Nivedana May 2017

HTCI Newsletter

May 2017

Niveda

3350 N. German Church Road, Indianapolis, IN 46235 • 317-891-9199 • www.htci.org • webmaster@htci.org

Balagokulam and Chetana – Weekly classes at HTCI

Journey from Mortality to Immortality

Balagokulam and Chetana is a program for children

to enable Hindu children in the United States to form their positive Hindu-American identity, to appreciate their cultural roots, make friends and learn Hindu values.

Karma is not the topic I chose but the concept of Karma will be intertwined in this writing for, we are born on the land of ‘Karma Bhoomi’ and we know what a significant impact Karma has in our lives. Theoretically, all of our brains are well equipped with the fact that when we perform good deeds, we get good merits but how frequently are we utilizing or grabbing such opportunities that happen infrequently? The mental and physical pain, suffering, ill-health and poverty arise due to karmas not performed in a righteous manner in this or previous births. Past is past; we cannot change it but we can consciously mould our present for a confident and optimistic future and aim to move from mortality to immortality.

These crucial and essential developments are accomplished through Games, Yoga, Stories, Bhajans, Shlokas, Arts and Crafts. Balagokulam and Chetana (Youth) programs are of 90 minutes duration that include various activities related to physical, intellectual and spiritual needs.

The program is taught by a dedicated team of volunteer teachers, following the curriculum by Purna Vidya (Vedic Heritage Teaching Program). We follow a detailed syllabus throughout the year and maintain consistency with the curriculum.

Classes (KG-12) were conducted on Sundays from 10:30Noon. Students practice Suryanamaskar Yoga and Celebrate Festivals throughout the year. Besides these they do Seva Projects, Temple Cleaning, Youth Cooking, Senior Day, participate in Templefest and Cultural Program.

One such opportunity to sanctify our lives is the month of June where in, several auspicious events occur on the occasion of our Temple Anniversary. Homams, chantings, abhishekams, Poojas, Archana and many more are greatest ways of sanctifying our earnings and lives. It is a boon to the land of Indiana to experience such events in a grand scale see page 3....

Join Summer Classes starting June 4th with special activities like Arts and Crafts, Bhajans, Shlokas, and Sanskrit Classes. Fall School starts from August 13th.

HTCI Anniversary Celebrations

Register for annual weekend family camp ‘Hindu Heritage Family Camp’. August 18 (7:30 pm) to August 20th (Noon) at Bradford Woods in Martinsville. You can register for this camp using this site for the Online Camp Registration Form: https://goo.gl/aNX489 For more information: http://www.htci.org/balagokulam.cfm or contact· Priyesh Kheradia - pkheradia@yahoo.com; Hansa Dave hansadave28@gmail.com

June 2017

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See Details on Page 7

Newsletter Editorial Committee Sharmila Sanka, Editor, Articles Coordinator sharmilasanka@yahoo.com, 479-899-1307 Madhu Bhargava, Editor, Advertising & Graphics madhu@bharprinting.com, 317-507-1843 Mohan Sarda, Communications Chair Board mohan.sarda@htci.org, 317-600-5476 Raghava Ayyagari, Communications Committee EC communications@htci.org, (317) 979-5097

Specifications for the Temple Quarterly Newsletter Nivedina (PRINT) Half page 7 ½” W x 4 7/8” L for $400 Quarter page 3 5/8” W x 4 7/8” L for $250 Business card size 3 5/8” W x 2 ¼ L for $150 Full page 7 ½” W x10” L for $900

TEMPLE HOURS:

Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM & 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Saturday - Sunday: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Extended hours on major holidays and long weekends: 9:00 AM -1:00 PM and 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Last Archana - 7:45 PM / Last Vahan Puja - 7:30 PM Timings are subject to change without prior notice on Special Puja days or extreme weather conditions.

Please note: Vaahan Puja requires 4 lemons, coconut, camphor and flowers

Temple address: 3350 North German Church Road, Indianapolis, IN 46235 PUJA / SERVICE REQUEST - seva@htci.org MEMBERSHIP- membership@htci.org KITCHEN SERVICES - kitchen@htci.org FLOWER SPONSORSHIP - seva@htci.org BALAGOKULAM & CHETANA (YOUTH) CLASSES - http://www.htci.org/balagokulam.cfm For Registration using link: http://bit.ly/2017BGRegd [Important: case sensitive URL.] HINDI CLASSES “MATRA” AT THE TEMPLE - SUNDAY 9:30AM-10:30AM

“The views and opinions expressed in the articles published in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HTCI, -Rajnish Chauhan 317-605-7897, Sanjiv Joshi 317-205-7228 its office bearers or the editorial committee.”

