allah is definitely helpful in life. But doubts may arise from time to time, because those religions are all about ‘belief in a story’ that happened several hundred years ago. It is all about ‘thinking’ and not about ‘who or what enables thinking’.

Since ancient times, India was the ‘Land of Wisdom’. Vedic wisdom is not based on belief in a story. It gives knowledge about the Absolute Truth and asks us to verify it by experiencing it within ourselves—true Self-Realisation.

The most important knowledge is: We are not small persons in a big world, but are one with Brahman. And Brahman, though indescribable, is best described as limitless, blissful Consciousness, out of which, this world and everything in it, ‘appears’. It means, the world and our small, individual selves are not solid. They are more like Virtual Reality, or in Indian terminology, Maya. What is ‘solid’ and really true is only our essence or self—Pure Consciousness.

When I heard this for the first time back in April 1980, at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar—it immediately made sense to me. For the first time, I got convincing answers to questions that had troubled me since my teens.
Questions like:
– What is most important in life?
– Is there a God?
– Is death the end of me?

These questions were now replaced with the most important question:
– Who am I really?
Yet, this question cannot be answered with words. It needs to be ‘known’ within. The goal of our life is to realise the truth of who we are.

I wanted to dedicate my life to search for the Truth and stay on in India, because the country was just more conducive for spiritual search. Yet to do this, I needed a longer visa and earn some money.
So, in 1981, I wrote my first article—about insights I had gained while being in the presence of Sri Anandamayi Ma and other great spiritual personalities like Devaraha Baba, and from reading numerous books and sitting still for many hours in meditation. I felt that this precious wisdom, which is still alive in India, is lacking in the West.

I was fortunate. This first article was published in the German magazine Psychologie Heute; two other magazines reprinted it. The editor asked me to continue writing, as he had rarely seen such clarity regarding Indian Wisdom. He even gave me an advance for my next article—a report on a conference in Mumbai on ‘The Convergence between Indian Wisdom and Modern Science’. Obviously, back then in 1981, India’s Wisdom was appreciated.

During the first 20 years, I stayed in the ‘spiritual Bharat’ of ashrams, pilgrimage places, sadhus, and mainly met Indians who were connected to their roots. I thought that all Indians were like this. After all, their tradition and scriptural heritage is a treasure trove.

Only when I moved into a ‘normal’ environment in 2001, did I realise that Hindu Dharma is not only ignored in education, but also viewed negatively by the media and academia.

I realised only then that on the one hand, many Indians had converted to Islam and Christianity during the long foreign rule, and naturally, their new religion indoctrinated them into believing how bad their previous faith was.
And, on the other hand, even many Hindus have no idea about their spiritual treasure. Especially the convent-educated Hindus who often dismiss their tradition as ‘primitive’, without knowing even a basic text like the Bhagavad Gita.
They are like those proverbial people who are sitting on a box of gold but do not know it, and instead go for artificial jewellery elsewhere.

This ‘box of gold’ has many aspects.
The most important one is:
India has preserved the most profound philosophical and spiritual insights of the ancient rishis (sages), and their methods on how to fulfil one’s life’s purpose and how to be truly free and fearless.
Yet it seems, free and fearless people are unwanted in our times. Otherwise, it is hard to explain why the media and academia hardly ever mention anything positive about India. It almost seems as if they do not want to draw any attention to India, maybe because they fear that people might discover that great treasure.

This book is a collection of forty-three of my over 200 articles. Some are unchanged, like my letter to Pope Francis, who has meanwhile passed away, or my reply to Zakir Naik, a radical Islamic preacher. Many are updated or have otherwise been improved.

The main topics are:
– The truth about who we are, what is our purpose in life, and where can we discover true love and happiness.
– Some aspects of the living Hindu culture.
– How Hinduism relates to Buddhism and to the Abrahamic religions.
– What is special in Hinduism—like Rebirth or the regard for animals.
– Why is Hinduism attacked so much?
– The great influence that India had on German philosophers.

In recent times, attacks on Hinduism have become very vicious. Hindu Gods are called demons not only by Christian missionaries but also by Western academics and certain Indian politicians who want the faith of the Hindus to be ‘eradicated’.

There are mischievous attempts to associate Hinduism with dark satanic cults, whose existence in secret societies of the topmost global elite can no longer be ignored. Those cults are the complete opposite of the benevolent Sanatan (= Eternal) Hindu tradition.

Hinduism’s focus is on a dharmic (righteous) life and, to overcome one’s ignorance regarding this illusionary world and to realise one’s true Self.
In contrast, the focus of those satanic cults is on achieving pleasures, riches, and power in this ephemeral world, even if it requires selling one’s soul to the devil.

