dec 2k3 volume 1 issue 1 chalo dilli your new voice 2k3 volume 1 issue 1 chalo dilli halo dilli- the...

Dec 2K3 Volume 1 Issue 1

Chalo Dilli

halo Dilli- the famous call of the pre-independence India now invites Brahmans from all over the world to the World Brahman Federation Convention in Delhi

and Vrindavan. It will be held on Dec. 27 and 28 in the Ashoka Hotel Conven-tion Hall in Delhi and December 29 in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh. The theme of the convention is Brahmmanical Value-system in the Cyber Age.

It is going to be a gala occasion with a rich mixture of educational, cultural, and entertaining programs. The organ-izers promise a special welcome to the mother land for overseas Brahmans. Here is what is in store:Rub shoulders with great leaders such as present or former Prime Ministers and Presidents, film stars, famous artists, science & technology experts. There will be three days of stimulating and inspiring lec-tures and seminars, discussions on spiritual, educational, cultural, health and social issues. Enjoy music and dances by artists from different parts of the world. In short it will be 3 days of family oriented fun and learning ex-perience for children as well as adults.

Dr. M.M. Joshi, Minister HRD, Sci-ence & Technology, Govt. of India will be the Keynote Speaker. The list of VIP guests includes Pt. Reepu Daman Persaud, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Republic of Guyana and His Holiness Jayant Saraswati ji Maharaj, Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamkoti Pettam and Sh. Vijendra Saraswati.

Eko’hum Publication of the WBF The Inaugural Issue

World Brahman Federation 2K3 Convention at Delhi and Vrindavan

Your New Voice Eko’hum is your new voice– born

amongst shower of blessings and good-will. Many kind friends have sent us their best wishes. The list includes Mrs. Sheila Dixit, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi (photos on the left), Mr. N.D. Tiwari, and many more. See page 9 for the messages. We thank all of them and assure them that Eko’hum will always be worthy of their trust and goodwill.

Mr. M.R. Sharma and other organizers of the WBFC with Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpayee, the Prime Minister of India

Ekohum (The Meaning) by Ramanath Sharma

Om puur.nam ada.h puur.nam idam puur.naat puur.nam udacyate /Puur .nasya puur .nam aadaaya puur.nam evaavashi.syate //

He is Full, this is Full, this full is

taken out from the Full; When the full of the Full is taken out, what remains is Full. OM, this single syllable symbol-izes Brahman the absolute, the One; this One manifests into many, where each one of the many becomes One, the same absolute Brahman. Eko’hum symbolizes the same. One, manifest in many, and particularly known as Brah-man, Veda, and Braahma.na. This is what the Upanishads focus on. This is what the seekers seek. Those who seek must have the desire to seek (jijn~aasaa). Eko’hum seeks to rekindle your desire to seek. For, seek we must.

Eko’hum December 2003

The inaugural issue of Eko'hum is in your hands. It is the official organ of the World Brahman Federation (abbreviated as WBF). It will be fi-nanced and supported by WBF. In keeping with the journalistic norms,

Eko'hum will be editorially independ-ent which is consistent with the intel-lectual freedom that the Brahmans have always preached and practiced.

I hope you enjoy this first issue of the Eko'hum . Being the first issue, it will have many flaws. Not that later issues will be perfect. However, we can thrive for a modest perfection with your sup-port. I would welcome your comments--compliments as well as criticisms, and contributions. Eko'hum is your voice, for you and by you.

Eko'hum will be a medium of com-munication for the WBF. We will try to make it a journal of enjoyable and in-formative reading. We will publish all the official communiques of the WBF and some other reading material. The opinions expressed in the Eko'hum would not always reflect the official stand of the WBF. We may occasion-ally venture into a healthy criticism of the WBF which should be regarded as a self-criticism. All the unsigned articles in the journal should be regarded as originating from the editorial staff. A signed article from a correspondent or an author will contain the views of that writer and would not necessarily (col 2)

Eko’hum published by the World Brahman Federation (WBF), 18 Fitzgerald Lane, Co-lumbus, NJ 08022, USA. The WBF is registered as a not-for-profit organization in the state of New York. Editor- Dr. Vinod Tewary. All correspondence to Eko’hum should be addressed to the Editor, c/o WBF at the address given above, or e-mail to [email protected]

From Your Editor Dear fellow Brahmans, Will Brahmans of the twenty-first

century abandon their leadership posi-tion in the development of Brahmanic values throughout the world ?. Abso-lutely not. This is the principal objec-tive behind the founding of World Brahman Federation (WBF). To achieve this objective, we shall have to rededicate ourselves to the concept of service that our ancestors preached and practiced. We shall have to develop values that are in keeping with our true Brahmanic traditions and take into ac-count not only where we have been, but also who we are and where we want to go. In other words, our values must be flexible and recognize the value of time and place. They must lift our spirits and gain the respect of humankind.

Brahmans came to the help of fellow Fijians in the restoration of democracy when the democratically elected gov-ernment of Mahendra Chaudhary was ousted by a group of terrorists in 2000. They saw it as a violation of basic hu-man rights, the right to vote. Brahmans also responded when natural disasters hit the states of Orissa in 1999 and Gu-jrat in 2001. They saw the victims as brothers and sisters.

As you may be aware, I founded the Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA). During my tenure as Presi-dent, the first World Brahman Conven-tion was organized in USA. During the convention, the seeds of WBF were sown. We established WBF to bring together all those who identified them-selves as Brahmans, irrespective of their current place of residence. There-fore, we could share the vision and responsibility with Brahmans both out-side and inside North America, some-thing the BSNA Charter did not allow.

Our principal focus is our youth, the torch bearers of the next generation. WBF will strive very hard to work with them in a way that they can realize their aims and aspirations, and develop into responsible members of the com-munity.

The fact that our first World Brahman Convention is being held in India, the birth place of Brahmans, is no accident. This was a deliberate move on our part to show solidarity with fellow Brah-

From Your President mans who toil under the threat of ter-rorism, and a quota system that de-prives them of an equal opportunity in education and jobs. Members of All India Brahman Mahasabha, All India Kanyakubja Board and Brahman Inter-national deserve a heart-felt congratula-tions for their service to the community and support of WBC 2003 in New Delhi and Vrindavan.

(from col 3) reflect the viewpoint of the Eko'hum or the WBF. In exceptional cases, if the authors so desire, they can write under a pseudonym, but we must have the full name and address of each author. We will not disclose their iden-tity without their permission. Apart from following the usual journalistic norms, we would not impose any intel-lectual restrictions on the views ex-pressed by the authors. Hopefully, and in all probability, such unpleasant is-sues will not arise.

We invite you to contribute to Eko'hum. Writings for and by the chil-dren are particularly welcome. Please send news of the community events, any honors or awards to any members of our community, achievements of the children, or family events such as births or weddings. In other words, any news which you would like to share with other readers will be welcome. After all, this is your journal. The items in-tended for publication must be submit-ted to the editor electronically- the arti-cles as a text file and photos in one of the standard formats (gif, jpg, tif etc) by e-mail. The articles should be nor-mally limited to 500 words.**

WBF– the organizers President: Mr Nirmalendu Choubey (USA); Vice Presidents: Dr. Hitendra Upadhyaya (USA); Mr. Mange Ram Sharma (India), Mr. Vidyadhar Mishra (Mauritius), Mr. Ram C. Tiwari (UK); General Secretary- Mr. Abhaya Ma-haraj (USA); Treasurer- Mr. Mano-ranjan Mishra (USA). Board of Trus-tees: Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey (USA, Chair); Prof. Rama N. Sharma (USA), Dr. Shiva Bajpai (USA), Dr. Sen Pathak (USA), Mr. Mahesh Dutt Sharma (India), Ach. Prabhakar Mishra (India), Mr. Dharnidhar Trivedi (India), Mr. R.D. Dixit (India), Mr.Damodar C. Tulsi (Mauritius). Editor Eko’hum: Dr. Vinod Tewary (USA)


saram, and then moved on for educa-tion to Varanasi, Hazaribagh and Patna. He left for United Kingdom in 1964 for undergraduate studies in engineering at the university of Wales in Swansea. He moved to Toronto, Canada in 1967 and moved to Montreal in 1969 after his marriage to Mukul. He completed his postgraduate study in engineering at the Concordia University in Montreal in 1973. The same year he moved to the U.S. and after living in New Jersey for 12 years, he settled down at Syracuse where he lived till the year 2000. He is currently living in New Jersey. He has three grown children- two daughters Rachana and Deepti, and a son Neeraj.

Nirmal has been very much aware that our value system needed to be pre-served. He founded the Indian Associa-tion of Garden State in 1980. With the activities of this association, and also by conducting Hindi classes, he tried to give our children an Indian identity. After settling down in central New York state he actively participated in the activities of India association there. It was in 1991 that with the encourage-ment of a fellow Brahmana from India he started out preparing a directory of Brahmanas. This led towards the estab-lishment of the BSNA.

