Hindu Research Articles

Book review: Mrinal Pande. The Journey of Hindi Language Journalism in India: From Raj to Swaraj and Beyond

Mrinal Pande. The Journey of Hindi Language Journalism in India: From Raj to Swaraj and Beyond. Orient BlackSwan, 2022; 176 pp., ₹1195.

Hindi version of the lower extremity functional scale: a study of translation, validation and cross-cultural adaptation

BACKGROUND: Lower Extremity Function Scale (LEFS) serves as a patient-reported outcome measure, used to evaluate the functional status of lower extremity in different musculoskeletal conditions. It was originally developed in English language (E-LEFS) and numerous translations in different languages are available to measure its usability among different cultures. OBJECTIVES: To translate the English version of the Lower Extremity Function Scale (E-LEFS) into Hindi language and to evaluate its content validity, cross-cultural adaptation along with the concurrent validity and reliability. METHOD: Process of forward and backward translation was carried out by two bilingual translators and a physiotherapist after obtaining developer’s approval, for which the Beaton guidelines were used. For the content validation, Delphi method of was employed in which 12 field experts of more than 5 years of experience participated. Cultural adaptation procedures were then carried out with 12 patients, who reported in out-patient department of the hospital through convenience sampling who were asked about whether the H-LEFS was well understood by the patients. Their responses were recorded as positive and negative responses. This process was followed by concurrent validation which was conducted by comparing the scores with the SF-36 scale, involving 30 patients with activity limitation in their daily life. Lastly, 50 patients were recruited for intra-rater reliability testing. RESULT: The scale was successfully translated and verified by the bi-lingual language experts. Content validity came out to be significant with each item scoring more than 0.92. Nearly all items, excluding item no. 8, 16, 17, 18, and 19 received universal agreement with a content validity ratio of 1. The average scale-level validity stood at 0.98, indicating excellent level of validity and the scale was found to be well adapted by the native people as out of 12 patients, 10 patients provided 100% positive response. Concurrent validation using Pearson’s correlation coefficient came out excellent with the values of 0.993 for E-LEFS and 0.890 for SF-36. Cronbach's alpha and ICC values were calculated as 1.00 for Intra-rater reliability. CONCLUSION: LEFS was well translated into Hindi language with an excellent content and concurrent validity and is found to be highly reliable. Hence, it is recommended for the usage of native Hindi speaking population.

The Saffronization of Public Knowledge in India

Abstract During the political regime of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), public knowledge in India has been tarnished with political colors. The BJP has used the color saffron, which is closely associated with the Indian National Flag, as a sociopolitical tool to signal patriotism, nationalism, indigenization, and decolonization. However, the government’s policies and messages focus on the self-profiting mechanisms of Hindutva ideology. According to the BJP, the notions of pre-colonial knowledge systems and patriotism are only related to the Hindu religion. Thus, public knowledge in India has been politicized through “saffronization”: the color saffron, rightwing political ideologies, and religious fundamentalism combine to create false beliefs about Indian history and culture, which then inspire and excuse hate and crime.

TECHNIQUES TO SOLVE UNIFORM THIRD DEGREE EQUATION HAVING FOUR VARIABLES

Each article should be accompanied by an abstract of up to 250 words in English, which should mention all the principal facts and conclusions set forth in the paper. A similar abstract in Hindi language may be added, but this is not required. The homogeneous cubic equation with four unknowns given by is studied for obtaining its non-zero distinct integer solutions. Substitution technique and factorization method are utilized to determine the same.