Are the attacks on Hinduism an expression of the spiritual fight of the forces of darkness against the forces of light? Of the egoistic Asuras against the benevolent Devas?

Bharat is probably the only country in the world, where the Devas are worshipped every day in thousands of temples across this ancient, vast land.
And, Bharat is probably the only country in the world, where the knowledge about our essential divinity is still alive; and, where not only countless sadhus, but also many ordinary Hindus dedicate some time daily to connect with divinity.

The vicious attempts of reviling the Hindu tradition need to be countered. At the same time, the precious wisdom of the ancient Vedas, which uplifts and gives meaning to life, needs to be spread.
People will then realise that Hinduism is not what mainstream media, Western academia, or the clergy of Abrahamic religions want us to believe. Rather, it is our best guide to true fulfillment and love.
I hope this book contributes in spreading this profound knowledge and inspires readers to search for true love and happiness within.

by Maria Wirth

the books are available on Amazon, PadhegaIndia, Hindueshop
in Hindi https://www.amazon.in/dp/9391154832
in English https://www.amazon.in/dp/8119670655
abroad the English version is available, also on Kindle.
My earlier Book “Thank you India”, too is on Amazon.

The post Why Hindu Dharma is under attack? first appeared on Maria Wirth.

If you have hundreds of millions of Indians who despise Hindus because according to their belief, Hindus commit a great sin against the ‘true one God”, whether called God or Allah, a harmonious society is tough to achieve and enemies of Bharat have a field day to instigate trouble and chaos.
IF Hindu clergy had explained the basics of the Vedas right after Independence in a big way, many of those who had converted to Islam and Christianity would have come back. Anyone who has common sense will come to the conclusion that Hindu Dharma is superior to all 3 Abrahamic religions.

It almost seems, as if the highest wisdom (Advaita Vedanta) is hidden even from Hindus. Great saints, like Ananadamayi Ma stressed it, but others mainly explain Dharma in Katha sessions. No doubt, this is also very important, but the foundation why a dharmic life is important, needs to be known.
Meanwhile Westerners make videos on this highest wisdom which in its purest form has been preserved in India. but they don’t mention or hardly mention India.

Today I saw the start of a video called “the Monad – the true God hidden from us”. It talks about the ‘highest God who is hidden from us’ and starts with a quote “There is One, eternal perfect… the source of all that appears.” It is attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Google says, he is a “legendary personification of ancient knowledge rather than a historical individual.”
There is no mention that this quote is pure Advaita, still known in India, though less and less known by the youth due to the education system which focuses only on material success.

It would be good, if Hindus would propagate the profound insights of the Rishis about what is really true, about the absolute Oneness (Brahman) and the apparent world of plurality (Maya). Without this knowledge, Hindus don’t know what makes Hindu Dharma stand above the Abrahamic religions.
by Maria Wirth

if you haven’t seen my new book, “Why Hindu dharma is under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left”, check it out. it is good and helpful for all, not only Hindus.
it’s on amazon.in and com (abroad more expensive) and on PadhegaIndia. in
right now a big discount is on offer due to Dassehra (Amazon for Rs 279 and PadhegaIndia for Rs 248)

Why Hindu Dharma is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left: A Collection of Essays

The post It would be good if Hindus propagated their faith first appeared on Maria Wirth.

This review was written by Saumya of Vitasta Publishing for the ‘books and beyond blogspot’.

I recently had the opportunity to read an upcoming book by Maria Wirth — a German author and seeker who has long written about the depth and beauty of Indian spiritual traditions. Her upcoming work is a bold, honest, and at times uncomfortable interrogation of the widespread hostility and misconceptions directed toward Hinduism — not just from the outside world, but also from within India itself.

Wirth’s central question is simple, yet profound: Why is Hinduism so hated, mocked, or dismissed — especially by those who often don’t understand it at all?

Wirth argues that Hindu Dharma has been misunderstood, misrepresented, and even demonised by three main forces: Christian missionaries, Islamic supremacists, and the global Left. The reasons range from ideological hostility and colonial hangovers to sheer ignorance. In the eyes of many critics, Hindu practices like idol worship, cow reverence, and vegetarianism are seen as primitive or irrational — even though they are rooted in a deep sense of sacredness and interdependence.
One of the most striking observations in the book is the contrast between Hindu Dharma’s inclusive nature and the exclusivist dogma of many Abrahamic faiths. Christianity and Islam often come with the threat of eternal hell for non-believers. In contrast, Hinduism holds that all paths can lead to the truth, and that spiritual experience matters more than blind belief. There’s no central authority, no forced conversions, no threats — just a lifelong journey toward self-realisation.

