Day 25: Thanksgiving and Hinduism

It’s Thanksgiving, at least here in the United States, so I’m keeping today’s entry short and sweet so I can go do the whole family thing. Although Hindus don’t necessarily have a “Thanksgiving” holiday of their own, many, if not all, of their festivals do contain an element of the American tradition of giving thanks to God for all the good things in life.

The Bhagavad Gita says that people should always be humble and grateful to the Divine, and Hindus always make a point of saying thank you to God for all the blessings in their lives.

It’s interesting to note that a Hindu yoga master named Paramhamsa Yogananda once claimed that Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. president who made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, was the reincarnation of a former Himalayan yogi. As Richard Salva writes in his book Soul Journey: From Lincoln to Lindbergh (which looks just strange enough to be interesting--see the link below), “President Lincoln repeatedly chose Thursdays as national days of prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving. This was interesting, because Thursday is considered a holy day—a day for prayer, fasting, and spiritual reflection—among Hindus. . . .”

Whatever you think about the plausibility of the theory that Lincoln was the reincarnation of a yogi (who was later reincarnated once again as the aviator Charles Lindbergh), Thanksgiving is definitely something to which Hindus can relate. So, for now, I’ll leave you with a prayer of thanks (to my favorite god, Ganesha):

Om, Ganesha!

Thank you, Ganesha, for the wonderful fulfillment you have brought into my life.

I show gratitude by giving abundantly to the temple where you receive and answer my prayers.

Your divine energy is the blossoming origin of love.

Praise to you who are the source of all sweetness.

I take refuge in grateful surrender at your holy feet.

Om, Ganesha!

And now, back to the family. Ugh. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!