As founding President of BSNA he traveled extensively both within and outside North America. He tried to reach Brahmanas in every part of the globe. His meeting with the Prime Min-ister of India, Mr. Atal Bihari Va-jpayee, and Honorable Reepu Daman Persaud, Vice President of Guyana, are most noteworthy. In this connection mention must also be made of a phone conversation he had with Honorable Bhattarai, the prime Minister of Nepal, the only Hindu State in the world. He

(Continued on page 4)

Ekoham presents a series of profiles on those exceptional people—the mov-ers and shakers-who have made a strong impact on the Brahman commu-nity all over the world. This is the first article in the series. Readers are in-vited to suggest names of the people who can be included in this series. Ed.

I met Nirmal Choubey in Hawaii in the early nineties when he was touring the country in search of support of (and for) the Brahmanas of this country in establishing the Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA). I still remem-ber the evening at the residence of Dr. Kashinath Upadhyaya when we tried to argue each others out. I tried to per-suade him from establishing BSNA, he tried to persuade me for lending him my support, especially in the area of information on Brahmana, Brahmana dharma, and the Brahmanical tradition. Nirmal Choubey won because of his persistence and perseverance, dedica-tion for Brahman causes, and for pres-ervation of the best of Brahmanical, heritage in these changed times and space. I agreed to assist him with my writings, and lectures, to inform peo-ple, especially the Brahmanas, about the Brahmanical tradition along with the Brahmanical concepts and how best we can preserve its value system in these changed times and space.

BSNA was fully established, and thrived in the next 5-6 years under his leadership. There were annual BSNA conventions. Serious talks and discus-sions were held about the Brahmanical value system, particularly understand-ing it within the current world perspec-tives. BSNA membership and chapters were actively involved through these discussions. It was an entirely new ef-fort towards understanding and pre-serving the Brahmanical value system. Credit goes to Nirmal Choubey for many first things in this connection. His was the first attempt in the history of Brahmanism to organizing the Brah-

manas with the goal of understanding and preserving the best of their value system. History tells us that, except for two or three small organizations in the north-west India of Brahmanas who earned their living by their weapons, there has never been a Brahmana or-ganization with the goals indicated above. Nirmal Choubey steered BSNA out of the usual mould of casteism, both in terms of its function as well as its projected image.

It was a necessary start since Brah-manas, even more so today, are looked down upon as perpetuators and dis-criminators. It was the demand of time to clear out the smoke of distrust and casteism. Next came rituals where a clear understanding of what is required and what is purely ritualistic was devel-oped. For the first time, Samskaras were discussed from two aspects: (i) as memory traces of the value system one inherits, and (ii) the rituals at various stages of life one goes through, to acti-vate, boot out and reinforce the inher-ited system.

An attempt was made to understand the basics of rituals and how they could be related to the value system. The idea of establishing Brahmapeeth was noth-ing but a further study of this value system and come up with systematic studies true to the value system. All this was attained within a period of 5-6 years, mostly because of Nirmal Choubey's untiring dedication, persis-tence, and perseverance. But then Nir-mal Choubey left BSNA, and the rest is for historians to evaluate. Luckily, files of Brahma-bharati and Brahma-Vani are still there to vouch for this tremen-dous effort towards understanding the Brahmanical value system.

Nirmal Choubey was born in a mid-dle class Brahmana family in the vil-lage of Bheem Ka Roop in Bihar in 1942. He grew up at Sasaram, Rohtas, Bihar, where his father practiced law. He received his early education at Sa-

Movers and Shakers: Profiles of Brahmans

Nirmalendu Choubey— the man and his mission By Ramanath Sharma

...his persistence and persever-ance, dedication for Brahman causes, and for preservation of the best of Brahmanical, heri-tage in these changed times..

Nirmal and Mukul Choubey


met Vivekanand Sharma from Fiji in 1999 at a London conference, and later on, after knowing what has happened to the Coudhury government in Fiji, mobilized the BSNA and did whatever he could towards restoring freedom and democracy in Fiji. Nirmal sees Brah-man causes within the much more wider perspective of Hinduism, espe-cially its way of life with freedom and democracy. He believes that “survival of Brahmanism is essential not only to the survival of Hinduism but for free-dom and democracy as well."**

Nirmal Choubey– a profile (Continued from page 3)

By Ghanshyam N. Pandey, Ph.D

O ne of the major Brahman Organizations in the United

States is known as the Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA) which func-tioned very well for the past several years, and has been fairly successful in bringing together Brahman’s and Brah-man families of North America to-gether. Although it is supposed to be a Brahman Organization of all Brah-man’s from India and other parts of the world in the USA, the majority of the members of the organization came pri-marily from North India. One of the reasons for this being the existence of a number of regional Brahman Associa-tions representing Brahman’s from different parts of India, such as Telagu Brahman Association, Gujarati Brah-man Association. Initially, it was thought that there should be an organi-zation like a Federation of Brahman Associations in North America who could communicate among themselves under one umbrella as has been the case with other organizations. How-ever, it became apparent that it may be more prudent not only to tie the Brah-man Organizations in North America together but all Brahman Associations throughout the world.

Keeping this objective in mind, a world Brahman convention was organ-ized in Pennsylvania in 2000, under the banner of BSNA. A panel discussion to further explore this idea and examine its feasibility was held during this con-

vention. The panel consisted of Mr. Abhaya Maharaj, Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, Mr. R.D. Dixit and Mr. Mange Ram Sharma. During this panel discus-sion and deliberation a strong support for forming a WBF emerged. A tenta-tive structure for this Federation was also discussed and proposed during this meeting to tie all or most of the legiti-mate Brahman Organizations through-out the world with the WBF.

This idea was later followed by the then President of the BSNA, Mr. Nir-mal Choubey who discussed this matter informally with the leaders of Brahman Organizations throughout the world, including India, the UK, Australia, Mauritius Netherlands and also mem-bers of the BSNA, and other Brahman Associations in the USA. As a result of these discussions WBF founding com-mittee was formed with Mr. Nirmal Choubey as President, Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, Chairman Board of Trustees, Mr. Abhaya Maharaj, General Secre-tary, Mr. Manoranjan Mishra, Treas-urer, and Dr. Vinod Tewary and Prof. Ramanath Sharma as members. These people are also known as founding Trustees. This committee has discus-sion, deliberations on forming WBF and a meeting was held in Boulder, CO in Sept. 2002, and another in Chicago in May 2003. An idea emerged that the 2nd World Brahman Convention needs to be held to formalize this program and to launch WBF.

The committee asked Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey to discuss a possible WBC in India with leaders of Brahman Organi-zations in India when he visited India in December 2001. Dr. Pandey had elaborate discussion on this matter with leaders of the Brahman Associations in India including Mr. Mange Sharma of the Brahman Maha Sabha, Mr. R.D. Dixit of Kanya Kubja Board, Dr. Prab-hakar Mishra from Brahman Interna-tional, as well as representatives of Brahman Associations from Nepal and the Netherlands in December 2001. During this meeting a formal structure for the Brahman convention was delib-erated and it was recommended that the

2nd WBF be held in India. This was further followed up by a visit from Mr. Nirmal Chaubey, President of the WBF in December, 2002, and this idea of holding the World Brahman convention crystallized. A meeting of the planning committee of the WBF was held in Denver, September 2002, and another in Chicago, May, 2003. These delibera-tions resulted in the incorporation and registration of the WBF in New York and initiated the planning of the 2nd World Brahman convention in New Delhi, India in December, 2003.

Although the details of the constitu-tion and bylaws as well as the structure of the WBF have been discussed, it is in preparation now, and will be final-ized soon. Some of the basic aspects of the structure and constitution of func-tion of WBF are as follows.

WBF as suggested, will be a Federa-tion of Brahman Organizations throughout the world. It will have an Executive Committee consisting of President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, and Members-at-Large, as well as a Board of Trustees. The Ex-ecutive Committee will be elected by a general council, which will consist of representatives from the affiliate or-ganizations and members nominated by the Executive Committee and/or the Board of Trustees or by a Nominations Committee. However, the membership of the Organization is open only to the Brahman Associations and Organiza-tion throughout the world and there is no open general membership.

The Board of Trustees or the Execu-tive Committee will nominate some individuals to the general council based on their contribution to the Brahman causes and their past commitment and service to the community and Brahman Organizations. These people will be highly respected, experienced and ac-complished persons from the Brahman community. The membership in the general council either for representa-tives of the affiliate organizations or the individual members will be of lim-ited duration. Some of the major objec-tives of the Organization is to provide a forum to integrate, coordinate and fa-cilitate the efforts of various Brahman Organizations throughout the world and work collectively for enhancing


World Brahman Federation (WBF) - Why Now?