So why the hostility?
Wirth suggests that this very openness is seen as a threat — by those who believe only their way is right. Hindu Dharma doesn’t try to dominate, but it also doesn’t surrender. It survived invasions, colonialism, and now a culture war in its own homeland, where many English-educated Indians look down on their own traditions. Ironically, some of the harshest criticism comes from within — from those who’ve inherited the colonial mindset that anything Western is “modern,” and anything rooted in Indian tradition is “backward.”

One of Wirth’s key observations is about the asymmetry of religious tolerance. Hindus are often taught — and sincerely believe — that all religions are the same, that all paths lead to the same divine. But this generosity is rarely reciprocated. Most Abrahamic traditions explicitly reject the validity of other faiths and warn of eternal damnation for non-believers. So while Hindus grow up saying “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family), they don’t realise that many others do not see them as part of that family at all.

What Maria Wirth’s book does beautifully is not just defend Hinduism — it explains it, with clarity and conviction, especially for those conditioned to see it as regressive. She urges readers to move beyond colonial hangovers and to see Sanatana Dharma as a living, breathing tradition — one that celebrates the divine in all things, embraces complexity without fear, and recognises the truth that lies within.

In a world fractured by absolutism and religious superiority, the Hindu way of seeing — through multiplicity, compassion, and inner awakening — may be exactly what the world needs most.
(end of review)

I feel that the book is good and helpful. In fact, my ‘certified secular’ editor (her own words) told me that she enjoyed reading my book and it changed her outlook…

The book is just out in Bharat.
it is available under the following links:

https://www.flipkart.com/hindu-dharma-under-attack-muslims-christians-left-collection-essays/p/itme00daf4da3fc5?pid=9788119670659

Why Hindu Dharma is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left: A Collection of Essays

https://www.vitastapublishing.com/store/new-arrivals/why-hindu-dharma-is-under-attack-by-muslims,-christians-and-the-left-a-collection-of-essays-detail

it is meanwhile also available for pre-order in USA and UK
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/8119670655

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/8119670655

The post My new book is out – a review first appeared on Maria Wirth.

In Mumbai I had an experience, I will never forget.
I stayed in a small hotel in Colaba and walked around the area. Near the railway station, there was an underground passage for pedestrians, which I took. There, in a corner, a young man was sitting on the floor, his knees pulled up, one arm loosely stretched out over one knee, with his palm open. He was only skin and bones. I never had seen anyone who looked so starved. And then his eyes met mine. It touched me deeply in my core. Even now, tears come to my eyes when I think of it. I wanted to give him something but, not finding my purse easily, I allowed myself to be pushed on in the crowd. But what could I have given him? He seemed reconciled to his fate, calm, he just looked…

Then, in Goa, another incident, which I never forgot.
I was friendly with a Swedish woman. Once she asked me to come with her to the village chemist shop. The shop was full of very thin Indians. The chemist called over their heads out to us, what we wanted. Then only I realised what she had come for. She wanted pills which curb her appetite, so that she won’t eat so much and lose weight. I felt terribly embarrassed. Luckily, the chemist did not understand what she wanted, even though she did her best to explain it. I tried to discourage her from further explaining. Anyway, he would not have such pills.

Fast forward to 2025. What incredible change! Now ads are everywhere how to lose weight, and someone asking for pills which curb the appetite is not an embarrassment any longer but rather common.
Yet is it really an improvement? The junk food and obesity explosion are concerning. Now, all village shops are heavily stocked with shiny packets of chips. Small children of the poor and the rich pester their parents for chips and get them. Sugary drinks are common. Not only physical, but also mental health suffer due to this.

In Germany, when the big food corporation pushed in Maggi and other junk food in the 1960s/70s, I sometimes heard the view, that Germans were healthier right after World War 2, than they are now. Yet at that time, they had little, lived mainly on potatoes and worked hard to clear the rubble from the massive, allied bombings,
Is it similar in Bharat?

by Maria Wirth

The post India in 1974 and now – from my experience first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Yet he wrote this about Indian women and he meant Hindu women:

“There is a peculiar beauty in Indian women, whereby their face is covered with pure skin, with a slight, lovely blush, which is not just like the blush of health and vitality, but a finer blush, like a spiritual touch from within. The look of the eye and the position of the mouth, appear gentle, soft and relaxed – it is an almost unearthly beauty…”

In the 1960/70s, I remember that Indian women, with the characteristic red dot on the forehead, were considered as the most beautiful in the whole world. Of course, there were beautiful women also in other countries. However, Indian women stood out for their grace, and for that ‘spiritual touch’, apart from their good features, delicate body structure and long limbs.

In 1982, the physicist Fritjof Capra gave a talk at the Bombay University. He mentioned that everyone knows that Indian women are very beautiful and feminine. But now on his first visit in India, he realized that the whole culture is shifted more towards the feminine side. Even men are gentler.