SANSKRIT CLASSES - FIRST AND THIRD SUNDAY 9:30AM-10:30AM

All the donations and the pooja services -Sanjay Kalluparambil 646-722-0785 <sanjay.kalluparambil@gmail.com> receipts are emailed, if you are not YOGA CLASSES AT THE TEMPLE - EVERY SATURDAY 10:00AM-11:00AM receiving your receipts or your email - Uma Vashistha 317-414-1220 <umavas@hotmail.com> address or residence address is changed please report to the temple to serve you SAHAJA MEDITATION SESSION - EVERY SUNDAY 11 AM-12 PM better. Tax ID for Donations : 35-2092107 - Manisha Kokitkar 317-625-6385 <ekmanisha@msn.com>

Chairman’s Message

Lighting in parking lot: Change of the existing inefficient lighting in the temple parking lot with much more powerful and cost effective LED lights is in progress and to be completed soon.

HMEC 2017: Hindu Mandir Executives Conference (HMEC) is an organization by and for Hindu temples and institutions. Our Hindu Temple is proud to host the 12th Annual Meeting from September 15-17, 2017 for over 150 temple executives and delegates coming from all over USA, Canada, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Please plan to attend and help various committees by volunteering your time and support. Watch for updates on our website and email.

Temple donations and your financial support are being used judiciously to complete the above-mentioned projects. Currently, we have about $600,000 in our accounts.

However, we request your continued support to meet the upcoming needs and successfully complete the ongoing projects. We request your presence by Tan (volunteering), Man (participating in devotional activities) and Dhan (financial commitment) to help us maintain and improve our beautiful temple. Our temple is a legacy of Hindu traditions and a testament of our core belief in “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. Please come forward with full commitment and enthusiasm to support our beautiful religious and cultural center, the core of our strength.

May His blessing be with you.

Regards, Anil Bajpai, Chairman, HTCI Board of Trustees

Dear Devotees, On behalf of the temple Board of Trustees and the members of the Executive Committee, it is my privilege to invite you to join us in celebration of our Temple Anniversary.

It is a month long celebration with special pujas, havans and abhishekams on every weekend in the month of June 2017.

With the Grace of God and your help, various temple projects are satisfactorily moving forward.

Brief update Fencing: As promised during the 2016 temple fund raising dinner, we have successfully secured the temple perimeter with a strong commercial metal fence complementing the beauty and grace of our temple.

Security: To ensure the safety of the devotees and the temple property, we have retained and enhanced the presence of armed security on the temple premises.

Basement: To maximize the use of available temple space for community needs, a project has been initiated to have a functional, multipurpose hall before the end of the current year. We have defined the scope and identified architects who are working on the plans.

Acquisition of 10 acres of land: Contract to acquire a parcel of ten acres of land across the temple site has been finalized. We are waiting for the current landowner to clean and vacate the property before our possession.

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Journey from Mortality to Immortality contd. from page 1

Besides all these, we also have Ashtottara Kalasha Sthapana and Ashtottara Kalasharadhana and Jagannath Rath Yatra. These events are not just for adults but for the entire family. Kids always have something to look for during our temple events and some fun things are Anniversary fireworks and the ‘Kids Day’ that we will celebrate on June 18, 2017. There are various sponsorships available for us to utilize in the best possible ways. Let us all participate in at least one such event in June and drown in His blessings and teach our kids the value of our Hindu religion.

with utmost devotion.

Homams sanctify the environment and our lives with peace and prosperity and we are fortunate to have our temple conduct wonderful homams like Ashtottara Modaka Homam invoking the grace of Lord Ganesh to remove all the obstacles in our lives. Maha Mrutyunjaya Homam is another one which is dedicated to Lord Shiva to avoid untimely death. This homam is very effective in removing evil planetary effects and is performed to achieve triumph over death or illness. The object of worship of this homam is Lord Shiva which avoids any kind of misfortune, fears of death etc.

