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Amazon removes Lord Hanuman underwear after the protest
 
Online retailer Amazon.com withdrew underwear carrying image of Hindu deity Lord Hanuman from its website within a day after upset Hindus protested calling it “highly inappropriate”.
 
Hanuman men’s underwear, made from satin cloth with Lord Hanuman image, and sold for $49.62 at Amazon.com, does not show up anymore. Amazon.com also removed doormat carrying Lord Hanuman image.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protest asking for immediate withdrawal of this objectionable product, in a statement in Nevada today, thanked Amazon.com for understanding the concerns of Hindu community which thought image of Lord Hanuman on such a product was highly insensitive.
 
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, however, pointed out that a formal apology from Amazon.com President Jeffrey P. Bezos to the upset Hindu community was still due, as this was not the first time for the company to offer such products which were deemed offensive by Hindu devotees.
 
Rajan Zed suggested that Amazon and other companies should send their senior executives for training in religious and cultural sensitivity so that they had an understanding of the feelings of customers and communities when introducing new products or launching advertising campaigns.
 
Zed says that Lord Hanuman is greatly revered in Hinduism and is meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to wear on your hip/crotch or put your feet on or touch with your feet. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda is not okay as it hurt the faithful.
 
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed indicates.
 
Zed further says that such trivialization of Hindu deity was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus are for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith is something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed adds.
 
Lord Hanuman is known for incredible strength and was a perfect grammarian. There are about three million Hindus in USA.
 
Amazon.com, Inc., a Fortune 500 company founded in 1994, and headquartered in Seattle (USA), claims to offer earth’s biggest selection.

Louisiana State University offers free yoga workshops & clinic
 
Hindus have welcomed Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s flagship university which claims to be “one of the premier Research Universities in the South”, for offering free yoga workshops and clinic; and are urging all US universities to offer such free yoga programs.
 
Besides free Yoga Pranayama (“bring harmony to the mind, body, and spirit”), and Yoga Handstands workshops in its reportedly 3,268  square foot “Mind & Body Studio” and a Paddleboard Yoga Clinic; LSU is also offering a “Yoga Retreat” which includes a “guided meditation”, Power Yoga, Yoga for Relaxation, Vinyasa Yoga, Align & Flow Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Yoga Fundamentals.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, termed it as a step in the positive direction to make yoga workshops and clinic available free of cost for students, faculty, and staff at such a renowned institution; and offer a variety of other yoga programs at an affordable price.
 
Yoga, referred as “a living fossil”, was a mental and physical discipline, for everybody to share and benefit from, whose traces went back to around 2,000 BCE to Indus Valley civilization, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, noted.
 
Rajan Zed further said that yoga, although introduced and nourished by Hinduism, was a world heritage and liberation powerhouse to be utilized by all. According to Patanjali who codified it in Yoga Sutra, yoga was a methodical effort to attain perfection, through the control of the different elements of human nature, physical and psychical.
 
According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to a “2016 Yoga in America Study”, about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image.  Yoga was the repository of something basic in the human soul and psyche, Zed added.

Established in 1860, LSU offers 211 degree programs and enrolls over 31,000 students. F. King Alexander, Scott Ballard and Laurie Braden are President, Board of Supervisors Chair and University Recreation Executive Director respectively.

Miley Cyrus told that marriage is a “spiritual union”
 
Welcoming the reported interest of Hollywood star Miley Cyrus to have a Hindu wedding in summer in Himalayas, Hindus are explaining to her that aim of marriage in Hinduism is a “spiritual union” and not just “physical union”.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that they were pleased to see Miley’s interest in Hinduism, and added that marriage (known in Sanskrit as vivaha) was a highly important samskar (sacrament) and one of the highest duties in Hinduism, which was binding in this life and the life thereafter.
 
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, noted that ancient vivaha had its roots in Rig-Veda, the oldest existing scripture of the mankind, which had indicated that spirituality was the chief purpose of the marriage. Moreover, marriage would mark transition to maturity for Miley and her prospective groom Australian actor Liam Hemsworth.
 
Rajan Zed suggested Miley to read some Hindu scriptures like Bhagavad-Gita and learn Sanskrit (as most part of the Hindu wedding ceremony is conducted in Sanskrit), to really internalize the spirit of the ceremony.
 
Zed indicated that in a traditional vivaha, mantras (seeking the presence of deities at the ceremony) were chanted, involving worshipping of—Aditi, Agni, Brahma, Ganesha, Indra, Lakshmi, Maruts, Navagrahas, Rudra, Saraswati, Shiva, Surya, Varuna, Vishnu, etc.; and included urging the present deities to unite hearts of the couple (Miley & Liam) like two rivers merging into each other. Mantras also asked for making the couple free from the sins, their mastery over senses and mind, banishment of their sufferings, peace, etc.
 
Rajan Zed further said that Miley also would be reciting some mantras, including asking for the long life of Liam and love between the couple from God Agni (fire). Liam, in his mantra, holding the right hand of the Miley, would be asking among other things, for irrevocable relationship between husband-wife. Another mantra by Liam would urge Miley to live with him for hundred years and give him offspring, as producing offspring was considered one of the duties of the married couple.
 
Zed listed other usually held rituals (all of which have definite meanings) at the actual traditional Hindu wedding ceremony, which might last few hours, as including: saptapadi (taking seven steps in the presence of sacred live fire), kanyadaan (with wife sitting next to him, bride’s father Billy Ray Cyrus gives-away the bride by placing her right hand over the hand of the groom), pani-grahan (groom grasping bride’s right hand with his right hand), circumambulation around fire, bride placing her right foot on a millstone, giving-away of a cow by bride’s father to the groom, bride’s brothers offering puffed rice to the bride, groom filling the bride’s parting line in the hair with vermillion, tying of the ends of the nuptial garments of the couple together, sprinkling of the holy water on the couple’s heads, havan (fire-sacrifice), ahutis (oblations) to various deities, etc. In kanyadaan, father of the bride transferred the responsibility of the daughter to the groom.
 
Various materials required for the ceremony included: vermillion powder, coconut, turmeric, betel-nut, laddu (ball like Indian sweetmeat), cow, honey, curd, cow-dung, conch, ghee (clarified butter), Lord Ganesha statue, mangalsutra (sacred thread), etc. Mandap (pavilion) for vivaha had to be according to some specifications and bride sat on the right side of the groom during marriage ceremony, Rajan Zed added.
 
According to Washington DC headquartered nonpartisan fact tank Pew Research Center, Hindus had the highest marriage rate and lowest divorce rate than any other religious group in USA. Moreover, the “spiritual union” we stressed in Hinduism, had more permanency as compared to just physical union, Zed stated.