Around the same time, in the early 1980s, a well-known German feminist gave a talk in the Max Mueller Bhavan in Delhi. For the first time I saw Indian women wearing jeans and smoking. They had a western feel about them, and no, they didn’t have an “almost unearthly beauty”.

Then, in the 1990s, the beauty of Indian women got internationally recognized in a big way. 1994, Aishwarya Rai was crowned Miss World and Sushmita Sen Miss Universe. From 1994 till 2000, India won four Miss World titles. In 1991, India had had to open its economy, and the buzz about the beauty pageants, was used to make Indians buy beauty products. Western companies benefited from a huge market. The focus was now on make-up, and no longer on grace or a spiritual touch.

In 2002, at a conference in Puducherry, a German psychology professor said, that Indian women are beautiful, but not sexy. He may have considered this as a drawback, but Indian women of earlier decades at least, would have seen this as a plus point.

Nowadays one hears little in the West about the beauty of Indian women, though the majority of them continues to have good features and well-proportioned bodies. Instead, one hears a lot about Indian/Hindu women being oppressed by male patriarchy – they suffer, they are abused…

On German Arte TV some years ago, Colin Gonsalves and Arundhati Roy drew an abysmal picture of the situation. According to those two, almost every woman had been subjected to abuse and rape. Culprit is supposedly the patriarchal Hindu society.

It was vicious propaganda. Hindus would be the group with the least number of rapes in relation to the population due to their mindset, if there was a truthful survey which took the religion of the criminal into account.

Yet the narrative was set after the sad case of Nirbhaya in 2012: ‘Hindu men are rapists. Nobody should have any doubt about this!’

Naturally the talk about the beauty of Indian women needed to stop. How can women, who are abused and suffer, be beautiful?

Meanwhile, entertainment and media steered young Hindu women towards Westernization and sexualization.

A German who visited Puducherry after a gap of some years, joked that it seems that the traditional Indian dress is the miniskirt. And a teacher friend tells me that it’s incredible, how sexualized the whole atmosphere in schools has become. Woke-ism and LGBTQ+ has reached Bharat. A 19-year-old student told me that about half the girls of her class confidently and openly claim they are lesbian.

It can be assumed, that this degradation of Indian society in general and women in particular was planned from a higher place. Maybe Hindu men were maligned, so that Pakistani Muslims don’t look so bad after the atrocious ‘grooming scandals’ in UK broke in the news?

Another possible reason: constantly talking about rape, lowers the resistance to ‘sexual education’ in schools and drives the Hindu society ever more towards Westernization and moral degradation.

Recently, on two Indian TV channels, ‘depression in women’ was the topic. It meant, the spiritual connection is weak or has been lost altogether.

I hope that Hindu women use their discrimination. I hope they realize that they are intentionally pushed into the wrong direction with wrong role models, like Hollywood or Bollywood actresses. A direction which makes them unhappy but makes them believe, they are ‘modern’ and ‘sexually liberated’. It is a direction that cuts them off from the vital connection to their inner Self or Atman, where inspiration, true happiness and love come from. And it makes them lose their beauty.

It is a direction, where only rights are demanded and duties are frowned upon as old-fashioned. Where women compete with men and do no longer complement each other. Where the trust between the sexes is severely damaged. And where women even exploit their husbands with the help of women friendly laws (and lawyers) and drive the husband to suicide.

After 34-year-old Atul Subhash’s painful testimony went viral, which he had meticulously recorded before his suicide on December 9^th, 2024, several other cases of men committing suicide after severe harassment from their wives, sadly came to light.

Such ‘modern’, ‘sexually liberated’ women may have good-looking features and bodies, but they are not beautiful. And not happy.

They may realize their mistake when they get older. But why not have now already the courage to stand up to peer pressure which demands from students to be ‘woke’? Why not now already nurture one’s spiritual connection and feel safe in Bhagawan’s embrace?

Yet there are still many truly beautiful women in Bharat, who have not lost their spiritual connection to their inner Self. The three young women in the photo surely strike everyone as beautiful. Indian culture is still very much alive. Fortunately.

By Maria Wirth

The post Indian women: no longer the most beautiful? first appeared on Maria Wirth.

When Vedic knowledge reached the West over 250 years ago, it was praised as the greatest gift to humanity. Philosophers praised it, but also scientists, like Erwin Schroedinger, Max Planck and several others. Schroedinger often ended his lectures with “Atma is Brahman” and Max Planck said: “I regard consciousness as fundamental and matter as derivative from consciousness.

Even still in 1982, when Fritjof Capra presented at a conference in Mumbai the new paradigm of physics in tune with Bharat’s wisdom that all is interconnected, nothing is separate, all is one energy, our senses deceive us, he added: In all likelihood this energy is conscious.