PEMBINAAN YOGA ASANAS UNTUK MEWUJUDKAN KESEIMBANGAN JASMANI DAN ROHANI PADA SISYA PASRAMAN DI KECAMATAN JOGONALAN

Yoga is known as the philosophical system of life in ancient India. Yoga is already a part of lifestyle, everyone can enjoy yoga and feel the benefits of yoga itself. In this modern era, the interest of the Hindu generation to practice yoga tends to be low. For this reason, it is necessary to preserve culture in Hinduism including yoga itself. In order to improve health and physical fitness, therefore we held yoga simultaneously in Gentan Hamlet, Dompyongan Village, Jogonalan District, Klaten Regency. The solution method is to practice yoga, one of which is Yoga Asanas and the indicators can measure the effectiveness of efforts in increasing the interest and participation of Hindu youth in yoga, as well as ensuring that Hindu culture is preserved in a modern context. This activity was attended by pasraman Saha Dharma Saraswati and also several pasraman around Pura Genta Buana Sakti. This activity was attended by 40 sisya participants and accompanied by sisya guardians who participated in participating in the simultaneous yoga activities. This activity was held to realize physical and spiritual balance in sisya pasraman in Jogonalan District, Klaten Regency, Central Java. By holding this simultaneous yoga activity, the enthusiasm of sisya and the Hindu community is very good in this village.

Vedic astrological factors for human immunodeficiency virus transmission within male individuals with sexual orientation as homosexual

Background: For almost more than 70 years, the modern science had labeled homosexuality as a mental disorder and was part of DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) until the fifth edition was released in the year 2013 and homosexuality was removed from the mental disorder list. Despite of the removal of homosexuality along with all kind of sexual orientation from mental disorder, it is still being considered taboo in the society. From Sanatana Dharma perspective, homosexuality is very well mentioned in multiple scriptures. In Vedic Astrology as well, this homosexuality along with diseases due to sexual intercourse is being described. In this modern era, one of the most common disease due to sexual intercourse is HIV. Although, HIV is considered relatively new transmission due to its first scientific mention in the late twentieth century, the symptoms and overall nature of this disease is clearly described in Vedic Astrology. Finding: This research paper is an extension of the existing research paper in the field of Vedic Astrology especially in the field of Vedic Astrology focusing on HIV transmission. A total of 314 HIV positive samples was collected from 18 countries selected from Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa as well as Australia in order to have a coverage of all the continents. All these HIV positive people belong to LGBT community, to be very specific Gay (homosexuals) and have been identified as HIV transmission due to anal intercourse with another Gay partner. The Astrological Natal Chart were analyzed for all these 314 samples against the KIRAN sutra (5 thumb rules) to find the possibility of HIV based on the sutras i.e. rules. Out of 314 samples, 310 charts fit the criteria (KIRA sutra) mentioned in the KIRAN sutra for HIV transmission. 4 samples were not checked against the criteria (N) due to insufficient Nakshatra-Pada i.e. Constellation-Phase coverage along with the complex nature of the Nakshatra sutra i.e. N sutra of KIRAN sutra. The result indicates that the KIRAN sutra is very effective sutra even to identify the HIV transmission from male-to-male partner with an accuracy of 98.73% (310 cases out of 314 cases) using only 4 sutras i.e. KIRA. Conclusion: The research is an effort to raise awareness and to help males with homosexual orientation to identify whether they are highly prone to HIV or not using their Vedic Astrological Natal Chart so that they can take preventive action. A new yoga i.e. Samalaingika Yauna Sankramaṇa Yoga is being introduced in the field of Medical Astrology focusing on males with sexual orientation as homosexual, commonly known as Gay in LGBT community in order to support Gays living a HIV free life without judging their sexual orientation. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study introduces the application of the KIRAN sutra from Vedic Astrology as a predictive method for assessing HIV transmission risk in homosexual men, achieving an accuracy rate of 98.73%, along with the introduction of a new configuration, Samalaingika Yauna Sankramaṇa Yoga.

