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Shanthi Sandesh Hindu Temple and Community Center Of Mid-Missouri 2006 Holly Avenue, Columbia, MO 65202-2043 http://shanthimandir.missouri.org (573) 814-1286 V O L U M E

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Yaksha Prashna– A dialogue on Dharma H.R. Chandrasekhar

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November, 2011

Inside This Issue Yaksha Prashna

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Executive Board

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In Memoriam

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My Indian Summer

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2011 HTCC Youth Day

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Bal Sandesh

he great epic Mahabharata is known for its high drama and magnificent narration. It also contains numerous passages containing profound philosophical discussions on various aspects of Dharma.

The Bhagawadgita is the most famous case in point, cleverly inserted in the most dramatic scene of the epic – the battle of Mahabharata. There are many smaller episodes sprinkled all over the epic. We focus on one such from the Aranya Parva, dealing with the exile of the Pandava prices in the forest.

At the end of their exile, the Pandavas embarked on a routine mission to help an ascetic retrieve his lost deer.

Exhausted and thirsty, after a long chase they rested under a tree. Sahadeva, the youngest, ventured to fetch water and found a beautiful lake. The lake was devoid of any living creature except for a Yaksha, a celestial being, watching him.

When Sahadeva attempted to take water from the lake, the Yaksha spoke, "The water of this lake will turn into poison if you drink it without answering

my questions." Sahadeva ignored it and hurriedly drank a sip of water from the lake. He fell to the ground instantly.

Nakula, Bhima and Arjuna went in search of their brother who did not return. They also ignored the warning of Yaksha, and drank from the lake unable to suppress the intense pangs of thirst. They also met the same fate of Sahadeva.

Since none of the brothers returned, Yudhisthira set out in search of them. Upon following the same path, he came across the lake and found all his brothers lying dead. Overcome by thirst, he decided to drink some water from the lake. The warning of Yaksha stopped him in his tracks. He instantly knew that Yaksha was the cause of his brothers’ doom. He resisted the pain of intense thirst and addressed Yaksha politely: “I shall answer your questions.

Pardon me and my brothers for encroaching upon your lake.”

Thus followed the dialogue between the Yaksha and Yudhishtira in which eighteen questions with philosophical and meta-physical ramifications were discussed.

This is known as the DharmaYaksha Upakhyana. For the sake of brevity, we shall discuss a few of those questions.

Yaksha asked: “What instills a divine aspect in a scholar?

Which quality makes him or her virtuous? Which aspect makes a scholar vulnerable and makes him on par with the common man? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a learned man?”

Yudhisthira replied: “Selfstudy (Swadhyana) of the Vedas and scholarly treatises instills divinity in a scholar.

Penance is the quality that makes him or her virtuous.

Death renders all men equal despite their achievements.

Intolerance to the views of others and arrogance makes a scholar non-virtuous.”

Yaksha asked: “What instills a divine aspect in a warrior?

Which quality makes him or her virtuous? Which aspect makes a warrior vulnerable and makes him on par with the common man? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a fighting man?

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Deepavali Celebrations

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Karwa Chauth Celebration

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Sword Dance

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My Favorite Activities

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Crop Walk

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Bhagavad Gita

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Quarterly Fiscal Report

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Donor Acknowledgment

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Community Calendar

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Current Programs

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e are in the midst of the festival season and we wish you all a very Happy Diwali. Fall is special for celebrations begin with our HTCC Youth Day and Bal Sabha/Bal Puja Picnic. We also celebrated several festivals including Janmashtami/Krishna Jayanthi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri/Devi Jaagran, Navaratri Mahanavami, Dusshera/Vijaya Dashami, Karva Chauth, and Deepavali.

We are truly blessed with countless volunteers who make the celebrations of these

Message from the Executive Board festivals possible. Attendance at the evening events this Fall reached record numbers and the increased attendance has reinforced the importance of undertaking renovations to serve our community’s current needs while we systematically plan for the future. At this important crossroad, the Mandir needs your continued support to successfully achieve Capital Campaign target (see the appeal for a gift

on page 11) to provide comfortable financial cushion.

Secure credit card donation using PayPal service is also now accepted through our web site: http: shanthimandir.missouri.org/ Medium-Term Planning Committee is working on the architectural drawings and plans to prepare electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fra ming drawings soon.