I was there and heard him say it. He got a standing ovation.

In the 1970s, when I was studying at Hamburg University, “Self-realization”, “enlightenment”, “expanded consciousness” were buzzwords. Indian wisdom was seen in a good light. “India shops” sprang up with books like “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Swami Yogananda. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Osho attracted the youth.

The Church didn’t like the fascination of the youth with Bharat and appointed ‘cult observers’. They warned parents that their children may become mad, if they fall for those Indian gurus. However, the Church could not prevent a massive loss of faith among the youth. The churches became empty. Eastern wisdom was in vogue, but “Hinduism” was delinked from it.

Yes, there were many hippies who misunderstood “Indian wisdom” and copied only the long hair and the chillum of the sadhus, and not the wisdom and discipline. But generally, we Westerners felt, India had something which was badly lacking in the West. It had wisdom about who we are and what is the purpose in life. And it also still had a connection to a magical, supernatural dimension, which we so missed in the West, including snake charmers and rope trick…

In the 1970s, and even before that, Western researchers also studied the brain of Yogis, who had miraculous powers. The US army intelligence was interested to exploit those powers. They sent for example an army commander to the Bob Monroe institute to learn how to have out of body experiences. This commander wrote a highly interesting, 31-page document in 1983. It was declassified by CIA in 2003 and is on the net. (I wished Indian scientists go through this document. It validates the holographic theory of the universe and the miracles of yogis which, in Bharat, are often dismissed if not ridiculed).

In the late 1989s or 1990s, Indian newspapers reported that NASA discovered that Sanskrit is the most perfect language. This was at a time, when Indian students mostly looked down on Sanskrit.

The above points show that Vedic wisdom was appreciated in academic circles in the West earlier.

From appreciation to vilification… Why?

But then, around the year 2000, this changed.

I personally got an inkling, when in 2001, the editor of one of the German magazines to which I contributed, wrote to me, “As you must have noticed, spirituality is out. Wellness is in.”

No, I had not noticed.

Ever since, indeed, yoga and even meditation (in its popular form as ‘mindfulness’) is presented only as a means for physical and mental well-being and its full potential for liberation, Mukti, is ignored or purposely kept hidden. “Indian wisdom”, including the knowledge that this world is not the real thing but Maya (more like a dream of Brahman), went out of fashion.

Consistent with this trend, most Western philosophers today define consciousness as intimately connected with its content. They stay within Maya and seem to be unable to conceive of pure, thought-free consciousness. Now many in the West even declare that there is no such thing as absolute Truth, but “Everyone has his own truth”! Or “The goal of life is personal”. And if you follow what’s happening in the West (wokism, genderism, etc.), you may wonder if common sense has gone out of the window.

Hindus started finally shaking off the colonial mindset

Around the same time, in 2001, when I was told that spirituality is out, an important shift occurred in India. Hindus started to realise that their tradition is preferable and yes, superior, to Abrahamic religions. the internet facilitated this realization and brought like-minded Hindus together.

Promptly, and it is in all likelihood connected to this Hindu awakening and wanting to put a stop to it, Western media and academics portrayed Hindus, and especially Brahmins, falsely and perfidiously, as oppressors of minorities. Meanwhile, Hinduphobia has reached a dangerous level. Even conferences on “Dismantling Global Hindutva” and “Eradicating Hinduism” were organized.

The most inclusive faith became the target of inexplicable hatred.

Why are Hindus so much under attack? And why this down-sizing of Yoga and meditation, ignoring its full potential?

This is indeed difficult to fathom. There may be two reasons:

ONE:

The big powers want to prevent Bharat from coming up. They may fear, that if Indians study their ancient texts, and Sanskrit is easier for them, they may discover new technologies and overtake the powers that be.

Bibek Debroy claims that even after all the destruction and loot by Muslims, the British, the Jesuits, and others, there are still millions of texts in Bharat and only a fraction of it has been studied.
still, this reason may be far-fetched, as the average Western politician would probably dismiss ancient texts as irrelevant.

TWO:

It’s easier for Hindus to understand pure (content-free) consciousness and touch their Atma. There are still many Yogis in Bharat who have realized their true Self. Such people are fearless and cannot be manipulated and controlled. Certain powerful lobbies, who want to control humans, have therefore an interest that Vedic knowledge is downplayed and does not spread and become common knowledge, not even in Bharat.

One such lobby is the Vatican. But even without the danger from Vedic knowledge, people are leaving the Church in big numbers.

So, who else is interested in keeping us ignorant?

The Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, a prominent figure at the World Economic Forum (WEF), gave a clue: It is those who plan the “Great Reset” at WEF, Bilderberg meetings, etc.

