Upholding the path of Sanatan Vedic Dharma
First and foremost, the Ministry of Dharma is charged with the task of preserving and maintaining Patria's Hindu character as both an organized religion or spiritual path (known in Sanskrit as the path of Sanatan Vedic Dharma), and as a cultural identity. The Ministry's national headquarters at 200 Iota Street NW in midtown Castoropolis (Kashipura) is also one of the capital's leading Hindu temples and is open 24-7 for prayer and meditation. The Ministry of Dharma's offices in the capital cities of all of Patria's 13 Precincts also serve the functions of Hindu temples.
The following are the Ministry of Dharma's
main areas of responsibility:
The
Ministry is the guiding force behind all aspects of Yoga practice in Patria:
Hatha Yoga (Patria's national sport), Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana
Yoga The Ministry's main area of responsibility is for the
Hatha Yoga classes that are offered within schools, hospitals, prisons,
psychiatric institutions, military installations, and other government-supported
facilities. To ensure the quality of yoga instruction within the
Inner Realm, all Hatha Yoga teachers in Patria must be certified and registered
with the Ministry. Graduates of Yoga teacher training programs offered
by the major ashrams and yoga retreats in North America and Europe, such
as the Kripalu Center and Sivananda
Yoga Vedanta Center, are eligible for Ministry of Dharma certification.
The Ministry supports the implementation and teaching of Sanskrit as
one of Patria's official languages. The Shusha True Type Font for Windows 95/98/ME/XP is Patria's official Sanskrit (Devanagari script) font, approved
by the Ministry of Dharma for use in Web pages and word processing.
It has been used throughout Patria's Web site. Download the font (it's free!).
The
Ministry is responsible for inculcation of the teachings of Sanatan Vedic
Dharma to a new generation of Patriens, both in school and out.
In co-operation with the Ministries of Education in each Precinct,
and the local school boards, the Ministry has developed the curriculum
and non-academic code of conduct for the gurukulam schools.
These publicly-funded elementary and secondary schools offer traditional
Hindu-based education from Kindergarten to 12th grade, including:
The Ministry is the official sponsor of numerous special events. Public Patria-wide celebrations of major Hindu festivals, such as Shiva Ratri, Janamashtami (Krishna's birthday) and Diwali, are funded and sponsored by the Ministry. Although the arrival of Jan. 1, 2000 had no particular significance in Hinduism, the Ministry was the official sponsor of many of Patria's millennium events. Illustrated here are the nationally-televised Millennium celebrations that took place at the Columbia Street Arena (Patria's legendary hockey shrine, the home of the 1998-99 Kamala Cup champion Castoropolis Centurions) on the evening of Dec. 31, 1999.
What is Hinduism? How can I become a Hindu? The Ministry plays a leading role in public education about this ancient path, without any attempts at prosletyzation or conversion through coercion. The Ministry produces radio programs such as What is Hinduism?, Teach yourself Sanskrit and Radio Yoga Class, heard on Ramrajyavani (Patria's national radio network), as well as television programs on Doordarshan (Patria's national TV service), such as an animated version of the Ramayana for children. In order to educate the general public about the teachings, deities and rituals of Sanatan Dharma, the Ministry presents the following pages:
© 2000, Ministry of Dharma, Inner Realm of Patria
c/o Honorary Canadian Consulate
99 Wychcrest Ave.,
Toronto, ON
Canada M6G 3X8