S B Veylanswami

The last weekend in May we were guests at an event at the Hindu Temple of Greater Atlanta, USA. It was a simultaneous celebration of the 12-year reconsecration of the existing temple for Venkateswara and the inauguration for the new temple for Siva. On many evenings the Vaishnava priests would help in the Siva ceremonies and vice-versa. The smooth, harmonious working together of the Vaishnava and Saiva priests and the Siva and Venkateswara devotees was uplifting and encouraging, showing how well these two traditions are able to cooperate and blend their energies, without giving up their distinct beliefs. Hindus the world over, while following unique and varied paths, are united by their belief in karma, dharma, God, the sanctity of the Vedas, reincarnation, enlightenment, yoga, the illumined guru’s centrality, and the mysticism of worship.

That is the basis for coming together to help one another and to reach out to the world. Hindu leaders of varied sects and lineages are coming forward. Their wisdom is being articulated at global forums and interfaith councils, conferred through advisory boards to governments, taught in classrooms, and broadcast via TV and the Internet. All this

is possible because Hindu Vaishnavites, Hindu Smartas, Hindu Saktas, and Hindu Saivites are proud and willing to stand up and work together as brother and sister Hindus, respecting the efforts of one another. — Beliefnet.com, concluded