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Yudhishtira replied: “Pride, if renounced, makes one lovable; Yudhisthira replied: “The art of by renouncing desire one using weapons appropriate for becomes wealthy; and to the battle instills divinity in a renounce avarice is to obtain warrior. Serving those under his happiness.” protection is his quality of Yaksha asked: “What enemy is virtuosity. Fear makes him invincible? What constitutes an human. Abandoning people incurable disease? What sort of under his protection makes him man is noble and what sort is non-virtuous.” ignoble?”

Yaksha asked: “Which strong, Yudhishtira replied: “Anger is rich and clever man is the invincible enemy. considered as not breathing, Covetousness constitutes a even if he is alive?” disease that is incurable. He is Yudhisthira replied: “One who noble who desires the well-being does not serve God, guests, of all creatures, and one without servants, ancestors and his own mercy is ignoble.” self is as good as not breathing, Yaksha asked: “Who is truly even if he lives”. happy? What is the wonder of Yaksha asked: “What is nobler wonders of human existence in than earth, loftier than heavens, this world? faster than the wind and Yudhishtira replied: “He who numerous than straws?” has no debts is truly happy.

Yudhishtira replied: “Mother is Death comes certainly to all and nobler than the earth; Father is each one is keenly aware of it. loftier than the mountains. Mind Yet, we carry on as if it never is faster than wind and our comes. What greater wonder worries are more numerous than can there be than this?” straws.”

Yaksha asked: “What is the Yaksha asked: “Who is the path? And what is the news?” friend of a traveler? Who is the Yudhishtira replied: “Argument friend of one who is ill and one leads to no certain conclusion. who is dying?”

The scriptures are many and Yudhishtira replied: “The friend differ from one another. There is of a traveler is his companion. not even one seer whose The physician is the friend of opinion can be accepted by all. one who is sick and a dying The truth about Dharma and man's friend is charity.” duty is hidden in the caves of Yaksha asked: “What is that, our heart. Hence, that alone is when renounced, makes one the path along which the great lovable? What is that when have trodden in the past. This renounced makes one happy world, full of ignorance, is like a and wealthy?” pan. The sun is the fire; the days Yaksha Prashna

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and nights are fuel. The months and the seasons constitute the wooden ladle. Time is the cook that devours all creatures in that pan. This is the news for all times.”

Yaksha was pleased with the answers of Yudhishtira and revealed himself as Dharma, the god of virtue. He restored all the Pandava brothers to life and blessed them. Thus we conclude the learned dialogue between Yudhistira, the most upright of the Pandavas and Dharma, the lord of the proper way of life.

“Death comes certainly to all and each one is keenly aware of it. Yet, we carry on as if it never comes. What greater wonder can there be than this! Argument leads to no certain conclusion.

The scriptures are many and differ from one another. There is not even one seer whose opinion can be accepted by all.

The truth about Dharma and duty is hidden in the caves of our heart. Hence, that alone is the path along which the great have trodden in the past.” ☯ -Mahabharata, Aranya Parva, Yaksha Prashna

In Memoriam Dr. Chalapathi Rao Pendurthi died on Thursday October 27, 2011. He was born on Oct. 8, 1949 in India. He graduated from Gandhi Medical College at Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, with a degree in medicine. He and his wife operated a not-for-profit medical clinic and provided free medical care for indigent people in rural India until he came to the United States.

After immigrating to the United States in 1989, Chalapathi moved to Columbia in 1996. He recognized the need for a store in Columbia to cater to the demands of the people of Asian origin. He filled the void by establishing a successful niche business. His store soon became a meeting place as many of us became regular customers. He always greeted everyone with a smile. He was a loving, compassionate, and caring individual, who enjoyed gardening. Chalapathi was a devoted family man and loved to interact with individuals. His survivors include his wife, Kavitha and daughters Sarita, Susmita and Aparna.

Chalapathi was an ardent supporter of the Cultural Association of India and many India-centric activities in town, including the HTCC. He promoted the events held at the Shanthi mandir especially when we were in nascent stage.

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My Indian Summer Sangita Sharma, Junior, Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

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ike any college student, I spent my summer interning. Unlike most college students, however, I interned abroad. This summer, I lived and worked at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India.

The campus itself was huge – spanning nearly 400 acres, it was filled with looming trees, bright green shrubbery, and large stone buildings. Dogs and monkeys shared the streets with pedestrians, scooters, and autorickshaws. But as scenic as the exterior campus may be, the atmosphere inside the buildings was largely reminiscent of Georgia Tech.

