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WORLD  Sanga "Ask The Swami" Now On Beliefnet.com BY RAMA KESAVA DASA USA, Jan 3 (VNN) — Prestigious website adds Swami B.V. Tripurari's Q&A as a regular column Dear Devotees, Sanga began four years ago in 1998, after the publication of Aesthetic Vedanta, with only 30 subscribers. It is an online community and mailing list that focuses on the teachings of the Gaudiya Vedanta lineage, and the writings of Swami B.V. Tripurari. Dubbed the "Thomas Merton of the modern bhakti tradition," Swami Tripurari has authored a number of ground-breaking works, and the Sanga mailing list - normally in Q&A format - appeals to both new and familiar faces with its diverse range of hari-katha. Now, in 2001, Sanga has close to 10,000 readers, and excerpts are featured on the Beliefnet website as a regular column. Sanga has often been featured on on-line Gaudiya Vaisnava news organs, however Beliefnet -- as the most prestigious and largest commercial non-sectarian religious site on the World Wide Web -- casts a much wider net, not only in terms of scholarly academic interest, but also in terms of preaching. This user-driven website is, in its own words a "multi-faith e-community," that provides enlivening fora, debates, information links, daily inspiration, etc., all seeking to aid the spiritual seeker on his or her path. With its no-frills, no-nonsense approach, and a plethora of on-line tools, the site now has the reputation as "by far the most sophisticated and diverse spiritual site currently of the web" (New Age magazine, July/Aug 2000). Dr Brenda Brasher of Christian Science Monitor has called it an "on-line marketplace of religion". Thus the sheer preaching potential of this Webby Award nominee, which appeals to followers of all religions, from businessmen to alternatic lifestyle enthusiasts, is clear. Arun Venugopal, editor of Beliefnet Hinduism, contacted Sanga a few months ago about featuring selected Q&A with Swami Tripurari on the Beliefnet site. Mr. Venugopal said he had been a subscriber to Sanga for some time and was so impressed that he signed up a number of friends and family members that he felt would appreciate the Sanga of Swami Tripurari. Brahma Das, the current editor of Sanga said this about its remarkable success: "It was the earnest desire of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada that his disciples find the ways and means to broadcast the message of Sri Chaitanya to every town and village. What began as a modest effort by Swami Tripurari and his staff is now blossoming into a successful and well-received tribute to the glories of Mahaprabhu and our beloved Srila Prabhupada. Devotees, scholars and seekers from all over the world tell me they are subscribing to Sanga because of the excellent heartfelt and objective presentation of Gaudiya Vaisnavism by Swami Tripurari that they find there. I am thankful that I am able to contribute in my own small way." "ASK THE SWAMI" with Swami B.V. Tripurari is a regular feature of www.Beliefnet.com and can be found on the Hinduism pages. The recent Sanga "We are Students Forever" is currently featured on Beliefnet's frontpage under the heading "Are Gurus Necessary? - Ask the Swami." Beliefnet is at: http://www.beliefnet.com Sanga home page: http://www.swami.org/sanga In service, Rama Kesava dasa  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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