English and Regional Media Coverage of the 2022 Heatwave in India

ABSTRACT The 2022 heatwave in India formed part of a pattern of extreme weather events in the country, which are becoming more intense, frequent, or prolonged. The aim of this study is to explore media coverage of climate change and extreme events in a multilingual media context such as India. Data analysis of a large and diverse sample of Indian media coverage of the 2022 heatwave (n = 309) suggests that only 1 in every 7 news articles (14%) mentioned climate change in their heatwave coverage in the English press, and less than 10% in the Hindi, Telugu, and Marathi language news media. However, many English-language articles reported the links between climate change and the heatwave, although the figure was much lower for the other languages. Two Event Attribution studies analyzing the heatwave were widely quoted, albeit with some inaccuracies. Indian scientists were the most cited, whereas politicians and NGOs were largely absent, in contrast to previous research. Journalists regularly covered three aspects that affect the impact of the heatwave on ordinary people, namely emergency responses, disaster planning, and vulnerabilities. This study concludes by exploring theoretical and practical recommendations for media coverage of heatwaves and climate change.

Tulsi's Ayurvedic Medical Importance

Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is an omnipresent, multipurpose plant and regarded as holy plant in Hindu religion finds place in front of every Hindu household. This herb is a member of Lamiaceae family, well known for its spiritual, religious and medicinal importance in India. Scientific investigations of traditional belief of medicinal properties of Tulsi have got impetus mostly in the later part of the 20th century. Characteristically, the plant imparts a pungent, bitter, hot, light and dry effect indicating the presence of curative value. It is extensively famous and has been used since centuries in Ayurveda and Greek medicines owing to its beneficially diverse properties. For the treatment of bronchitis, illness, and pyrexia, tulsi leaf extracts are described in Indian medical literature. It is thought to be a widespread plant in India.

Modular Co-attention Networks in Nepali Visual Question Answering Systems

Visual question answering (VQA) has been regarded as a challenging task requiring a perfect blend of computer vision and natural language processing. As no dataset was available to train such a model for the Nepali language, a new dataset was developed during the research by translating the VQAv2 dataset. Then the dataset consisting of 202,577 images and 886,560 questions was used to train an attention-based VQA model. The dataset consists of yes/no, counting, and other questions with primarily one-word answers. Modular Co-attention Network (MCAN) was applied to the visual features extracted using the Faster RCNN framework and question embeddings extracted using the Nepali GloVe model. After co-attending the visual and language features for a few cascaded MCAN layers, the features are fused to train the whole network. During evaluation, an overall accuracy of 69.87% was obtained with 81.09% accuracy in yes/no type questions. The results surpassed the performance of models developed for Hindi and Bengali languages. Overall, novel research has been done in the Nepali Language VQA domain paving the way for further advancements.

Contribution of Shankar Nighantu w.r.t. Vishahara Dravyas: A Review

Toxicity, which may be intentional, unintentional or accidental, is a grave problem throughout the world from ages. Advancements in the literature of Ayurveda address this problem by including the various treatments of toxicities, where Shankar Nighantu is one of them. Shankar Nighantu is a modern lexicon in Ayurvedic Materia Medica, originating in the 20th century and written by Shankar datta Gauda in the Hindi language. This lexicon based on Ayurvedic and Unani references, constructed in Hindi alphabetical order, is in three parts and contains vast information about the botanical characteristics, medicinal properties, and therapeutic indications of numerous plants, animals, and their products, as well as metals and minerals, aiding in the effective practice of this ancient healing tradition in contemporary times. Various Vishahara dravyas (Antivenom or Anti-toxic properties or Anti-poisonous drugs) are also listed highlighting the significance of toxicity treatment. Vishahara dravyas are elements that can prevent and eliminate toxins or poisons from the body. These elements play a crucial role in Ayurveda, which emphasises the importance of detoxification for maintaining health and treating diseases. Unani dravyas that are referred from ‘Makhjan’, are also mentioned as a unique entity as Vishahara property in this Nighantu. This Nighantu also includes various drugs used as folklore medicine. The author indicates various single drug as well as compound formulations to be used as antitoxic. Chuk, Hatthajodi, Chumbak patthar (Magnetic stone) are a few controversial and unexplored drugs that need further research for its antitoxic properties. This literary review aims to focus on the data found in Shankar Nighantu regarding various antitoxic drugs that is Vishahara dravyas. It will assist researchers and medical practitioners in gaining better insight about principle of treatment of toxicity.