..Federation of Brahman Organi-zations throughout the world.


The poetry corner From Ramcharitmaanas By Goswamy Tulsidas (Ramcharit Manas by Tulsidas is perhaps one of the best poetry ever written anywhere in the world. We will quote one piece from this epic in every issue of Eko’hum as our tribute to a masterpiece of world literature) In Hindi: Prabhu shobha nahin jai bakhaani. Gira anayan, nayan binu baani. Approx. translation: The beauty of the Lord can not be described (because) the tongue can not see and eyes can not speak.

Punditji had just come from India. It was snowing hard when he decided to buy a car. Some body advised him to buy snow tires. "What good would that do?" Punditji wondered, "Wouldn't they melt away?" *********************************** An apple a day will keep the doctor away, provided you aim it right. *********************************** A couple went to a psychotherapist. "My husband thinks he is a dog," complained the wife. The psychotherapist said to the husband, "OK, would you please come on the couch." "NO!" The wife protested. "He is not allowed on the couch."

A man told his doctor that his wife is suffering from loss of speech. The doctor said that there was nothing he could do to cure it and she simply had to wait. The man said, "Cure it? I want you to pro-long it." *********************************** The doctor said to the patient's wife, "To be honest with you, I don't like the look of your husband." "Neither do I," said the wife, "But he earns a good salary." *********************************** Punditji used to watch movies on TV. His doctor advised him to get more exercise. Now he watches tennis on TV. *********************************** There are no clocks in the leaning tower of Pisa. What good is it to have the inclination but no time? *********************************** A very fashionable lady was seen walking around in Delhi, just wrapped with the lat-est news paper. She wanted to dress with the times. *********************************** Doctor: "If I consider surgery essential, can you pay for it?" Patient: "If I can not pay, will you still consider the surgery essential?" *********** The teacher told the student that there was only one thing wrong with his essay. It was redundant, repetitive and it said the same thing twice. *********************************** One morning Suraj said to his mother that he did not want to go to school. "Why not?" Asked the mother. "The kids laugh and make fun of me." Suraj said with obvious fear. "You have to go to school my dear," said the mother, "Because you are the Principal."

ethical values and Brahamical causes throughout the world. The details of the objective covering educational, cul-tural, literary and similar activities will be incorporated in the constitution.

The first major step in achieving these objectives and formalizing and launching the WBF is the proposed World Brahman convention to be held in New Delhi, December 28-29, 2003. Hectic efforts are being made for the planning of this convention. The place and date of this convention has already been decided and it is expected that the representatives of the Brahman Organi-zations throughout the world will at-tend this conference, Brahman dignitar-ies from India, such as, the Prime Min-ister, some of the Governors or Minis-ters are likely to attend this conference. Panel discussions, general sessions, youth programs, cultural programs are all being planned. This will be commu-nicated to members of the various Brahman Organizations and individuals very soon. It will be important and cru-cial that representatives of Brahman Organizations and individuals attend and participate in this historic event. This convention will further cement the various Brahman organizations together and will launch the WBF in a big way.*

WBF(Continued from page 4)

By Ramanath Sharma One of the major goals of the World

Brahman Federation (WBF) is to work towards preservation of, and dissemi-nation of information about, Brahmani-cal heritage. WBF is committed to es-tablish a Center for Brahmanical Stud-ies where lectures, workshops, semi-nars, and occasional classes, will be arranged on topics related to the an-cient Indian culture in general and the Brahmanical value system in particular.

The first task will be to establish a fairly good library, and attract scholars to present authentic English transla-tions of major Sanskrit texts. Brah-mapeeth plans to publish a half-yearly research journal with articles and re-views on selected topics and texts. In addition to important texts and transla-tions, Brahmapeeth will also publish texts and manuals on rituals and daily worships.

Brahmapeeth is visualized to be an independent entity, and will have its own constitution and independent man-agement. WBF will soon start discuss-ing the establishment of Brahmapeeth. Readers who wish to contribute their ideas concerning Brahmaeeth are in-vited to write to the author Prof. Rama-nath Sharma at [email protected].

Brahman Heritage and Brahmapeeth

Pilani A poem by Anuranjita Tewary Sand , stretching like a white lie. On, and on. All alone an oasis with a mind so clouded with what used to be then, now. Technology works as if in a laboratory touching, being but not in essence. Go back in time. Belong until departure. Now I'm lost in the dunes.


By Satish Kumar Sharma ([email protected]) Introduction: This paper describes

very briefly my feelings after trying to read Mahabharat. All aspects are short versions of what I felt. Each of these paragraphs can be largely expanded, but the purpose is to introduce some ideas. I do not claim to be an expert in this field, I am a very humble and curi-ous person to understand religious books in a logical manner. Some might say that logic and religion do not mix. I am trying to make out why?

To read, understand and grasp con-tents of Mahabharat there are some prerequisites which one has to accept. As in Mathematics and pure sciences, there are some axioms and/or theories which have to be assumed and then further progress to understand intricate formulae and phenomena become eas-ier, that is true here as well. Also, to appreciate the happenings in Mahab-harat one has to be aware of the envi-ronment and background history of that particular period.

Another alternative is to read the epic with conviction and faith. This makes the reading of Mahabharat meaningful and one starts believing in those axi-oms mentioned in the previous para-graph. Many of us do not have that faith beforehand and after reading for a little while Mahabharat becomes like an artificially created imaginary novel.

Following are prerequisites for a non-believer to read Mahabharat meaning-fully:

1. In the universe, Prani* has several forms. Some forms are described here.

Human beings: Living on planets e.g. earth, according to their Dharm** and Karm**. These are divided into several categories viz. position in society de-pending on one’s wisdom, duties etc. One such example in Hinduism is Brahman category. All human beings are not identical or equal. They take birth and they die. They are susceptible to disease, fear, feelings like love, an-ger etc. and worries as well happiness depending on their deeds.

Rishis, Munis: These are spiritually advanced human beings. They have the capability to travel to other planets and

even to Swarg Lok***. Although they spend most of their time in pursuing their spiritual duties including religious and spiritual teachings, they are in hu-man contact. They marry human beings and in special circumstances they are requested to help human beings to pro-duce children, though they do not get involved in worldly relationship with them. Their life span is very much longer than ordinary human beings. Depending on spiritual depth, which they attain, they may control disease, feelings and even time of death.

Devi and Devta: They live in Swarg Lok***. They take birth but are not sus-ceptible to disease or death. These Pranis are pious, worship Bhagvan@ more intensely and please Bhagvan by their constant prayers. At this stage the difference between themselves and Rishis/Munis is marginal. They are capable of travelling to planets but shun these places unless with a definite purpose. While on planets and in con-tact with human beings they show com-passion and kinship, as well as anger. These Devis and Devtas shower their blessings in the form of boons and also curse when they are angry. Indr, Agni, Vasu, Lakshmi, Surya, Vayu, Durga, Ganesh, Hanuman are in this category. They are constantly at war with Asurs@@ who also live in various places and are vicious Pranis. Asurs in a way companions of Devis and Devtas and by pleasing a particular Devta they get boons. In extreme cases Asurs be-come so strong that they create condi-tions very difficult, almost impossible, for human beings and Rishis/Munis to live normal life according to their faith. Devis and Devtas then offer prayers to Bhagvan for help.

General: Pranis have, besides other habits, undesirable habits like anger, greed, lust, pride etc. to a certain de-gree. Rishis/Munis and even Devis and Devtas are not perfect in this respect. Only Bhagvan is perfect. There are many examples like Durvasa Muni having anger, Narad Muni, Vishwami-tra, Parashar affected by lust. Devis/Devtas in their anger curse other Pranis. Rishis/Munis and Devis/Devtas, pleased by extreme devotion to them by Pranis, bestow boons on their devo-tees without considering the future out-

come of their actions. In many in-stances in Hindu religious books such boons are described e.g. Hiranyaka-shipu, Ravan etc. In all such cases Bhagvan has to take care that devotees’ curses are honoured and Asurs with boons (e.g. immunity from death under certain circumstances) are eliminated.

Bhagvan: Ultimate power, which creates, sustains and annihilates the physical universe, as Bhagvan likes. All Pranis are this Power’s infinitesi-mal part called “Atma”. Atma takes physical forms. Bhagvan has no form, no shape, and no physical qualities; in fact Bhagvan is pure spirit. Bhagvan has own design for this physical uni-verse and creates conditions for Pranis to live (e.g. creates air, water, gravity, heat, bodies which can see, hear, feel, smell, eat, reproduce etc.), moulds con-ditions and evolves Pranis. Bhagvan is perfect.

