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Authors: Akshaya Mukul
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way ‘we do not come in contact with our respectable mother and beloved wife when they are menstruating’.
Further, he termed widow remarriage a sin. In his view, one who enticed a widow into marrying again denied her the virtue of spending the rest of her life in remembering her husband. ‘A fear is being created among widows that suppressing their physical urges will torment them. Invoking passion amongst widows is the biggest threat to Hinduism’s holy and glorious tradition of virtuous women.’
Gita Press in general and
Kalyan
in particular claimed to uphold Hindu tenets delineated in the shastras
.
Gender segregation was prescribed even during Holi, the popular north Indian festival of colours that saw temporary suspension of gender and caste barriers. For
Kalyan
, a man playing Holi with ‘other women’ was a form of sexual union and even playing with ‘apni stri’ (one’s own woman) would cause loss of virility. Instead, it said, Holi should be spent propagating stories of Prahlad and reciting devotional songs. 14
The early issues of
Kalya
n
were defining ones: their broad sweep of contents and various columns would remain more or less unchanged for decades. Though new columns were added and some columns became irregular, the template of the inaugural year endured in spirit. Several special columns appeared in
Kalyan
over the years.
The column ‘
Kalyan
’ was written by Poddar under the name Shiva. After Poddar’s death, the column continued, with his articles and speeches being republished. Though rechristened ‘
Kalyan Vani
’ for a while after he died, it soon reverted to ‘
Kalyan
’. ‘
Padho, Samjho Aur
Karo
’ (Read, Understand and Practise) appeared in 1958 for the first time and was aimed at inculcating high moral values among readers by citing real-life incidents to prove the existence of a supreme power. In another early column, ‘
Paramhans Vivekmala
’ (Moral Tales of the Supreme Seer), Swami Bhole Baba’s discourse appeared in question- answer format. ‘
Vivek Vatika
’ (Garden of Conscience) consisted of sayings and writings of seers and extracts from religious texts. Through ‘
Parmarth Patravali
’ (Letters on Salvation) Poddar and Goyandka replied to the religious and spiritual queries of readers, while ‘
Parmarth Ki
Pagdandiyan
’ (Roads to Salvation) carried notes and advice for devotees. ‘
Sadhakon Ke Prati
’ (For the Devotees) was a column by Swami Ramsukh Das, a trusted friend of Poddar’s, and dealt with questions from people caught in spiritual and religious dilemmas. After the Swami’s death in 2005 the column continued, using views from his discourses. ‘
Satsang
Vatika Ke Bikhre Suman
’ (Scattered Flowers of the Garden of Discourse), since discontinued, contained nuggets of advice for those involved in prayer, meditation and devotion to God. In ‘
Kaam Ke Patra
’ (Meaningful Letters) Poddar replied to the devotional, moral, practical, social, political, familial and personal questions of readers. This was one of the most popular columns of
Kalyan
. The column ‘
Bhakt Gatha
’ (Tales of Devotees) has been in existence since 1926, though it is not as regular now as in earlier years. ‘
Vratotsav
’ (Joy of Keeping Religious Vows) is immensely popular among those who keep fasts or perform other rituals on certain festivals or on the basis of the celestial positions of planets. ‘
Sadhnopayogi Patra
’ (Useful Letters on Devotion) is similar to ‘
Kaa
m Ke Patra
’. 15
Kalyan
’s leading light, Jaydayal Goyandka, suffered from stomach ailments, and towards the end of 1926 was taken from his hometown Bankura to Banaras for treatment under the prominent city vaidya (Ayurvedic practitioner) Trimbak Shastri. The journal would regularly carry updates on his health and continued to publish his replies to readers, many given during his discourses and speeches.
At the end of the first year,
Kalyan
had done exceedingly well, with a circulation of
Further, he termed widow remarriage a sin. In his view, one who enticed a widow into marrying again denied her the virtue of spending the rest of her life in remembering her husband. ‘A fear is being created among widows that suppressing their physical urges will torment them. Invoking passion amongst widows is the biggest threat to Hinduism’s holy and glorious tradition of virtuous women.’
Gita Press in general and
Kalyan
in particular claimed to uphold Hindu tenets delineated in the shastras
.
Gender segregation was prescribed even during Holi, the popular north Indian festival of colours that saw temporary suspension of gender and caste barriers. For
Kalyan
, a man playing Holi with ‘other women’ was a form of sexual union and even playing with ‘apni stri’ (one’s own woman) would cause loss of virility. Instead, it said, Holi should be spent propagating stories of Prahlad and reciting devotional songs. 14
The early issues of
Kalya
n
were defining ones: their broad sweep of contents and various columns would remain more or less unchanged for decades. Though new columns were added and some columns became irregular, the template of the inaugural year endured in spirit. Several special columns appeared in
Kalyan
over the years.
The column ‘
Kalyan
’ was written by Poddar under the name Shiva. After Poddar’s death, the column continued, with his articles and speeches being republished. Though rechristened ‘
Kalyan Vani
’ for a while after he died, it soon reverted to ‘
Kalyan
’. ‘
Padho, Samjho Aur
Karo
’ (Read, Understand and Practise) appeared in 1958 for the first time and was aimed at inculcating high moral values among readers by citing real-life incidents to prove the existence of a supreme power. In another early column, ‘
Paramhans Vivekmala
’ (Moral Tales of the Supreme Seer), Swami Bhole Baba’s discourse appeared in question- answer format. ‘
Vivek Vatika
’ (Garden of Conscience) consisted of sayings and writings of seers and extracts from religious texts. Through ‘
Parmarth Patravali
’ (Letters on Salvation) Poddar and Goyandka replied to the religious and spiritual queries of readers, while ‘
Parmarth Ki
Pagdandiyan
’ (Roads to Salvation) carried notes and advice for devotees. ‘
Sadhakon Ke Prati
’ (For the Devotees) was a column by Swami Ramsukh Das, a trusted friend of Poddar’s, and dealt with questions from people caught in spiritual and religious dilemmas. After the Swami’s death in 2005 the column continued, using views from his discourses. ‘
Satsang
Vatika Ke Bikhre Suman
’ (Scattered Flowers of the Garden of Discourse), since discontinued, contained nuggets of advice for those involved in prayer, meditation and devotion to God. In ‘
Kaam Ke Patra
’ (Meaningful Letters) Poddar replied to the devotional, moral, practical, social, political, familial and personal questions of readers. This was one of the most popular columns of
Kalyan
. The column ‘
Bhakt Gatha
’ (Tales of Devotees) has been in existence since 1926, though it is not as regular now as in earlier years. ‘
Vratotsav
’ (Joy of Keeping Religious Vows) is immensely popular among those who keep fasts or perform other rituals on certain festivals or on the basis of the celestial positions of planets. ‘
Sadhnopayogi Patra
’ (Useful Letters on Devotion) is similar to ‘
Kaa
m Ke Patra
’. 15
Kalyan
’s leading light, Jaydayal Goyandka, suffered from stomach ailments, and towards the end of 1926 was taken from his hometown Bankura to Banaras for treatment under the prominent city vaidya (Ayurvedic practitioner) Trimbak Shastri. The journal would regularly carry updates on his health and continued to publish his replies to readers, many given during his discourses and speeches.
At the end of the first year,
Kalyan
had done exceedingly well, with a circulation of
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