Harari said in all earnestness that consciousness is not needed, but intelligence is needed, and robots will be more intelligent than humans. He considers belief in God and a soul as ridiculous, and probably voiced the official line of those behind the New World Order. He also suggested, that ‘all the useless people’ who will be replaced by intelligent robots, should be kept busy with computer games and drugs.

It is ominous that attempts are on to get us interested in ‘living in a metaverse’, which means in a virtual reality within this Maya. It would remove us one layer further from our divine roots, and allows us to be easier controlled – leaving us without meaning and purpose in life, without any anchor, without values…

Science cannot prove that the one energy of quantum physics is conscious. But it also cannot disprove it. So why is the theory, that consciousness is fundamental, called fringe? And why is the theory, that the brain is the real thing, respectable?

Does it make sense that there is a vast, miraculous universe which is not aware that it is? That only humans on earth temporarily know about it? Why is there this attempt to deprive human beings from finding fulfilment in life?

In this context, the spread of the Bharatiya knowledge system is very important. It may just save humanity.

Naturally, intellectual study must be backed up by sadhana. We need to connect with our Essence. Touching it even occasionally, greatly improves the quality of our life.

By Maria Wirth

Links:

In 2003 declassified CIA document on analysis of the Gateway experience (out of body experience) by an US army intelligence officer, written in 1983: (hope Indian scientists take notice of it).

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001700210016-5.pdf

The post Certain forces want to prevent humans from knowing their divine inner Essence (Atma). first appeared on Maria Wirth.

I was fortunate that soon after coming to Bharat, at the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 1980, and in the surroundings of Sri Anandamayi Ma and other great spiritual personalities, I became familiar with this most important aspect:

You are not what you think you are

Sri Anandamayi Ma claimed: your senses deceive you. You are not a small person in a big world, but in truth, you are one with all. In truth, there is nothing but Brahman. There are no separately existing entities.

It means, the consciousness in us (Atma) is one with the Universal Consciousness (Brahman). Everyone feels he is “I”. This pure I, without any attributes, is the same in everyone and it alone is really true. All else is appearance, Maya. Brahma Satya, Jagat mithya.

The four Mahavakyas are in my view the most important aspect of Vedic wisdom. It is worthwhile to remember them often:

Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman),

Tat Tvam Asi (That you are),

Pragyanam Brahma (Brahman is knowledge),

Ayam Atma Brahma (This Atma is Brahman)…

They are the clearest and shortest expression of the absolute Truth.

The eternal, infinite Brahman with his innate Shakti is the cause for this Maya or the illusion of many separate things.

And how is Brahman described?

Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma or Sat-chit-ananda – pure blissful, eternal Consciousness.

‘Brahman is not what the eyes see, but whereby the eyes see, not what the mind thinks, but whereby…’ (Kena Upanishad)

Brahman, also called Paramatma, is compared with an infinite ocean and all the multiplicity with waves on it. Of course, the waves are in essence nothing but the ocean.

Somehow, this made immediately sense to me.

But how do we know that this is really the truth??

The Tripura Rahasya mentions two conditions for the absolute Truth:

it must be always and must be self-evident.

The first condition excludes already the whole universe.

The second condition means, it must not need anything else to be perceived.

What fulfils this condition?

Try to find out …. Nothing that can be thought of or can be perceived is the absolute Truth. The Truth is hidden in our own awareness. And there it needs to be realised.

Now, what is the point of this truth? How does it affect us?

Let’s think for a moment: what is most important in life? Without which, life has no value or there is no point in living or existing at all.

What is the ONE thing that is absolutely essential?

Usually, we consider it so ordinary that we don’t even take notice of it.

It is consciousness.

Let me give an example. Suppose Bhagawan appears to you and grants you whatever you wish. He doesn’t put a limit to your wishes, only one condition: you won’t be conscious.

Can you see, how important consciousness is? What is the point of all those wishes fulfilled if one is not aware? Nobody will exchange billions of dollars for this ordinary thing of being conscious, isn’t it

Now, our ordinary awareness means mainly thinking. Thoughts or the mind is a reflection of the ‘pure’ consciousness. Pure consciousness means thought-free consciousness.

Imagine that you shine a torch into a dark room. You see different things – chairs, tables etc. but you don’t notice the light. Or you don’t notice the space in the room that holds all those things… the light or the space is comparable with pure consciousness.

How to discover or touch pure consciousness?

Yoga is the means to join us with THAT. It’s the means to dissolve our ignorance. It helps us realise who we really are.

And no, yoga is not mainly asanas.

The first shloka in Patanjali Yoga Sutras says: Yoga is Chitta Vritti Nirodh – means, restraining thought waves.

Why is restraining thoughts so important? Because then the original, pure, not the reflected consciousness, shines through.