Bhagvan has created Atma to be in-dependent in deciding whether to re-main in Dharm or to be against Dharm. According to Karm all creation will be subjected to so called sorrows and physical disabilities in this life. When Asurs become very strong and make life of Dharmic Pranis almost impossi-ble then Devis and Devtas pray to Bhagvan for help. Bhagvan takes a physical body, called Avtar (English equivalent is Incarnation) and is present in the form of a Prani. Since Bhagvan has to take a physical shape, Bhagvan obeys all those rules and principles which were formulated by the Ultimate Power (i.e. Bhagvan), e.g. birth, love, affinity, anger, kinship, death etc. Bhagvan does all those acts by which Asurs are eliminated but at the same time observing the boons bestowed by Devis/Devtas or Rishis/Munis on Asurs. Thus Dharm is established once again in the society. Devis and Devtas also do their duties for Bhagvan in this action and when the job is done Bhag-van disappears and Devis/Devtas leave for their abode.

Prevailing conditions just before Mahabharat: Following is a brief de-scription of the political and other con-ditions prevailing before Mahabharat.

Parashuram had eliminated all Ksha-triyas (who mostly had become Asurs in the form of kings and kings-men)


Reflections on Mahabharat


from the planet earth 21 times. Female Kshatriyas (Kshatriyanis) wanted off-spring, mainly sons. They used to go to Rishis and Munis and prayed for their help. In many cases Asurs in the Swarg Lok used to appear in the wombs of these Kshatriyanis, and their number went on increasing. They used to rule over small kingdoms and were fighting among themselves.

The Asurs were strong in Physique, against Dharm and very vicious, not allowing anybody in their kingdoms to live according to their Dharm. In order to preserve their Dharm and control Asurs, Devis and Devtas decided to produce their progeny on Earth as hu-man beings in the wombs of those Kshatriyanis as well as other members of society at the time. In Mahabharat there are many such incidents where characters are Devis’/Devtas’ sons and daughters. But Asurs were very strong and Devtas had to pray to Bhagvan for help. Krishna was born. Mahabharat was “Dharm Yudh” (war to preserve Dharm) to establish a peaceful society according to individual faith and free to do their duties obediently and without interference from their rulers.

Example of one episode from Ma-habharat epic: Once Vasu Devtas (all 8 of them) were roaming on Earth with their wives. They came to Vashishtha Muni’s Ashram. In the Ashram there was a cow called “Surabhi”. Surabhi’s milk had exceptional medicinal quali-ties. Whoever drank Surabhi’s milk was cured of many diseases and even old age. Wife of a Vasu wanted Su-rabhi. Her husband tried to persuade her saying that it was improper and in any case Vashishtha would never give that cow to anybody. But his wife in-sisted. Vasu asked her why she wanted Surabhi, since she was immune to all diseases and even old age. She said that she wanted Surabhi for a friend on Earth. After a long discussion Vasu had to steal Surabhi for his wife.

When Vashishtha came back to his Ashram. he did not find Surabhi. As he was a Muni he could see that Vasu had stolen Surabhi. He cursed them that they should come to Earth and live here as human beings. This was a harsh pun-ishment for Devtas who live in Swarg. Vasus were very upset; they went to

(Continued from page 6) their king Indr and requested him to help them. Indr with Vasu Devtas came to Vashishtha and offered apologies.

Vashishtha being a Muni was happy with their apology, but he could not take his curse back. He knew that al-though one Vasu had stolen Surabhi, but the other 7 Vasu were accessories to that sin. He agreed for a concession. He said that all 8 Vasu would take birth on Earth, but 7 of them would go back to their abode as soon as they are born and 8th Vasu who had actually stolen Surabhi would have to live on Earth until he dies of natural causes. Vasu

Devtas did not wish to enter the wombs of human beings. They went to Devi Ganga who had the privilege of being in Swarg as well as on Earth. Ganga agreed to help Vasu. She arranged so that king Shantanu would marry her with the condition that whatever Ganga would do, Shantanu would not ask her any questions. If the condition was broken, Ganga would leave Shantanu.

Eight boys were born to Ganga and Shantanu. Ganga would take them as soon as they were born and drown them in river Ganga. Shantanu could not utter even a word fearing that otherwise Ganga would leave him. When the eighth boy was born Shantanu could not resist asking Ganga why she was drowning her babies. Ganga reminded Shantanu of her condition and left him. However Ganga told Shantanu that his eighth boy would be trained under the supervision of Ganga and would join his father when he was ready. This boy was Dev Vrat, Bhishma of Mahabharat, the eighth Vasu, who had stolen Su-rabhi and had to live on Earth because of the curse of Vashishtha. Previous 7 sons of Ganga and Shantanu were the other 7 Vasu.

Asurs arrived on planet Earth be-fore Mahabharat: Asurs (also called Daitya, sons of Diti) started to take birth in different forms of Pranis in-cluding animals. Many of those Asurs took birth as bulls, horses, deshaped men and women etc. Some of them took birth as princes and princesses. Their number was increasing alarm-ingly. These Asurs were very strong, ferocious and did not believe in Dharm.

Actually they were against Dharm or any kind of rules or laws. They used to fight among themselves and were in-imical to those Pranis who believed in Dharm. Well-known names of these Asurs are Kans, Jarasandh, Shishupal etc. Kauravas were Rakshas from Pu-latsya. 100 Kauravas were born of one large body of flesh and blood, divided into 100 parts at the time of birth.

Sons/daughters of Devis/Devtas born on Earth before Mahabharat: When the number of Asurs was in-creasing and Pranis were being perse-cuted, Devis/Devtas decided to help Dharmic people with their own sons and daughters born to human beings. Rishis/Munis also obliged. Notable examples are Satyavati, Kunti, Drone, Krip, Satyaki, Kritverma, Dhrupad, Pandavas who were sons and daughters of Parashar Muni, Bharadwaj, Rudra-gan, Marudgan, Dharm, Vayu, Indr, Ashwinikumars.

Planning of Mahabharat Yudh: Thus the preparation of the war was carefully planned, duties were assigned and lines of action were drawn within the limitations of Devis’/Devtas’ curses and boons bestowed on different par-ticipants. Bhagvan, who took avtar as Krishn, did this. Kauravas and Panda-vas, the two sides preparing to go to war, collected weapons. Laws for a Dharmic Yudh were declared to be obeyed by warring parties. Both parties already knew Krishn as a relation as well as a powerful hero who had al-ready slain mighty kings like Kans, Jarasandh and Shishupal.

References and footnotes Mahabharat (First part) published by

Geeta Press Gorakhpur (most of the information)

Mahabharat by William Buck, Uni-versity of California Press, ISBN 0-520-04393-6

* The nearest English equivalents are “living being” or “soul”.

** Dharm may be defined as action according to one’s duties to make soci-ety a happy and peaceful place for all. Karm is the action, which we really perform, which may be Dharmic or may not be Dharmic.

*** English equivalent is Heaven. @ In Christianity the equivalent is

God. @@ In Christianity the equiva-lent is Demon.

Mahabharat was Dharm Yudh to establish a peaceful society


By Dr. Vinod Tewary (Reprinted after modification from Brahma-Vani 1999)

From crowd to community The sole objective of the WBF is to

bring Brahmans together and help them to seek their own cultural and social identity. Seeking identity and bringing people together is not just rhetoric. It has tremendous psychological, social, and political implications. As Karl Marx pointed out, a group of people, who identify themselves together and can stand together, becomes a socio-economic-political force. This is pre-cisely the technique utilized by Ma-hatma Gandhi, the most charismatic people’s leader of this century, in liber-ating the country. With my zero interest in politics, I will not dwell further on the political implications. I would mainly underline the sociological and economic advantages of the coming together of Brahmans of the world.

For a group to become a socio-economic force, it must evolve from a crowd to a community. The key factor is the ability of a group to find a com-mon link. A common identity, or a common cause, provides that link. A group without a mutual link is a crowd. The mutual link makes it a community. For example, a group of people waiting at a bus stop is a crowd. However, if something happens that brings them together, like cancellation of a bus, then the crowd turns into a community. If the whole group of waiting passen-gers negotiates with the Bus Company, they can exert a stronger pressure on the company. Thus the group becomes a force that is more effective than the sum of the individual components.

The economic potential of the forma-tion of communities is apparent in the capitalistic techniques of business and marketing practices of the big Ameri-can companies. Most big companies hire at least some Indians, Chinese, Italians, etc. on their telemarketing and direct sales staff for access to the corre-sponding ethnic communities. Quite often an Indian consumer would seek an Indian lawyer, doctor, travel agent, or a real estate agent. Many small busi-nesses thrive on ethnic sales. There are distinct professional advantages arising

out of mutual help amongst doctors, engineers, computer scientists, etc. of the same ethnic origin. Similar political advantages can also be visualized. The main political parties of the country would usually attempt to reach the identifiable ethnic communities. The first task of the WBF is to formally create a community of Brahmans to exploit such regional advantages for the members. The natural next step is to cross the regional boundaries.