The lab I worked at operated much like the labs back home; the familiarity of it was wonderful. I worked with three other interns on a project that involved the fatigue life of Rotor Yokes. We worked hard, but we also managed to find plenty of time to surf facebook, chat about the latest cricket game or Bollywood movie, and explore campus.

And the wonderful thing about working is that when you are done with work, you

are done. No homework; no studying for tests; no reading pages and pages of dry textbooks. At the Institute, I had lots of work to do and was always kept busy, but once I came home, my time was mine.

My endless free time was devoted to eating fresh jalebi, browsing through beautiful silk saree shops, and visiting elaborate temples. As I ate a fresh snack or wandered through an old temple, I was reminded of how rich this culture – my culture – was.

The work I did at IISc was wonderful, but what I truly loved about this work-abroad experience was that for the first time, I was in India by myself. I loved the freedom that I had to explore India, on my own terms.

Everything, from riding in an Autorickshaw to work (and trying to communicate with the Auto drivers!) to eating at McDonald’s to watching the last Harry Potter movie was so exciting.

(Sidenote: movie theaters in India have more security than airports in the U.S. And they have the unfortunate habit of sticking intermissions in the most inconvenient of times.)

At the beginning of the summer, the easiest of tasks took a lot of effort, simply because of the language barrier. Now I feel like a pro. Navigating the streets of Bangalore, ordering food from street carts, and flagging down Autos are no longer the daunting tasks they once were.

Living in another culture is incredible; living with another work environment is another experience entirely. I’ve worked in labs before, but I haven’t spent too much time in an Aerospace Lab. And I’ve never spent time in a lab outside of the U.S. This summer has made me reevaluate my career goals. I know now that I have to return to this international environment.

After an incredible 11 weeks (and then 36 hours, three separate airplanes, two layovers, and five extremely gross airplane-meals) I am finally back home in the good ol’ U.S. of A. It’s great to be here; I’ve missed my family and friends.

(And I’ve definitely missed American plumbing!)

But I can’t wait to go back☯ ☯

Help Write a Cookbook The Mandir is planning to publish a cookbook in time for the sixth anniversary celebrations in Spring 2012 as a fund raiser. The cookbook will feature vegetarian recipes contributed by our members. The cookbook committee (Anantha Gopalaratnam, Chandra Rawlani, Meera Chandrasekhar and Sandhya Sharma) will be sending out a call for recipes shortly, along with a template members can use to submit recipes. Be on the lookout … the deadline for submitting recipes is December 15☯ ☯

In Memoriam Virginia “Ginny” Lee Townsend Morgan died Tuesday, August 30, from complications of breast cancer.

Born in Conway, Ark., on March 20, 1948, she was the youngest of six children. She graduated from Conway High School and attended the University of Arkansas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Stephens College and her master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Missouri. She worked as a play therapist for acute and chronically ill children at University Hospital in Columbia for many years.

In the early 1970s she began the serious study of death and dying, pursuing the views of many religions.

In 1977 she became interested in Buddhism and began training to be a teacher. She has studied with Ram Dass, Munindraji, Matthew Flickstein, and teachers from Insight Meditation Society.

In 1993 she co-founded Show Me Dharma, a center for the study and practice of insight meditation, and has served as a guiding teacher since that time. In 1995 she also began to spearhead the expansion of Buddhist teachings in the Midwest through her role as president of Mid America Dharma. Besides bringing insight meditation to Missouri and the Midwest, she has taught retreats throughout the country for many years, touching the lives of thousands of students.

She presented the well-appreciated Buddha Purnima talk in 2007 at Shanthi Mandir on Metta Bhavana (bringing loving kindness in our hearts and minds). She was also the driving force behind the hugely popular Krishna Das Kirtan held at Shanthi Mandir in August 2008. Ginny has been a very good friend for many HTCC members and a devoted well-wisher and supporter of Shanthi Mandir programs. Ginny was amongst the first group of Honorary Member inductees to HTCC in March 2009. Her selfless service to the Columbia community and inspirational teachings will be greatly missed.