Brahman is always present, right beneath and between our thoughts, like the deep ocean is always present beneath the waves.

Yogasara Upanishad says, “then there is communion with Paramatma”. That’s from where intuition comes, from where bliss comes, from where love comes.

It is ALWAYS present. Right now, within us. It’s “I AM”.

Now we also have the goal of human life: If we live in a make-believe world, in MAYA, (even Elon Musk says that this world is a simulation) and if it is possible to realise the Truth (the Rishis claim from experience that it is possible), then to realise the Truth is naturally the goal of life, its meaning and fulfilment.

Yet one needs to do sadhana. Only intellectual knowledge of what we are in truth is not enough. This Vedic knowledge needs to be lived. How? By controlling the mind and connecting with our divine inner essence in meditation. Many of you may do sadhana. If you don’t, please start. It’s worth it.

And also – whenever you remember, stop for a moment your thoughts and be aware of what is right now – sounds outside, or sensations inside the body. The NOW holds the key to the inner realm.

By Maria Wirth

The post Vedic wisdom needs to be lived first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Dear Ms Wirth:

While celebrating the glory of Hinduism, please have a heart for the millions of Dalits in India whom for millennia the Hindu society has condemned to a status below that of animals. I am sure you have read what Dr Ambedkar has said about the deleterious consequences of India ever becoming a Hindu Raj.

Please see <http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/talking-terms/double-speak-the-accolades-heaped-on-b-r-ambedkar-ignore-his-strident-critique-of-hinduism/>.

Hinduism is probably the only major religion that lets some of its own flock treat others as inferior and untouchable. That is nothing to celebrate.

Arun

 My reply:

Dear Sri Arun,

Thank you for your mail, expressing your concern for Dalits.

There is no other country that does so much for those at the bottom of the social hierarchy as India does. Why is this hardly ever acknowledged? I have several examples in my surroundings where upper castes are extremely poor and Dalits prosperous due to benefits.

Or which country had a president or chief justice from the most disadvantaged background? Another proof is that people even agitate to get downgraded socially. Where else??

Yes, caste discrimination is still there, especially in villages. However, this has nothing to do with Hinduism. Hinduism compares the society with a human body, and while indeed the head may be valued more, nobody would get the idea to kick the feet. Discrimination on the basis of one’s station in life is a human weakness, not due to Hinduism.

In the West, too, the son of a menial worker won’t marry the daughter of a pilot. You may call it “class” not caste, but there, too, humans consider some high and others low and they don’t intermingle, except in exceptional ‘love’ cases where one family would object.

Yet in the West, because they believe in only one life, it is of utmost importance what station you reach in this life, Indians have the far more reasonable, relaxed approach of many lives and nothing is fixed forever.

Moreover, their philosophy teaches them that Atman is in everybody the same, never mind of their role in this world.

I don’t understand why Indians generally condemn only their own but overlook the incredibly oppressive “caste system” for example by the British. Are you aware how they treated Indians till recently? Or how the Portuguese treated Indians? Do you ever hear any condemnation of their massive racism? Or do you hear only about the “Indian caste system”? Just ask yourself, why the British for example are not criticized or made to pay for what they did to Indians?

I also don’t understand why many Indians don’t see the great advantage of their Dharma over the dogmatic religions. In the west, as children we were taught to be afraid of eternal hell, if we don’t blindly believe and follow what the Church tells us. This was enforced for centuries at the cost of death penalty.

Why don’t you point out such nonsense and why go only after Hinduism which has the most solid philosophical basis and which, I am convinced from experience, has the best prescription for a happy life?

Best regards

Maria Wirth

The post Why are many Hindus condemning only their own and ignore those who committed far greater offences? first appeared on Maria Wirth.

But maybe, now is just the right time for Bharat and the world to get back the Mandir at the birthplace of Sri Ram. The reason is that Ram is an epitome of Dharma, who fought and vanquished adharmic forces – and in our times, Adharma has become exceptionally strong and also needs to be fought and vanquished.

Humanity is presently not in good shape – without roots and direction, without meaning and values. It’s called “being woke” and even portrayed as positive. It spread among Westerners and shows already some impact among young Indians.
Truth as such is now declared as non-existent, because “everyone has his own truth”. There is no objective meaning to life either, but it’s now a “personal matter”.
Humans are dumbed down with junk food, drugs and low-grade entertainment, which only benefits the producers.
The belief in a Supreme Being and a soul has been ridiculed by “renowned” philosophers and scientists, like Yuval Noah Harari or Stephen Hawking.
And many more terrible things, which were up to now hidden, are coming to light thanks to the alternative media and whistle blowers.
The worst of these things, is probably the massive scale of child trafficking – for sex abuse, organ and blood harvesting and even for ritualistic “sacrifice” (means murder) to propitiate demonic forces by members of secret societies, who hold powerful positions on top of the pyramid. It’s all so unbelievable, but several whistleblowers have been silenced after speaking up, and this sadly gives them credence.