There is a large number of Brahmans in North America and of course a very large number in the whole world. Unless they identify themselves to-gether, it is just a crowd of Brahmans. The WBF, by bringing them together under a common cultural umbrella, aims to convert this crowd into a com-munity. Since the Brahmanatva is not confined to one region or country of the world, the community of Brahmans must transcend geographical and politi-cal boundaries. We must create an in-ternational community of Brahmans. WBC would be a step in that direction.

Trust the force The main socio-economic advantage

of ‘coming together’ is survival as well as the quality of survival- and that would be no mean achievement. Sci-ence and technology, and the conse-quent industrialization, have brought about a fragmentation of society. Social fragmentation is creating a sense of insecurity and isolation in the individu-als. The sense of insecurity and isola-tion is usually not explicit. However, it does make a psychological impact on the thinking process of the individuals. It affects interaction between an indi-vidual and the society and hence the quality of life of the individual.

Most socio-psychologists agree that a defragmentation of society is not possi-ble in the present age. While accepting social fragmentation as a contemporary fact, they emphasize the need for the individuals to establish at least tempo-rary links. Sometimes, such as in the wake of a natural calamity or wars, the affected individuals form automatic links. Sports are another example of the natural human need to form links. For example, in a football match, you can easily see the formation of emotional links between thousands of supporters

of a team. These links are obviously temporary. The Brahmans already have a permanent and a much stronger link through a common culture and tradi-tion. But the link must be nurtured and explicitly identified. The WBF aims to do just that.

Presently, there is a distinct feeling amongst many Brahmans in India that they are being persecuted or will be persecuted in near future. A famous UP leader used vulgar and abusive lan-guage for Mahatma Gandhi saying that he supported Brahmans and people of the upper caste. Fortunately, India is much too broad and deep-rooted for such voices to be effective beyond a limit, and an all out inter-caste conflict is unlikely. However, it is important to make a note of such events. There is a clear-cut need for an organization to promote rational thoughts.

To summarize, my main thesis is that in the present age of fragmented soci-ety and localized irrational forces, it is of paramount importance for individu-als to form regional as well as interna-tional links and communities. Brahma-natva provides that much-needed link that transcends regional and national boundaries. It is a natural link but needs to be identified and nurtured. Brahmanatva, can be a positive and a strong creative force. As Jodi says in Star Wars, "Trust the force."

Passing the torch Many Brahmans would not be able to

formally define what Brahmanatva is. Many of us may have never read Vedas or Upanishads. The good news is that we don’t need to unless we want to. It would be nice if we did, but we can be Brahmans without defining the Brah-manatva or ever reading the scriptures. A healthy respect for the scriptures, religion, traditions, and above all the "samskar", as pointed out by Prof Ra-manath Sharma at the 1995 BSNA con-vention, is needed for being a Brah-man. These currents of Brahmanatva flowed automatically in the Brahman society in villages in the earlier days. In the present days of fragmented society, definite efforts have to be made to en-sure that Brahmanatva prevails and survives. Hence, it is necessary to pass on the torch of Brahmanatva to the younger generation. WBF must act as


Let us rise to the new millennium


Blessings and Messages of Goodwill for Eko’hum From: Hitendra C. Upadhyaya –

Founding member of Nandera Brah-min Samaj Trusty Board, Former president and Current member of Trusty board , Brahmin Samaj Of USA ( BSOU), Vice President , WBF

It gives me great pleasure and pride to present this message to my fellow Brahmans throughout the whole world under the auspicious of World Brah-man Federation. It is about time that, we Brahmans all over the world unite and form such umbrella organization that caters to our needs and nurture our values and our rich culture.

Brahmans are scattered throughout the world. They all have their origin from different parts of India. Although they come from different regions and states of country & may speak different languages, they have common culture, common values and rituals. It is like different faces, but one family. Tech-nology and communication advances have brought the people from all around the world together. Internet and computers have revolutionized the way we interact and communicate with each other’s. Thus such umbrella organiza-tions have become possible and reality. It is doable, people are doing it, I am sure we can also do it successfully with very candid support from each of you.

United we progress, divided we fall. Brahmans are scattered throughout the world including North America and Europe. They have formed their groups and associations and have been cele-brating various festivals and cultural holidays. Because of time constrains and other factors, there is no united focus beyond these activities. There-fore, it is very important that we have one umbrella organization like the WBF.

I urge you all to whole heatedly sup-port this organization, which will take us beyond the current status of regional fragmented activities carried out by each separate organization. If each of our organizations are united together or represented under one umbrella organi-zation with keeping independence of each as it is, it will surpass the strength of our community at large. Long live Brahmans and our rich heritage culture. God bless our strength and unity.

From: I.D. Swami, Minister of State; Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi Today entire World is suffering from terrorism and this pain is destructing humanity. When the

entire humanity is grieving from this pain, it's our duty to come together and save the rich inheritance given to us by our ancestors.

We want prosperity of all. We want to see everyone living peacefully and happily. To achieve this great aim we want to become pioneer and leader for the entire world. This is only possible when we do self-thinking and self evaluation and guide our youth and new generation about our culture and vast civilization we inherit, so that they can move with the changing times and work with new energy and enthusiasm.

WBF, USA has elected an eminent Brahmin leader Pt. Mange Ram Sharma as the Convention Director. I hope under his dynamic leadership World Brahmin Convention, India 2003, will be a great success. I wel-come all delegates from all over the world.

From: Keshri Nath Tripathi, Chair-m a n , V i d h a n Sabha, UP (translated from Hindi) I am very pleased to learn that the World Brahman Convention

2003, India is going to be organized in New Delhi on Dec 27-28 and in Vrin-davan on Dec. 29, 2003.

Ekoham, to be published at this occa-sion, will definitely be full of articles concerning the progress of Brahmans, which will benefit every body associ-ated with the Brahman organizations in the world .

I send my heartiest good wishes for the success of the convention and taste-ful publication of Ekoham.

From: Manoranjan Mishra Treasurer, WBF I would like to first congratulate Dr.

Vinod Tewary for publishing Ekoham on behalf of the World Brahman Fed-eration. Knowing Brahman community where two Pundits have hard time to get along with each other,I firmly be-lieve that Ekoham is going to solidify the entire Brahman community of the world. My prayers and good wishes are with Ekoham.

From: Ramagya Chaturbedi, Gen-eral Secretary , Brahman Samaj of Nepal

It gives me immense pleasure today to note that "Ekoham", a new newslet-ter being published to bring together the Brahman community worldwide, is being released very soon. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and commend Dr. Vinod Tewary, the editor of the publication, and Mr. Nir-malendu Choubey, the founding presi-dent of World Brahman Federation, for their Herculean effort to bring out this newsletter and organizing the first ever World Brahman Convention in New Delhi during December 27-29, 2003.

Our chapter here in Nepal would like to wish all the organizing members of the convention good luck and we are sure that this event would be a grand success. May lord Pashupatinath bring prosperity and happiness to us all.

To get it right Pt. Onkar Nath Thankur was one of

the greatest musicians of India. Every morning he used to do his riyaaz (practice). Quite often he would simply practice the first note ‘sa’ for hours. Some body once asked him how long would he keep practicing just ‘sa’.

“Until I get it right” said the maestro with his usual modesty.

We Honor Them The WBF has instituted the following awards which will be given at the WBFC03: Brahmarshi, Rajarshi, Brahmaratna, Brahmashri, Brahmasammana, and Brahmasaurabha.


Blessings and Messages of Goodwill for Eko’hum

sionary zeal. Let us unite and work together to make this planet a better place to live in.

I extend my best wishes for the suc-cess of the conference and also the publication. I also congratulate Pt. Mange Ram Sharma Ji for his wholehearted support for organizing this convention.

From: Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Minister of Human re-source Development

I am happy to learn that the World Brahman Federation, USA, is sponsor-ing an international convention in India during December 27-29, 2003. I also learn that on this occasion the World Brahman Federation is also publishing a magazine entitled Eko-Hum.

From the very dawn of history, the Indian genius has been engaged in the quest of ultimate reality - the 'Brahman'. Several millennia ago In-dian seers had realized that Sarvam Idam Khalu Brahmam (All is Brahma), Ayam Atma Brahma (Atma is Brahma), Aham Brahmasmi - Tatta-vamasi ( I am Brahma - so art thou). These great statements are the quintes-sence of Sanatan Dharma (Eternal Truth). Those who recognize this deep and fundamental cosmic unity are the real Brahmans. They believe in univer-sal well-being and pray 'Sarve Bha-vantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramaya' (Let happiness, health and prosperity be bestowed on everybody). A true Brahman is, therefore, always dedicated to the welfare of one and all without any distinction of caste and creed, gender or birth.