Hinduism is not a religion; it is a way of life which is a compilation of sacred and unique rituals and practices that alleviate us from our sins and ill effects. From chanting of mantras to the performing of rituals and karmas, these unique rituals are deep-rooted in our religion since ages. We are all very fortunate to have our temple host such rituals with devotion and dedication.

Participating in these rituals is meritorious since they are satkarmas or good karmas. The time we spend in performing these satkarmas helps with soul-enlightening and is simultaneously holding us from doing bad actions.

Through these holistic karmas, let’s avail this opportunity to experience the divine in myriad ways, thus sanctifying our earnings, time, efforts and life. Fire when touched intentionally or unintentionally, its nature is to burn.

Similarly, when we participate in divine rituals, knowing or unknowingly, we are deemed to reap its benefits that may not always be noticed by the naked eye or in this birth itself. Our merits follow us like a shadow in our every birth. But let’s not limit our intentions and participation in these rituals just to earn merits. We have evolved from animal to human birth; it is time to evolve from human life to God. These spiritual practices of Hinduism gradually remove ignorance and promote wisdom, thus helping us realize our life purpose i.e. self-realization and finally merge with God. After all, we were animals born as humans to become God. This should be our spiritual journey from mortality to immortality.

Lakshmi Narasimha Homam is performed to invoke the grace of both Lakshmi and Narasimha. Goddess Lakshmi bestows eligible and worthy wealth while Narasimha gives protection from evil effects and negative forces. All our spiritual and material benefits will be accomplished and granted by Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. Side effects of the homams are, we are bound to erase all our sins with the Lord’s grace and what else to ask for!

Abhishekam is the washing of the Gods’ idols with sacred substances like milk, ghee, honey. It indicates our sacrifice, devotion and ways to appease Gods to earn their blessings. Our temple priests will perform Durga Mata Abhishekam, Ashtottara Kalasha Abhishekam and Ekadasha Rudra poorvaka Shankhabhishekam and let us not miss such rare abhishekams.

Archana is chanting the names of the Deity and praising the Lord by uttering His innumerable names to invoke His guidance and blessings. One such captivating event is the divine community Laksha Archana.

Pooja is one of our holy rituals performed to worship our Deities which bestow immense blessings in our lives. It is a fortune to be able to witness Satyanarayana Pooja, Sarvadevata Pooja, Chatra Samarpana Pooja, and Shankha Pooja during our own temple anniversary month.

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Shankha and Kalasha in Hindu Worship

As you may have observed by now in many pujas performed in temples and many homes, two articles show up in the Puja Samagri list often; Shankha (The Conch) and Kalasha(The Pot). In this article, we will try to understand the rich symbolism and much importance attached to both in the Hindu religion.

Shankha - The Conch is the outer shell of a snail like creature found in the ocean. The architecture of a conch is built for acoustics, one can make the conch sound like an animal, or the wind, or a whisper by blowing into it. The conch is unique; just place it close to your ear and you will hear sounds as if you are near an ocean, even without blowing a single breath into it. A Stanford research shows the Conch being used in various cultures. The research proved that the subharmonics produced sounds that rattled the chest of those listening. So where does this leave us with the religious and ritualistic importance in Hinduism?

Mahabharata has extolled the Shankha usage to its glory; every hero of the epic had a conch that had a unique sound signature; Krishna used the Panchajanya, Arjuna the Devadatta, Bheema - Paundra, Bhishma - Simhanaada and so on. The sound of these conches were used to announce their presence in the battle field. However, armed with the Chakra(Sudarshana) and His Mace(Kaumudini) when Krishna used the Panchajanya, it created fear in the hearts of the evil and drove away fear from the hearts of the good.

The Shankha naadam (sounds/frequencies) is also believed to have the Pranava (Omkaara) naadam embedded in its subharmonics. This is the greatest reason for believers to use Shankha in Puja. It drives away evil spirits; fills the hearts of the believers with strength of their sankalpam at the beginning and piety and content of worship at the end.

In the Shankha puja, the shankha is described as: Born in Saagara (Ocean), in the hand of Vishnu, worshipped by all the Devatas, having the Divinity of the Moon, Varuna, Brahma, having the sanctity of the spiritual places of the Three Worlds, the sound of which resonates fear in the hearts of the evil even in Paatala(underworlds), water that is poured out of the Shankha is as pure as the water of Ganga Saraswati. Oh Panchajanya The Shankha, we respect and worship you.