Analisis Kompetensi Pedagogi Guru Pendidikan Agama Hindu Jenjang Sekolah Dasar Di Kabupaten Bangli

The teacher is one of the determining factors of education quality. A professional teacher understands and can apply four competencies: pedagogical, professional, social, and personal competencies. This study aims to describe and analyze the pedagogical competencies of Hindu Religion subject teachers at the Elementary School level in Bangli regency. This research is classified as quantitative descriptive research. The research instrument used was a questionnaire on pedagogical competency consisting of five indicators. Data were analyzed descriptively. The results of the study indicate that the pedagogical competency of Hindu Religion subject teachers at the Elementary School level in Bangli regency overall falls within the category of sufficient. Among the five indicators, the indicator of deep understanding of the subject taught is categorized as good, while the other indicators are categorized as sufficient. This research can serve as a reference for formulating models or strategies for developing the competencies of Hindu Religion and Ethics teachers.

Translation and Validation of Dizziness Handicap Inventory in Hindi Language.

The dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) is a widely used questionnaire for assessing the impact of dizziness on daily life. There is a need for validated translations of the DHI to accommodate diverse linguistic populations, enabling clinical and research comparisons. This study aimed to translate and validate the DHI into Hindi language. The DHI was translated into Hindi following established guidelines. The translated version underwent validation among Hindi-speaking patients presenting with dizziness at an outpatient ENT clinic in this cross-sectional study. Reliability and validity analyses were conducted, including Cronbach's alpha, split-half reliability, and factor analysis. A total of 153 participants completed the DHI-Hindi, with a mean score of 37.28 (SD = 15.63). Ceiling and floor effects were absent. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the overall scale was 0.785, indicating good reliability. Factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution, consistent with previous studies, indicating good construct validity.The translation and validation process yielded a reliable and valid version of the DHI in Hindi language, suitable for assessing the impact of dizziness in Hindi-speaking population.

Cults in the Hindu religion

Through our journey through the world of Hindu worship, we discovered that this religion is characterized by great flexibility, as it adapts to temporal and spatial changes, and accommodates the opinions and orientations of various philosophers and thinkers. Hinduism is not a static religion, but rather a living religion that is constantly evolving.

Conclusion: Embodying Holiness and Influencing Culture—Exploring the Contexts, Challenges, and Strategies of Female Religious Influencers in Hindu Society

We have reached the end of our journey concerning the study of holy women as “religious influencers” in Hindu culture [...]

Evaluasi Heuristik E-Learning Institut Agama Hindu Negeri Tampung Penyang Palangka Raya

Institute of Hindu Religion (IAHN) Tampung Penyang Palangka Raya has e-learning in an e-campus with complex features. Many e-learning features become ineffective, and make users unable to maximize their use. Therefore, a heuristic evaluation approach from Nielsen's is needed to find out the extent of usability in the e-learning. The heuristic evaluation method is a method used to find usability problems of a product using 10 heuristic evaluation principles. In this research, the assessment was carried out by 4 expert usability evaluators. The calculation of usability heuristic evaluation using severity ratings scale has been done. The results of the assessment based on heuristic evaluation on the IAHN-TP Palangka Raya e-campus application resulted in 24 problem findings. The highest value of the average severity rating (SR) is on the principle of error prevention and as much as 92% of the largest percentage is on the principle of visibility of system status. This research also provides recommendations for design improvements ranging from adding functions, changing appearance, and layout according to the results of the heuristic evaluation. These recommendations can be used as a consideration for the IAHN-TP campus management in improving the application.