The great spiritual leaders of India had declared 'Vasudhaiv Kutumb-kam'(world is a family) and it is this and this spiritual message alone which will bring peace and harmony to the present day world threatened by vio-lence and terrorism. I believe, the con-vention would provide an opportunity for charting out a road map for propa-gating the message of India and would inspire the participants and particularly the young minds to devote their ener-gies for preserving and protecting the values of Sanatana Dharma. It is the young who have to shape the destiny of the free society and they should come forward with determination and mis-

A true Brahman is, therefore, always dedicated to the wel-fare of one and all without any distinction of caste and creed, gender or birth.

From: Rama-kant Goswami Parliamentary Secretary to Chief Minister, Delhi I am very pleased to

learn that the World Brahman Conven-tion 2003 will be held in India. Today it is very important to try to unite the Brahmans because they are great and liberal in their hearts. The Brahmans have always earned fame and prestige in every field which indicates their high level of intellect.

I am happy that Pt. Mange Ram Sharma is taking a leadership role in this direction. Mr. Sharma has devoted his life to strengthening the organiza-tion of Brahmans.

I am confident that this great conven-tion, scheduled in India, will play a decisive role and convey a certain mes-sage. The economic, political, and so-cial problems of Brahmans will be dis-cussed at the convention.

I am confident that constructive deci-sions will be taken at the convention about the social issues. The community of Brahmans will be able to strengthen peace, love, goodwill, and mutual co-operation in the world.

I pray for the success of the World Brahman Convention and extend my heartiest best wishes.

From: Chanka Seeterram, President, Hindi Foundation of Trinidad (addressed to Nirmal Choubey)

Trinidad Indians are descendants of indentured labourers who came from India in 1845 and thereafter. The sec-ond, third, and fourth generation of Indians have maintained their culture,

From: Dharni Dhar Trivedi, Advo-cate, Chairman, All India Kanya-kubja Board; addressed to Mr. Nir-mal Chobey

It is a matter of pride and pleasure for all the Brahmans in India that 2nd World Brahman Convention is being held in India on Dec. 27-29, 2003. We extend a very cordial welcome to the delegates. I am sure that under your dynamic leadership it will be a great success as was the first conven-tion in Valley Forge, PA in July 2000. I still have very pleasant memories of the hospitality that was extended to us and the very useful discussions we had during the convention.

Our efforts during the convention could be to persuade the society to utilize the Brahman brilliance without malice or bias in the wider interests of the country. Just as an army protects a country, Brahmans have protected the Hindu religion. Their role should be clearly understood and due respect shown to them if we wish our religion to stand the attack by others.

I am looking forward to meeting the delegates particularly from outside to exchange views and come out with some concrete suggestions. With kind regards to you and your team.

however the language was never propa-gated. Presently Hindi is being intro-duced as a Pilot Project at the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Levels. Trini-dad and Tobago is a country of multi-ethnic and multi-religious beliefs, whilst Brahmans have retained their culture, language and religion. It is done on a personal and private basis rather than within an organization.

I take this opportunity of congratulat-ing you on your re-appointment as President of the World Brahman Fed-eration and look forward to learning more about your organization. I have noted the date of the World Brahman Convention in New Delhi on December 27, 28 and 29, and your plans to get Hon Prime Minister – Shri Atai Behari Vajpayee to deliver the Feature Ad-dress. I am sure with you at the helm this will be a success and the organiza-tion will grow from strength to strength.


From M.R. Sharma, Conven-tion Director, WBFC India 2003

A human being is the most beautiful creation of Nature. There is a big dif-ference between humans and other liv-ing things. A human being is gifted with brain, wisdom, power to think and invent. With the help of these he/she has developed society and culture with-out which he cannot live. Our ancestors has contributed a lot in developing the society. It’s only their sacrifice and asceticism that has strengthen the our road to prosperity and salvation. We have given a great culture and tradition not only to India but to the entire world. We have contributed in the form of Ved, Upnishad, Astronomy, Music, and other sciences. Only because of these, our country is known as the spiritual and religious guru. Our coun-try has fought terrorism, originated in the name of religion in a tactful man-ner. We have always defeated and overcome the bad omen with our cour-teous demeanor.

Today the entire world is suffering from terrorism and this pain is destruc-ting humanity. When the entire human-ity is grieving from this pain, it’s our duty to come together and save the rich inheritance given to us by our ances-tors.

“ Surve Bhavantu Sukhen ! Sarve Santu Niramaya .”

Meaning : We want prosperity of all. We want to see everyone living peace-fully and happily. To achieve this great aim we want to become pioneer and leader for the entire world. This is only possible when we do self-thinking and self-evaluation and guide our youth and new generation about our culture and vast civilization we inherit, so that they can move with the changing times and work with new energy and enthusiasm.

It was my privilege and honor that I participated in the “World Brahman Convention 2000” held in the USA. This was organized by the Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA). It was indeed a great feeling to see that Shri Nirmalendu Chaubey has worked very hard to bring together and estab-lish a strong organization of Brahmans in America. During this function I

gave a slogan “If you’ve to save the Indian society and culture, you have to s a v e B r a h m a n i s m , ” b e c a u s e “Hindustan, Hinduism and Brahman-ism complement each other.“ In our discussions, Shri Abhayanand Maharaj, Shri Manoranjan Mishra, Dr. Ramanath Sharma and other eminent personalities came together and decided to form World Brahman Federation (WBF) under the leadership of Shri Nirmal-endu Chaubey.

Last year Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey,

Pandit Manoranjan Mishra and Shri Jagar Sharma came to India to attend the first meeting of the WBF. In this meeting, representatives from Britain, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands etc. were also present. They convinced Dr. Ghan-shyam Pandey to hold the next meeting of the WBF, in New Delhi. After a long discussion, the committee members and the chairman Shri Nirmalendu Chaubey decided that the next World Brahman Federation Convention (WBFC) will be organized in New Delhi on Dec. 27, 28 and 29, 2003. I was appointed the Con-vention Director of this forthcoming Convention. All the Indian Brahman societies have come together and taken a pledge to make this forthcoming con-vention as most successful, but entire credit of the success goes to Brahman Organization’s serving abroad and spe-cially to Shri Nirmalendu Chaubey. I am extremely happy that all Brahmans in India are waiting eagerly to welcome our guest brothers and sisters according to our culture and religion.

Our main objective is to guide and to provide fruitful planning for our youth and coming generations, whether they belong to India or Abroad, we have to establish the significance of India as a Dharam Guru. We all in India are de-sirous to welcome you on your or your ancestor’s janam bhoomi (birthplace).

Your cooperation and support is awaited.


We want prosperity of all. We want to see everyone living peacefully and happily.

From: Ramchandra Tiwari (President Brahman Samaj of United Kingdom [email protected])

Creation of Universal family of Brahmans is being done!

Yes it is true. It is not any dream, nor any imagination; it is the reality of twenty-first century. We, the Brahmans of United Kingdom are feeling great. We are simply thrilled to know that the World Brahman Federation is fully up and running. Now we will not be talk-ing about any one country or a conti-nent but we will be talking about the Brahmans of entire world. The title of the official organ -“Ekoham,” says it all. “ We are one.”

Such publication for our organization is vary desirable in the present climate where Vedic culture and Hindu Relig-ion seems to be affected adversely by political and anti-social world condi-tions. Brahmans have a duty to stop the ills of Hindu Society developing any further and saving whatever we have at present. Eko’ham will carry the mes-sage of Brahmanik values to all corners of the world and inspire our commu-nity.

We wish and pray that in future Brah-mans will promote women and youth to come on the center stage and take lead in all the aspects of WBF. Every unit of Brahman Samaj has so far been domi-nated by elderly male who should start training other groups who have to carry forward this good work.

Our Thanks to Shri Nirmal Choubey whose tireless efforts have made it pos-sible to bring our community on one global platform. He is not only the founder father of BSNA but now he is the founder Father of WBF.

Our thanks to Shri MangeRam Sharma and Shri R.D.Dixit for their dedication to promote the organization from Indian sub continent.

We can’t convey our thoughts without the editor of Ekoham, hence Dr. Vinod Tewary who has taken the major task, deserves our thanks as well as Best wishes.


From: Reepu Daman Persaud Minister of Parliamentary Af-fairs, Republic of Guyana

I note that the World Brahman Fed-eration will publish a quarterly News-letter Ekoham and that Dr. Vinod Te-wary will be its first editor. I also note that the next Brahman World Conven-tion will be held in New Delhi and Vrindaban, India during December.

These activities are most welcome and provide the media for articulating the universal message of Sanatan Dharma. A journal can serve as an ef-fective medium for defining and inter-preting the varying concepts of our dharma which are not yet fully under-stood. The tolerance which is taught by the Vedas, Shastras, and Puranas need to be fostered so that Hinduism can continue to contribute to a process of reconciliation and understanding. My own view is that Sanatan Dharma has the scope for such pursuit and we should not fail in doing so.