Participate in the Shankha Abhishekam whenever you can, use the Shankha in a Puja if you have access to one, let the sound of Shankha fill your hearts and drive away fears. May the Energy from the Shankha Naada instill Sat Sankalpa in our hearts. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/february/conch-acoustic-musicians-020711.html Kalasha - The Kalasha is a round vessel with a narrow neck and a wide middle part and smaller bottom. Usually you see a gold, silver or clay kalash, but the material it is made of is immaterial in this context. Water is filled in the kalasha, a few mango leaves are placed in it and a coconut is placed on the opening with mango leaves sticking out. We have all seen this in many Pujas performed by our temple priests on many occasions. Once we understand the context and symbolism, we will understand why kalasha puja is so important in Hindu Puja vidhi.

Humans should consider themselves to be lucky to be born on this Earth gifted with the vision of our eyes to see the physical world and a third invisible eye that can see the Beauty of the Creator. Unfortunately such beautiful human lives tend to develop a hard shell that becomes tough to break. Exactly like a coconut. (We break coconuts in front of God only to symbolize breaking this ego in his presence).

Human lives depend on the vegetation for survival, God provides Vanaspati (the vegetation) required for survival on land.

The leaves we place in the Kalasha are a representation of the Vanaspati.

Aapo vaa ida(ga)m Sarvam, as The Vedas state, life on The Universe as we know it is based on water. Water is placed in the Kalasham and the leaves are to be placed such that they touch the water, symbolizing the connection between the human life, vegetation and water.

It is just as important to remember that the world we live in is made of 7 continents (sapta dweepa), where the water is contained. Such is the beauty of creation of Vishnu, Shiva (Rudra), and Brahma.

In the shloka we visualize, Vishnu to be the face of the kalasha, Shiva to be the neck, and Brahma to be the mula the bottom. The ocean is in the middle of the pot, around the pot are the seven islands(continents). The water in the middle is as holy as the seven rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri and all the seas and oceans.

Now think of why Kalasha Puja is important to the Hindu ritual, we are worshipping Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation and reminiscing his Gift to mankind by doing the kalasha puja. As part of our Anniversary, participate in the Kalasha Puja, a great opportunity to reminisce and thank God for his abundant love and grace.

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June 2017

HTCI Anniversary Celebrations

Hindu Temple of Central Indiana welcomes all with Friends and Family to the Second Anniversary Celebrations after the Maha Kumbhabhishekam.

Join us in the month long celebrations wih special pujas and events.

Date

Timings Pooja at Temple

Sponsorship

Date

Timings atModaka Temple 9:00 AM Pooja Ashtottara Homam

Sponsorship

June 3rd

Saturday

9:00 AM Modaka Homam 11:00 AM Ashtottara Maha Mrutyunjaya

$51

June June 3rd 8th

Saturday Friday

11:00 Mrutyunjaya Homam 6:30AM PM Maha Satyanarayana Pooja

$51 $51

June June 8th 9th

Friday Friday

6:30 PoojaSthapana 6:30 PM PM Satyanarayana Ashtottara Kalasha

June 9th

Friday

6:30 Sthapana 9:00 PM AM Ashtottara Ashtottara Kalasha Kalash Aradhana

$51

June 10th

Saturday

9:00 AM 10:45 AM Ashtottara Ashtottara Kalash KalashaAradhana Abhishekam

$108

June June 10th 11th

Saturday Sunday

10:45 AM Ashtottara Kalasha Abhishekam Geeta Session

$108 10AM-Noon

June June 11th 15th

Sunday Thursday

Session Pooja 6:00-8:00 PM Geeta Sarva Devata

June 15th

Thursday

6:00-8:00 Devata Pooja Homam 8:00 PM AM Sarva Lakshmi Narasimha

$21 $51

8:00 AM Narasimha Homam 11:00 AM Lakshmi Laksha Archana

$51 $51

11:00 Archana 4:00AM PM Laksha Durga Mata Abhishekam

$51

10AM-Noon $21

4:00 Abhishekam 5:00 PM PM Durga Durga Mata “Chatra” Samarpan Pooja 5:00 PM “Chatra” Samarpan Pooja 10:00 PM Durga Anniversary Fireworks June 17th

Saturday

Fireworks 9:00 PM-10:00 6:00 PM AM Anniversary Jaagran by Vijay Ghai

$51

June 17th

Saturday

9:00 PM- 6:00

by Vijay Ghai 6:00 AM AM Jaagran Durga Aarti for Jaagran

$51

June 18th

6:00 AM Aarti forFlying Jaagran Sunday 10:00 AM -4:00 PM Durga Kids Day (Kite and more..)

