Serving the Hindu community in Australia

Welcome to the website of the Australian Council of Hindu Clergy. We are a council of Hindu priests, monks, nuns, astrologers and preachers (kathakaras) coming from a wide range of backgrounds:— India, Srilanka, Nepal, Fiji and South Africa and practicing throughout Australia. We are dedicated to the service of the Hindu community at large  and the promotion of the Hindu Dharma in general and have been operating since 1989.
Our Management Team
President: Pandit Athreiya, Vice-President: Pandit Dave, Secretary:  Pandit Venkatraman Shastri,
Joint Secretary:  Pandit Bhattar,  Public Relations Officer: Pandit Sivan, Treasurer: Pandit Sharma
We are here to help you to celebrate your festivals and observe  your sacraments such as birth, marriage and funerals etc. As well as playing a role in educating and instructing the community in all matters pertaining to the theory and practice of the Dharma.

Application for Clergy Membership
Download an application form, fill it in, scan and send it to us by email. To download an application form click HERE

The Euthanasia Debate -
                                           A Hindu Perspective

Definition: Eu = good, thanatos = death. The practice of ending a person’s life in order to relieve incurable pain and unbearable suffering.
Before discussing this subject from a Hindu perspective there are a few key philosophical concepts underpinning and informing the debate.
  1. The individual is not the body but the conscious being (Self/atman) that is using the body as a vehicle.
  2. The body is a skin bag containing 70% water and essential elements and minerals. It is the transient, ever changing vehicle of the ātman — Self.
  3. The body obtained and the disabilities, diseases and mode of death are all determined by one’s previous karma and discernable from one’s birth chart.
  4. One’s evolution and progress in life are determined by one’s ethical practices and life-style (Dharma).
  5. The purpose of life is to pay off one’s past karmic debts, to generate good karma through loving kindness, compassion and generosity to others, to practice an ethical life-style i.e. Dharma and to obtain Self-realization — ātma-bodha, and to serve the Lord through this Dharmic life-style.
 
The Nature of the Individual Self vis-à-vis the body.
There are thousands of quotes and teachings on this matter in the sacred literature of India – but seeing that the Gita is universally accepted as the cream of the Vedas let us see what it has to say about the nature of the Self (Jīva). The 2nd Chapter deals extensively with this subject.

vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro’parāṇi |
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny-anyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī || 22 ||
22. As a person casts off worn-out garments and puts on others that are new, so does the embodied Self cast off its worn-out bodies and enter into others that are new.

The end of life status is determined by Karma. Negative past Karma generates current suffering, but it is believed that Karma can be redressed through atonement (prayashchitta) which includes pilgrimages, austerity and acts of generosity (dāna).

So the arguments regarding a patient resorting to euthanasia are:-—

AGAINST:– Because my suffering is pay back for pain that I have caused previously to other beings, I should silently and stoically endure the suffering in order to balance my karmic debt. I wilfully acted in the past and now I shall resolutely accept what I myself have engendered.

FOR:– My suffering has been intense and is no longer endurable, I have learnt my Karmic lesson and now wish to bring it to an end. I shall perform generous acts of charity with my resources and wealth prior to ending my life in order to atone for the balance of my negative Karma.

Then there are the arguments regarding the Karmic act of those assisting:--

AGAINST:– The highest ideal of Hinduism is ahimsa or non-violence. It is immoral, unethical and a sin to either end a person’s life or even to assist them in doing so. Therefore all those involved are creating bad-Karma which will retard their spiritual progress and for which they will suffer in future.

FOR:– Ahimsa is a nuanced concept. Killing is permitted by the Dharma in a number of circumstances – in self-defence, to protect women, children and the vulnerable, to protect property, for food etc.  According to the Gita to wage a righteous war is a virtue. It is the intention which determines whether an act constitutes bad or good karma. If the intention is to alleviate the suffering of an individual with the very consent of that individual then in  wherein lies the bad Karma?

As we have already noted the body is not a "gift" of God but rather a vehicle which we ourselves have generated through our previous Karma. Some Hindu spokesmen echoing Judeo-Christian ideas say:– "life is given by God and so only He can take it."  It is karma which gives rise to the connection of the ātman with the body, not God. The body is an externalization of our thought processes. The body is the means through which we workout our spiritual progress and liberation and as such it is extremely valuable, but only so far as it serves its purpose.

In the Hindu scriptures there are a number of reasons that suicide is recommended or permitted one of them being a chronic debilitating or  terminal illness.

mahārogopapattau ca gṛhīte-naśane kṛte |
punar na jāyate rogo deva-viddhi virājate || 8 ||
If a person suffering from an incurable or terminal disease, observes a fast and dies he has no rebirth. He rejoices in heaven like a deity.

ya āturaḥ san sannyāsaṁ gṛhṇāti yadi mānavaḥ |
punar na jāyate bhūmau saṁsāre duḥkha-sāgare || 9 ||
If a person suffering from an incurable disease takes to samnyāsa (formal renunciation) he is released from the cycle of rebirth in this world of sorrows and affliction. (Garuda Purana 2:36: 8 & 9)

In summary - from a Hindu perspective it is left to the personal choice of the individual based on his/her experience and expectations.

adhyāpanam adhyayanaṁ  yajanaṁ yājanaṁ tathā |
dānaṁ pratigrahaṁ ca-eva brāhmanānām akalpayat || 

To Priests was assigned the duties of teaching and studying (the Veda), performing rituals for their own benefit and for others in the community, giving and accepting (of donations). (Manu 1:88)
Panchang for 2019 calculated for Australia
                            Disclaimer
All the articles and comments on this site are the personal opinions of the author and not reflective of the views of all the members unless otherwise  stated.

            The Crime of Dowry

We, the Hindu Clergy of Australia unreservedly condemn the giving and the taking of Dowry. It is a social evil as well as a sin, condemned by the Shastra.

       strīdhanāni tu ye mohād upajīvanti bāndhavāḥ |
        nārī yānāni vastraṁ vā te pāpā yānti adhogatim ||
Those deluded relatives who live off a woman’s property — her carriages, her clothes, and so on are evil and go to hell.  (Manu 3:52)

It is illegal under the Australian Marriage act to pressure or to coerce the parties to a marriage in any way, and the giving and taking of dowry is a form of coercion. Participants to a coercive marriage can be prosecuted under the law.
                                False Advertising by so-called PANDITS

There are a number of so-called PANDITS that advertise in the local Indian Newspapers, claiming to be able to remove black-magic and witchcraft, to practice faith-healing, bring back-loved ones and to solve every problem with 100% Guarantee and 100% satisfaction.

These so-called PANDITS are not members of this organization and have nothing to do with us. We do not approve of their practices nor do we endorse their claims. No one, not even scientists can give 100% guarantee about anything and to claim this regarding voodoo and black-magic and other personal problems is plainly misleading, deceptive and false advertising.

                                               We request you to avoid these charlatans by all means.