The objective of your organization must be to build a united world follow-ing the concept of Vasudeva Kutum-bakam. Your journal is timely and must be used to unequivocally echo the mes-sage of oneness which is a prerequisite for stability and peace. We must not hesitate to clearly emphasize that every Hindu has an equal place in the fabric of our dharma and everyone is equally accommodated and embraced in the journey for the acquisition of Moksha. In addition to journals and conferences, there is a dire need for the publication and distribution of simple tracts ex-plaining simply the varying concepts of our dharma, an understanding of which will herald the noble goal of together-ness. I want to take this opportunity to wish Ekohum every success.

From: Vidyadhar Mishra Member, Shri Sanatan Dhar-miya Brahman Maha Sabha – Mauritius

The President and members of Shri Sanatan Dharmiya Brahman Maha Sabha of Mauritius have great pleasure in associating themselves with the launching of this souvenir magazine

Ekoham of the WBF. It is a matter of pride to see the Brah-

man Family organizing itself on a global scale at a time when communi-cations have reduced the seven seas and the five continents to a global vil-lage. Brahmans are the custodians of Hinduism and Hindu Culture, Tradi-tions and Thoughts and, thanks to them, Hinduism is still thriving in many countries besides India.

Brahmans have been subject of false and malicious propaganda over the last century by politicians, social workers and film makers. They have been pro-jected to be at the roots of all the ills of Society to an extent that some Brah-mans feel ashamed to identify them-selves as Brahmans. In many instances we have been projected as exploiters of the weaker sections of Society.

Now we should reorganise ourselves and teach our children about our true heritage. From the Vedic times to this day, Brahmans have occupied the fore-front of every sphere of Society. This we have done in a spirit of serving and sharing. Brahmans have always led simple and pious lives with their con-cern being directed more towards the welfare of others than their own wel-fare. Selfishness and hoarding of wealth have always been decried as the greatest enemy of Brahmanism.

Shri Sanatan Dharmiya Brahman Maha Sabha- Mauritius was founded on April 9, 1935 and was registered with the Registrar of Association bear-ing Registration No 182. We are per-haps one of the oldest Brahman Or-ganizations of the world. The objec-tives of the Association were to pre-serve and promote Sanatan Dharma in Mauritius. To encourage the teaching and learning of Hindi and Sanskrit. To provide a platform to the Brahman priests where 'dharmic' issues could be discussed and consensus be reached on controversial matters. Above all it was to bring unity among the Brahmans in Mauritius.

Members of Shri Sanatan Dharmiya Brahman Maha Sabha are looking for-ward to the WBF Convention to be held in New Delhi towards the end of this year. It will be an occasion for us to exchange our views and ideas and


also to share our experiences. The President Shri Damodur

Choubey Toolseeji and members of Shri Sanatan Dharmiya Brahman Maha Sabha seize this opportunity to laud the efforts of those behind Ekoham and, in particular, Shri Vinod Tewaryji, Editor, and Shri Nirmal Choubeyji for their dedication to the cause of Brahmanism.

We do not apologise for being born Brahman and we have the right to live as Brahman.

From: Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahasamstanam Sringeri (sent by his representative on his behalf) I am directed to con-

vey the gracious blessings of His Holi-ness to all the participants of this World Brahman Convention, 2003.

Prayers are offered for the success-ful conduct of the Convention and the divine blessings of His Holiness are conveyed for the highest, deepest, and largest outcome for your su-preme religious endeavor to enlighten the blind instincts, random intuitions, and vague perceptions of the masses and achieve greater light and higher ascension through this convention.

From: Dr. Vivekanand Sharma, Programme Coordi-nator, Hindi Studies Program, The University of the South Pacific, Fiji.

It is heartening to learn that you have decided to publish anewsletter. Surely this will be a very good way to contact the Brahman world over and keep them updated with the activities of the WBF.

'Eko'hum', I am sure, will lead the way to our unity and success. Good-will and understanding will be encour-aged and strenghtened.My congratula-tions and best wishes are with you and the organisation. Subhaste sant pan-thanah! May God bless you!


By R. D. Dixit The move to integrate the Brahmans

spread all over the world, was initiated at the World Brahman Conference organized by Brahman Samaj of North America (BSNA) in July 2000 at Penn-sylvania. The conference, assessing the need for for such coordinated well knit and integrated Brahman Commu-nity was keenly felt. Accordingly, in one of the sessions a proposal to organ-ize and form a World Brahman Federa-tion was moved and resolved. This was appreciated by all participants.

In order to prepare a detailed blue print about structure, scope, objectives, management, working strategies and the like, an expert small committee comprising six devoted and sincere members, namely Mr. Abhayanand Maharaj, Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey, Mr. Manoranjan Mishra (all from USA) along with Mr. R. D. Dixit, Mr. Mange Ram Sharma and Dr. Sangam Mishra (all from India) was formed.

This committee after thread bare and long discussion on various aspects of the proposed WBF submitted its report in one of the sessions of the under the Chairmanship of Mr. Abhayanand Ma-haraj. The report of the said committee was considered practical and useful by BSNA and accordingly was accepted and adopted. Mr. Nirmalendu Choubey, President BSNA was nominated as President of proposed WBF.

Details of progress of activities of WBF are mentioned below :- 1) Regular meeting of different Brah-man Federation organizations in India were held among themselves i.e (All India Kanyakubj Board, All India Brahman Mahasabha and Brahman International) and also with WBF presi-dent Mr. Nirmalendu Choubey, Dr. Ghanshyam Pandey Chairman Board of Governors of WBF and Mr. Surendra Tewari from Holland separately for giving proper shape to WBF. 2) In 2001 a large meeting of delegates and office bearers of Indian Brahman Organizations along with delegates from Nepal , Mauri t ius, U.K, America, Holland etc. was held in India to consider the organization of World Brahman Convention 2003 in India and also affiliation of above said organiza-

tion with WBF. 3) The World Brahman Convention 2003 India is being con-vened at New Delhi (India) from Dec 27 to 29 2003. 4) A regular quarterly News Letter "EKOHAM" is being pub-lished by WBF with Dr. Vinod Tewary as its editor. The Brahman fraternity of the world appreciates this Herculean task of formation of WBF to protect Brahmanism and Brahman values for preservation of their heritage and cul-ture. It is our sincere and earnest appeal to all Brahmans and their organizations to give whole hearted support to make a stronger WBF.

We convey our heartiest congratula-tions and gratitude the founder members of the WBF for their contri-bution and efforts.

World Brahman Federation - A Welcome Move

Anoop Jalota, son of Bhajan expo-nent Purshottam Das Jalota, took his first lessons in music from his re-nowned father. Anoop then, was barely 7 years old. Between then and now Anoop Jalota has matured into a singer par excellence to become a leading and most-sought-after performer of the day. Known for his versatility, the smiling and ever-obliging musician from L u c k n o w , r e n d e r s B h a j a n s , Ghazals,Geets and Film Songs with equal grace and finesse. No wonder, wherever Anoop goes - East, West, North, South, his easy charm and mel-lifluous voice holds his audience spell-bound in admiration.

Anup Jalota was born in Nainital and studied music in Lucknow university. Like so many other singers he was to struggle early, singing film songs on stage. He came to Bombay in 1974 and had to struggle through AIR chorus group. He got a break when he got to sing for film Sirdi Ke Sai Baba, which became a big bit. But his heart was not in film music. After a successful con-cert tour in UK, he got a deal with Mu-sic India and released the album Shamakhana which was quite a hit. Soon other albums like Moods and Farmaish were released. He has been a prolific singer giving over 4000 live concerts and released about 150 ghazal and bhajan albums, the most famous being Takhaiyul.

Anoop Jalota has set a new world record by receiving more than 100 Gold, Platinum, and Multi-Platinum discs.

Anoop Jalota- The Bhajan Samraat Expected at the WBFC

the enabler for passing that torch. Passing of torch from one generation

to the next is the process of evolution. It is imperative that the WBF recog-nizes this process as an integral part of Brahmanatva. Only a few decades ago, Ramanujam, one of the greatest mathe-maticians of this century, "the man who knew infinity", was outcast from the local Brahman community because he traveled abroad. Let us be absolutely clear: Brahmanatva, for it to have any relevance at all, must be above such petty considerations. Any attempt to define Brahmanatva in terms of strict traditional ideas would make it irrele-vant, if not totally useless and repul-sive. Brahmanatva must evolve at each point of space and time, along with the new generation.

It is interesting to observe that, whereas science and technology has fragmented the society, it has brought the world closer. Every generation has a wider circle of confluence than the previous ones through travel and, now, with rapidly increasing electronic com-munications. We must convey the mes-sage that Brahmanatva is not confined to geographical boundaries. We must provide platforms for people to meet and develop contacts with other people all over the world. The WBC would precisely serve that purpose. Hopefully, once people meet face to face, they will keep in contact through modern elec-tronic means of communication.

