I like being a Vaisnavi [Hindu] ...Because it explains the whole world, the suffering and the bliss, the evil and the good - and it makes sense. Because it gives me a chance to have the sweetest relation to my God and serve Him with all that I am. Because the scriptures I am currently reading are totally poetically beautiful and at the same time sharp and clear no-nonsense. Because I am finally realizing what it can be like being the me I was supposed to be all the time. Because it is all that I ever believed deep within.

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I like being a Vaishnava because we emphasize that God is the Embodiment of Pure Love and Compassion, and as a result, is available to anyone, irrespective of race, caste or gender. The profound and heart-felt poetry and devotion of our mystics (AzhwARs) and teachers (AchAryas) are teaching me to move away from self-interested pursuits, which are products of my ego and ignorance, to what we are taught is our True Nature, a mood of Service and Respect to All Beings and a deep appreciation for all the good things that life has to offer. The joy and peace that comes from this "heart-based" approach to life is a Gift of the Divine that I am far from deserving of, but is something that I will always be honored to treasure and share.

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I love the many gods and goddesses which are both mythological interpretations and poetic avenues to the many facets of God, and the concept of Ishtadevita which says that God manifests to each individual heart according to that person's most sacred desire...I love that Hinduism embraces contradiction in the acknowledgement that our minds cannot contain the vastness of God... I love that, in Hinduism, God can be both formless and nameless, or with form and name, and the form and name can be whichever you choose.

I love that Hinduism embraces and respects the Truth in every religion.

I love the simplicity of Hinduism: Do good and be good. Serve, love, give, purify.

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