A descriptive study on quality of life among menopausal women residing in selected rural areas of Udupi district, Karnataka

Background: Menopause is defined as the period of time when ovarian function stops, resulting in permanent amenorrhea, or as the cessation of periods for a period of time equal to three prior cycles. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study conducted among 100 menopausal women, by using The Menopause-specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) Questionnaire, The data is collected by administering a semi structured socio-demographic proforma, residing at rural area in cherkady village of udupi district. Results: The data in Table 1 depicts the majority of the menopausal women 30 (30%) were in the age group of (46 to 50) years. The maximum percentage of the menopausal women 100(100%) were married. The maximum percentage of the menopausal women 62(62%) belong to the Hindu religion. The majority of the menopausal women with educational status 66(66%) were primary (1st std-7th std). Regarding the menopausal women occupation status 100 (100%) were unskilled workers. The majority of the menopausal women with educational status of husband 70(70%) were primary (1st std-7th std). Regarding the menopausal women occupation status of husband 55(55%) were semi-skilled worker. The majority of the primigravida women with place of residence 100(100%) were from rural area. Regarding the menopausal women type of family 53(53%) belonged to nuclear family. The highest percentage of menopausal women 100 (100%) had a monthly income ranging from Rs.2391-7101.A maximum of 34 (34%) attained menarche at the age of 12 years and 49(49%) of them were of61-70 kg weight. A maximum of menopausal women 100(100%) were doing exercise twice a week. About the majority of 99(99%) menopausal women were anemic. About the majority of 88(88%) menopausal women perceived adequate social support. None of them had habit of smoking and alcoholism.

Introduction: Gurus, Priestesses, Saints, Mediums and Yoginis: Holy Women as Influencers in Hindu Culture

This Special Issue is dedicated to Hindu holy women past and present and the ways that they have influenced society [...]

Patterns and Predictors of Educational Hypogamy in India

Educational hypogamy among women is inadequately explored in the Indian context. Based on National Family Health Survey (2019–21) data, this study elucidates the pattern and predictors of educational hypogamy and the role of caste in determining educational hypogamy in the country. Binary logistic regression and ordered logistic regression were applied using Stata. Fifteen percent of the women were in educationally hypogamous marriages, and there was an upward trend in its prevalence. The main determinants of educational hypogamy were lower age at marriage, backward caste, Hindu religion, rural residence, the educational achievement level of the bride, and higher age difference with the husband. Moreover, within educational hypogamy, caste hypergamy was preferred, primarily by socially backward groups.

Law and Public Policy in the Development of Tourism Villages in Bali (Between Legal Politics and Legal Pluralism)

The legal policy on tourism in Bali is fundamentally planned from a legal aspect as cultural tourism. The underlying thought is that Bali's legal politics of tourism is built on the values of Hindu religion, customs, local wisdom, and upholding the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana. Bali is culturally, religiously, naturally, and humanly unique, with the foundation of its social-religious organization being the customary village (desa adat). Based on this central idea, the legal issues explored are: (1) How is the construction of legal politics in public policy for tourism development (especially in Tourism Villages) in Bali? (2) What are the legal implications for the tourism villages developed in relation to community welfare? The socio-legal research method is interdisciplinary and "hybrid," which will explain the relationship between law and society in shaping public policy related to tourism villages. The research findings indicate that the legal construction in public policy for the development of tourism villages in Bali is built on a concept of law that is culturally meaningful. On one hand, it is constructed based on state law, and on the other hand, it can be managed by Bali's customary law, such as awig-awig, pararem, and customary village regulations (Peraturan Desa adat). The legal implications for customary villages managing tourism villages in Bali are ambiguous in legal choices, particularly in implementation within customary village areas. However, regardless of the legal choice by the customary villages in Bali, the legal goals of utility, certainty, and justice can serve as benchmarks for forming a law that brings happiness.

Transcending Religious Identity

This paper aims at exploring the evolution of religion and its relevance in contemporary society. It focuses on the journey of Sanatana Dharma, popularly known as Hinduism: how misbalance in religious and sociocultural life led it to divisive nature, and becoming a victim of hypocrisy and blind faith resulting in repulsion; how it became a strong political tool; how it affects identity of people; and why people prefer to be called humanists instead of being its followers in order to transcend their religious identity. The theories of the origin of religion have been explored along with some religious scriptures and their cultural significance in order to better understand the present relevance of religion.