(Continued from page 8)


Mr. Mange Ram Sharma Mr. Mange Ram Sharma was born at

Beri, in district Rohtak, Haryana in Oct. 1936. His father, Late Pt. Duli Chand was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and a reputed astrologer of Northern India who worked with Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya.

Mr. Sharma, after earning his M.A.,

B.Ed., and LL.B. degrees, joined the Education Department in March 1954. He flung himself right in to the activi-ties of the teacher union during his youthful days and went on hunger strike in 1956 for the provincialisation of School in combined Punjab. After formation of Haryana State Mr. Sharma was elected Gen. Secretary of Haryana Government School Teacher's Union that was transformed into a pow-erful body with his tireless efforts tour-ing the whole State time and again. In Dec. 1978 he represented India at the World Teachers Congress held in Phil-ippines. In Nov. 1979, Mr. Sharma was appointed Officer on Special Duty in the Haryana Education. He sought voluntary retirement from the Govt. Service in 1987.

Mr. Sharma has lot of organizational experience. In 1983 Mr. Sharma was one of the main organizers of the Third Vishva Hindi Sammelan which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister of India, Late Smt. Indira Gandhi. He has been the chairman of Brahman or-ganizations and has organized many big conferences of Brahman Commu-

Mr. R.D. Dixit Mr. Rameshwar Dayal Dixit was

born in Balahapara Khurd in Kanpur District Uttar Pradesh. He took his law degree from Bihar. He has been ac-tively associated with various social organizations. He was the first Presi-dent of All India Kanyakubja Brahman Mahasabha, Delhi, First Chairman of the All India Kanyakubja Board (AIKB), and later the managing direc-tor of AIKB.

Presently he is the Secretary General of the AIKB and a member of the Board of Trustees of the WBF. He has led the publication of various maga-zines like

Kanyakubj Darpan, Directory and Sam-park Nirdeshika. He has an excellent organizational experience. He led the hosting of various events ranging from religious rituals (samuhik upnayan samaskar, marriages) to national level conferences in various parts of India. In his own word, his major achievement is to spread the AIKB activities all over India, with which more than 300 Brah-man Community Associations are af-filiated. He also led the 35 member Indian delegation to the World Brah-man Convention Y2K organized by the BSNA at PA, USA.

WBFC03– The organizers nity throughout the country. At present Mr. Sharma is working as Chief Patron of All India Brahmin Mahasabha.

Mr. Sharma's journalistic experience is also impressive. He worked as Politi-cal Press Adviser to the Government of Haryana from 1991 to 1995. From 1991 to 1994, he was a member of the Media Advisory Committee headed by the Prime Minister of India. He was the

chief editor of Hari Awaz, a fortnightly publication. Mr. Sharma has earned many well deserved laurels. In 1979 Mr. Sharma was honoured for his services to Rajya Bhasha by the then Vice President of India, Shri B.D. Jatti at a function in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Mr. Sharma was honored by Mr. S.D. Sharma, the President of India in Sept. 1992 through National Press of India at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.

Mr. Mange Ram Sharma felicitated by Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi and other friends

Dr. Sangam Mishra Dr. Sangam Mishra, a gold medallist

M.A. in History and Archeology and also in English Literature, took his Ph.D. in Netherlands. He is the Chair-man of the Central Academy Organiza-tion in which more than 100K students have been educated- many with schol-arships and other help. He is the secre-tary of the Scholar's education Trust of India, President of Pt. T.N. Mishra Charitable Trust, Jaipur, and President of the Udaipur Nagrik Manch. In addi-tion, he is associated with different social organizations working for the needy students in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

WBFC Committee Chairman and Convention Director: M.R. Sharma Convention Secretary General: R.D. Dixit Director Finance: Dr. Sangam Mishra Members Pt. Mahesh Dutt Sharma President, A.I.B.M.S. Pt. Dharni Dhar Trivedi President, A.I.K.B. Pt. Acharya Prabhakar Mishra, President, Brahmin International

To All Our Readers


WORLD BRAHMAN CONVENVENTION 2003 INDIA Venue: Hotel Ashok, Convention Hall, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi/Vrindavan.

WBC Tentative Programme – De.27-29, 2003 Convention Hall, Ashok Hotel

Date Time Event Dec.27 08:30 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. Registration of Delegates 09:30 a.m. Assembly of delegates in Convention Hall

10:00 a.m. Arrival of Chief Guest 10:05 a.m. Inaugural Ceremony: Ganesh Pujan, Saraswati Vandana, Ved Man-

trochcharan 10:20 a.m. Welcome of Chief Guest/V.V.I.P.s/Delegates 10:35 a.m. Inauguration by the Chief Guest, Deep Prajwalan, Garlanding statues of

Saraswati, Ganesh and Parashuram 10:45 a.m. Address by Chief Guest 11:00 a.m. Distinguished Speakers (five) 11:30 a.m. Tea Break 11:45 a.m. Keynote Address: “Brahmanical Value System in the Cyber Age” 12:15 p.m. Preliminary Session - Subject: “Curbing Terrorism through Brahminical

Values” 01:30 p.m. Lunch Break 02:30 p.m. General Session – Awards and Speeches by WBF President, Convention

Director, National President - All India Brahman Mahasabha, Secretary General, Director – Finance

03:15 Tea Break 03:30 p.m. Theme Session – Meritocracy-a must for unleashing India’s Latent Energy 05:00 p.m. Dispersal 07:30 p.m. Dinner and Cultural Programme (Place to be decided)

Dec.28 09:30 p.m. Assembly 10:00 a.m. Breakout Sessions A – Remedies for Global Health Problems B - Low cost entrepreunership, its relevance and management C - Foreign Assistance and co-ordination of youth education and employment D - Role that NRIs can play to promote pre-eminence of India in the World order 11:30 a.m. Tea Break 12:00 noon Breakout Sessions

E - Role of Brahmans in maintaining harmony among human races F - Brahminical talents in literature, science, technology, social & political fields G - Braminical Sanskar and their relevance in modern times H - Oriental achievements in Astrological Sciences and Vastu Shashtra 01:30 p.m. Lunch Break

02:30 p.m. Youth/Ladies Conference/Informal interaction 03:30 p.m. Tea Break

04:00 p.m. Concluding Session – Resolutions of Subgroups & Vote of thanks 07:00 p.m. Dinner and Cultural Programme (Place to be informed) Vrindavan – General Session Dec. 29 08:00 a.m. Departure from Delhi by Bus/own Cars (Breakfast at Hodal) 12:00 noon Assembly at Vrindavan 01:00 p.m. Lunch

02:00 p.m. General Open Session – Opening Ceremony by the Chief Guest 02:30 p.m. Welcome of delegates, Speeches by eminent persons & delegates, 04:30 p.m. Presidential Speech and Vote of Thanks 05:00 p.m. Conclusion and Dispersal

From: WBF 18 Fitzgerald Lane, Columbus, NJ 08022, USA.

inside...

Messages of goodwill from VIPs– starting p9 Movers & shakers– Profile of a Brahman-p3

Eko’hum Welocmes All Delegates toWBFC’03 at New Delhi

From: Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Chief Minister, Uttaranchal I am very happy to know that

your federation is sponsoring a World Convention on Dec. 27, 2003 in Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, and on 29th December, in Vrindavan. It is also heartening to know that the World Brahman Federation is also bringing out a Nirdeshika (Eko-hum) which will be distributed to all its member, world-wide.

I convey my best wishes for the successful publication of Ekohum and wish the first World Brahmin Convention scheduled to be held on 27th- 28th December in New Delhi, India. Please also convey my good wishes to all associated with this or-ganization for promoting world har-mony, peace, and social amity (and) its publication- Eko'hum. With best wishes. (Signed)

From: Sheila Dikshit Chief Minister, Govt. of Na-tional capital territory of Delhi

I am happy to know that the world Brahman Convention is being held in India at New Delhi and Vrindavan and Nirdeshika is also being published for the occasion.

I hope that the delegates at the con-vention will dwell upon contempo-rary relevant issues of peace and knowledge and will benefit from the interactions. I wish the Convention and its organizers all success.

From: Dr. Rajendra Awasthy, fa-mous Hindi novelist and retired editor of Kadambini: I am pleased to

learn that WBF is bringing out a quar-terly journal Eko’hum with Dr. Vinod Tewary as its editor. A good journal is an essential activity of an organization. I know Dr. Tewary personally as a sci-entist and as a poet. I am sure that un-der his editorship, Eko’hum will turn out to be an excellent journal and play a strong creative role in bringing the community together. Best wishes.

dec 2k3 volume 1 issue 1 chalo dilli your new voice 2k3 volume 1 issue 1 chalo dilli halo dilli- the...

Documents