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2011 HTCC Youth Day/Bal Puja/Bal Sabha Picnic Ravi Thawani

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n Saturday, August 20th, 2011 HTCC Youth Day/Bal Puja/ Bal Sabha’s annual picnic was held at Cosmo Park. Luckily the weather was perfect for some outdoor fun. People started arriving at Dexheimer Shelter starting at 4PM and most of the members were in before 4:30Pm. Nandhu was there early and had already set up the shelter grounds with many fun activities organized for the youth including Volleyball, Tennis, Frisbee and of course the famous Tug-o-War! The youngsters and those young at heart enjoyed the outdoor sport activities and built

up a healthy appetite.

Thanks to Jasmine Sangha and Smrita Dorairajan who arranged for the refreshments, there were plenty of food and soft drinks for the tired youth and adults. Everyone enjoyed the delicious Picnic Spread that included Appetizers, Vegetable Biryani and lots of Desserts & Soft Drinks.

Mayukh recruited more than 10 members for the annual CROP WALK and many new families also joined Bal Sabha as new members.

Nandhu awarded “Certificates of Achievement” to all the deserving youth who participated in the HTCC’s Summer

Workshops.

After the customary “Tug-oWar” in which boys won 2-1 this year, it was time for a group photograph that was shot

by Anand Chockalingam.

Thanks to the teamwork amongst all the adult and youth members, the annual picnic was a very enjoyable event.

Can’t wait until next year!☯ ☯

Message from the Executive Board

Also remember to renew your membership for 2012, if you have not already done so.

Consider upgrading your membership to a sustaining membership. Your dues provide HTCC with a strong ownership base and steady stream of revenue for delivering quality devotional, education, cultural, youth, and service programs. Timely renewals also ensure that you can vote in the upcoming elections for the two open offices (President and Secretary of the Executive Board and two Elected Trustee positions).

Since the issuance of the last Shanthi Sandesh, we lost Virginia Morgan (Ginny) and Dr. Chalapathi Rao Pendurthi, devoted well-wishers and supporters of Shanthi Mandir programs. Ginny was amongst the first group of Honorary Member inductees to HTCC in March 2009. Chalapathi was also very active in his role as the owner of a niche business.

Both of them were very dear friends of many of our members and we will miss them dearly.

Our youth participated in the CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Hunger Walk, an annual event undertaken to raise awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting (See page 8).

We are proud to report that they raised over $545.

We are still finalizing the 2012 calendar and hope to have the 6th anniversary devotional program and banquet in March. We are looking for a volunteer to plan the anniversary devotional program and the annual banquet. Please offer your help in making these events a grand success. We are also planning to publish a cookbook in time for the sixth anniversary celebrations in Spring 2012. Be on the lookout for a call for recipes the deadline for submitting recipes is December 15. Hope to see you at the Mandir! ☯

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Final plans and documents for building permit are targeted for year-end with an action for the HTCC Board of Trustees (BOT) is expected at the April 2012 meeting of the BOT. Once the BOT approves the expenditures, we hope to have possible renovations underway by Summer 2012.

We are also obtaining city permits to begin working on the parking lot expansion.

New quotes for the asphalt paving and fencing project are also being concurrently requested. We hope to complete the parking and fencing project before the end of 2011 which is expected to add 14 more parking spots.

Future meetings of HTCC BOT are now fixed; the first one of the year will be held during the month of April – on the Saturday before the Easter weekend and the second one on the Saturday after the Labor Day weekend in September. If you are on the BOT, then please mark your calendars for these meetings.

Inder Khurana Ravi Thawani Meera Chandrasekhar Abirami Elangovan

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Newsletter of Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO

Bal Sabha Officers President Anand Chockalingam Vice-President Currently Vacant Secretary/Treasurer Abirami Elangovan Cultural Secretary Alagu Arunachalam

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November 2011

EDITOR’S NOTE

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al Sandesh wishes one and all a very Happy Deepavali. In this issue we have an interesting article on Indian men of wit and wisdom, a poem and an article on trip to Humane Society.

Congratulation to all the members for participating and performing in CAI’s India Nite. Please submit your essays, poems, articles and drawings to Bal Sandesh as soon as you think they are ready for submission☯ ☯ The Editors

Bal Sandesh Coordinator Hema Srinivasan

Indian men of wit and wisdom: A look at Birbal, Gopal, and Raman Vishn Arun - 3rd Grade, Mill Creek Elementary School

Birbal the Just

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ello, I am Birbal. I was born in 1528.