The eternal strife between Devas and Asuras is well underway in this world of Maya, and the Asuras seem to have the upper hand. Lust, anger and greed – the three gates to the hell of self-destruction according to Sri Krishna (Bh.G 16.21) – are rampant. Clearly, attempts are made to cut off humans from Atma, their divine Self – the worst thing that can possibly happen.

In midst of this dark scenario, Bharat is still a beacon of light, even though Kali Yug shows its effect here, too. Yet most Indians still have faith in their Hindu Dharma. They still know about their divine core (Atma) and have devotion for the Devas.

In Bharat, Devas are worshipped, not Asuras

Bharat is the only place on earth, where daily in many thousand temples the Devas are worshipped for the well-being of ALL, and NOT the Asuras or Satanic forces for personal wealth, power and sense-enjoyment. Every morning and evening the temples reverberate with the Arati for the Lord of the world (Om jaya Jagatdisha hare) or for the Deities of the particular temple, who are all essentially one with the ONE Great Brahman or Sat-Chit-Ananda – blissful Consciousness.

The Deities are not somewhere in heaven, but present in the temple due to Pran Pratishtha having been performed, where the stone idol is infused with Prana, the divine life-force.

And now, on 22. January 2024, a most special Pran Pratishtha will be performed: Sri Ram will become a living Presence in the newly-constructed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Ayodhya – the name evokes great emotions in Hindus.

Ayodhya is the place where Ram was born, and grew up with his brothers Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna; where the sage Vashishta taught them the ancient wisdom, and sage Vishwamitra took Ram and his brother Lakshman to fight malevolent Asuras.
It is the place, where he brought Sita as his wife from Janakpur; from where he, Sita and Lakshman left for his long exile on the very same day, when his coronation was planned.
It is the place where his father died of grief over the separation from his dearest son; where his brother Bharat ruled, putting the padukas of Ram on the throne… and to which Ram returned with Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman after he had defeated the demon king Ravana in Lanka, and established the benevolent Ram Rajya.

Every Hindu knows the details of Ram’s life. The Ramayana is ingrained in them. It is played on village stages, chanted in ashrams and was an absolute hit on TV. It is a sacred scripture that contains all that one needs to know to live a dignified life, and to behave in an ideal way in midst of challenges.
Sri Ram is an outstanding example for humans – noble, just, brave, ever protecting the weak, and keeping his word.

And he is dearly beloved.

Hindus fought for 500 years for getting back Sri Ram’s birthplace

Therefore, is there any question at all why Hindus fought for 500 years to get back this very special place and sacrificed so much? They fought not only against the invaders. In recent decades, they also had to fight against their own people – scheming politicians, communists and former Hindus who had converted to Islam, who all denied that Ram was real and that there was a Mandir earlier.

Yet this is now past, finally.

Bharat is in a celebratory mood. Many Hindus have taken vows in the run-up to Pran Pratishtha, to purify themselves for the historic occasion. Japa of the Ram Mantra is done and devotional bhajans are sung or listened to.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be a witness of the Pran Pratishtha on behalf of 140 crore Bharatiyas, too, has announced that he will follow certain rituals for 11 days prior to the Pran Pratishtha because – in his own words – “I have to awaken divine consciousness in myself, too”. As Prime Minister, he has tremendous responsibility. He surely needs and will ask for guidance from Prabhu Sri Ram.

There is a good chance, that western media will criticise PM Modi for being so unapologetically Hindu. They may wonder, what it is about Hindu Dharma which makes people stick to it, in spite of all the negative propaganda against it by the Abrahamic religions, by communists and media. Why are the attacks on Hinduism from all sides not working as planned? Why do now even more Hindus again treasure their heritage? Why do even many foreigners consider Hindu Dharma as the best option for humanity and the world?

The answer is easy: Hindu Dharma is based on Truth and righteous living. It tells us who we really are in our essence (eternal Atma). And in this temporary world of Maya, it is on the side of Devas, who want to liberate us from Maya by realising our divine consciousness, and not on the side of those, who want to drive us deeper into ignorance and bondage.

Yet there is still a big challenge for Bharat: How to make those Indians who have been massively indoctrinated to look down on the faith of their Hindu ancestors – either by their newly adopted religions or by the education system – also see this truth?

Hopefully, Shri Ram gives Sadbuddhi to all.
And may all feel His Divine Presence in their hearts….

Satyameva Jayate
Jai Sri Ram

By Maria Wirth

The post Sri Ram’s help is needed against today’s Ravanas first appeared on Maria Wirth.