June June 18th 23rd

Sunday Day (Kite Friday 10:00 AM -4:00 6:30 PM PM Kids Shankha PoojaFlying and more..)

June June 23rd 24th

Friday Saturday

6:30 9:00 PM AM Shankha EkadashaPooja Rudra Poorvaka Shankhabhisheka

$101

June June 24th 25th

Saturday Sunday

9:00 Poorvaka Shankhabhisheka 9:30 AM AM Ekadasha JagannathRudra Rath Yatra

$101

June 25th 9:30 AM Jagannath Rath Yatra Grand Sponsor Sunday $1,500 htci.org Grand Sponsor $1,500 htci.org Anniversary Month/ All Event Sponsor $451 htci.org

Anniversary Month/ Grand Sponsor $1,500 htci.org Kitchen Sponsor $51 and up htci.org All Event Sponsor $451 htci.org Anniversary Month/ Kids Activities like Kites Sponsor $51 and $21 and up htci.org All Event Sponsor $451 Kitchen Sponsor up htci.org htci.org https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesP Kids Activities like Kitchen Sponsor $51 and up htci.org gSuGU27Gs8QQUf7ACCwTOLdJOmhyHDIIKites Sponsor $21 and up htci.org Kids Activities like Vendor Booths Setup $100 /table per day AW8LQAIqPDqw/viewform Kites Sponsor and per up htci.org $100$21 /table https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesPgSuGU27Gs8QQ Flower Sponsor $51 and up htci.org Vendor Booths Setup day Uf7ACCwTOLdJOmhyHDII-AW8LQAIqPDqw/viewform $100 /table per https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesPgSuGU27Gs8QQ Vendor Booths Setup Uf7ACCwTOLdJOmhyHDII-AW8LQAIqPDqw/viewform Flower Sponsor $51 andday up htci.org Flower Sponsor

$51 and up htci.org

Hindu Temple of Central Indiana hosting 12th HINDU MANDIR EXECUTIVES’ CONFERENCE (HMEC) An Annual Conference for Temples by Temples Friday, September 15th -Sunday 17th, 2017

cohost/sponsor by other Temples of Midwest Area

2017 HMEC PLANNING: 15+ Host/Co-Host Temples,

100+ temples attendance, 250+ temple executives, 80+ Speakers, 45+ topics on temples involving every part of temple life cycle. Please plan to attend and help various committees by volunteering your time and support. Watch for updates on our website and email.

Please register online at www.myhmec.com Contact Arun Jain 765-376-396 ajmd02@gmail.com

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

Hindu Temple of Central Indiana 3350 N. German Church Road Indianapolis, IN 46235

PAID

INDIANAPOLIS, IN PERMIT # 8042

Past temple event highlights Holi

Shivratri

https://goo.gl/photos/MbTeXpSLRoXbvtLp8 Holi was celebrated with most fun and fervor even on a cold evening that it was. Circumambulating around Holika Dahan, completed the religious aspect of the festival but the real fun was to get the colors out and mask the true colors of faces and dresses for just one evening.

https://goo.gl/photos/hsZ4rm6AQXn56KJHA Since the last edition, one of the main events was Shivaratri. It is exciting to see the ever-growing attendance for this event. It is impossible to summarize the energy felt during this event, if possible just feel it when you see these photos.

Geeta Session

Vaikuntha Ekadasi

https://goo.gl/photos/bSqn5GHTbbGUsfvP9 Geeta Session the group that existed since the foundation of the temple conducted spiritual discourses every second Sunday in front of the Radha Krishna sannidhi. Watch out for announcements of speakers on the Geeta Session website, you can get there from our htci.org menu.

https://goo.gl/photos/PB7FJkUfoFrD9Kso9 Man oh man!, is there truth in Shivaya Vishnu Rupaaya,Shiva Rupaaya Shiva Rupaaya vishnave, Shivassya Hrudayam Vishnor Vishnoscha Hrudayam Shiva ha. Vaikuntha Ekadasi and Shivaratri both of them see the effervescent energy in devotees worshipping in their own way of realizing the ParamAtman.

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