"...karmanyevaadhikaaraste maa phaleshu kadaachana. maa karmaphalaheturbhooh maa te sangostvakarmani..."
(You have a right to perform your prescribed duty but have no hold on the fruits thereof.
May you not be motivated by the results of action nor engage in wrong action.)
                                                                        -Bhagavadgeeta

About Us

History

Hindu Students Council (HSC) is an international, secular, non-profit union of students from over 70 chapters in the US alone. The UC Berkeley chapter of Hindu Students Council was founded in 1997 as a small organization of like-minded individuals with a keen interest in Hinduism. After a semester-long hiatus in 2000, the organization was revitalized with new leadership. Since then HSC has become a well-established club on campus, celebrating major festivals such as Deepavali and Holi, hosting internationally renowned guest speakers, like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, providing the only open forum for Hindu students and faculty to organize on campus, and playing an active role in interfaith dialogue alongside a wide range of cultural and religious organizations.

Our Mission

Hinduism is unique in that, as a philosophy on life, it recognizes the co-existence of multiple realities.  Following the same principle, the UC Berkeley chapter of Hindu Students Council endeavors to achieve a diverse set of goals, each based on a different perception of Truth.  On a physical level, HSC aims to create understanding and awareness about Hindu spirituality, culture, and philosophy amongst students with an interest in Hinduism, as well as the UC Berkeley community at large. This is accomplished through:

On a metaphysical level, HSC seeks to establish an extended family of individuals engaged in spiritual self-transformation and enlightened with the Universal ideals of Sanatana Dharma. HSC membership is thus open to anyone, regardless of religious denomination. This ambition is achieved through:

We always welcome opportunities to share knowledge and wisdom with others and and serve the community.  If you would like to get involved with Hindu Students Council, please contact us.

Our Logo

According to Hinduism, within each human inhabiting the earth is the spirit of the sacred lotus.  One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of man's consciousness - from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. In the Bhagavad Gita, man is adjured to be like the lotus - he should work without attachment, dedicating his actions to God - untouched by sin like the lotus flower, which rises high above the mud in which it subsists.

Additionally, the lotus represents eternity, purity and divinity and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth and to describe feminine beauty.

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