My actual name is Maheshdas. I am from a poor Brahmin family of Trivikrampur (now known as Tikawanpur) on the banks of river Yamuna. I became known as Birbal after coming to Emperor Akbar’s court.

The less known facts about me are that I am also a poet and a brave soldier. King Akbar is very fond of me and the courtiers are jealous because of that.

They always come up with plans to have me killed. I would like to tell you a story of the time when Emperor Akbar gave me an impossible task.

One day, king Akbar lamented that he only sees wise and learned men but never fools. So he decided to assign me the task of finding the 10 greatest fools of Agra. So I set out and came upon this strange sight. I saw a man riding an old horse while carrying a bundle of firewood on his head. I asked him what he was doing and he replied that his horse was old and weak, the wood added to his weight would be too much for his poor horse so he was carrying the wood instead. I decided that he is a classic fool for believing that the weight would be any less and I asked him to follow me. Next I saw a man lying flat on his

back with his arms in the air. I tried to help him up and he stopped me. “Don’t mess with my hands, my wife asked me to buy a pot as big as this. If I move my hands, I’ll get the wrong size and she’ll scold me for the rest of my life”. I told him not to worry as I will buy a full set of pots from the smallest to largest if he follows me. This was my fool #2. As I was about to mount my horse…a man ran into me with great force. “What are you doing,” I asked. He said that he’d just called the evening prayers in the mosque and was running to see how far his voice would go. I said I will give him two gold mohurs, (coins) and he came with me. This was my fool #3. Next I saw two men fighting. When I asked them about it, one man said that the other threatened to set his tiger on his buffalo. I asked him where the animals were. The other man said,”You will see them if god appeared before us and chose to give us a boon each”. “You see, He keeps saying that if I ask god for a buffalo, he’ll ask for a tiger to eat it up,” the other man jumped in. They both were fighting over things that didn’t even exist. I was glad I found my fools #4 and #5 so easily. Just then another man walked up to us and said,”Huzur, these men are fools, don’t take them seriously, if you do, let my bones break to bits and my blood run like this oil.” In his excitement he threw the pot of oil that he was carrying. He immediately regretted wasting such good oil. I had found my

fool #6. I was quite astounded by the number of fools in Agra and returned to look for more in the evening, it was a full moon. I saw a man who was looking for something. It was his ring. I wanted to help him search and asked if that was the placed he’d dropped it. He said,” oh no sir, it was way over there in the dark, it is brighter here so I’m looking for it here instead. I knew he has to be added to my list of fools and promised him a new ring if he followed me. To my surprise we saw another man looking for something. He had hidden his ring for safekeeping in a sand-pile. I asked him if he marked the spot. He got offended at that and said he is no fool and he of course marked the spot with a cloud right above it. He blamed the cloud for abandoning him. I promised him a new ring and asked him to follow me as well.

Now I had 8 fools, what did I do for 9 and 10? I had a plan. I took all the fools to court the next day and Emperor Akbar had a very good laugh listening to all the stories. In the end he said Birbal but I clearly told you to bring 10 fools, you’ve brought only 8. I insisted that there were 10 indeed. These 8 plus the two of us!

Akbar was furious. I said we were the biggest fools of them all, you for sending me on such an errand and me for obeying you. The entire court burst out laughing, including the emperor, who laughed the loudest.

(Continued in next edition of Shanthi Sandesh)

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Poem - Happiness

Maya Cutkosky - 12th Grade, Hickam High School I look among the flowers and find you at play.

Your wondrous wings afluttering and carrying you away.

What magic binds you overwhelmingly into my aching heart?

What cruelty makes you run from me just as I glance your way?

If I could but catch you, what glory would I get!

The quest is here before me, no stopping till goal is met.

Eagerly I chase you, yet closer come I not.

For vines catch me constantly, forcing me to stop.

And finally I catch you and have you in my grasp I put you in a prison too strong to escape.

Yet when I lift the lid to see you there inside.

I find it empty with you either dead or outside.

And as I sat there mournfully, heart too dead to cry You come, with blithe flying, right into my hands Oh, beautiful creature, more capricious than luck!

I love you more than me myself, more addicted to you than life

Trip to Humane Society

Neeta Thawani - 11th Grade, Missouri Academy

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aturdays after lunch, a van of twelve people scurries off in the direction of the Humane Society. Once there, eleven Missouri Academy kids pile out and enter the vicinity filled with cats and dogs.

You show your card to the lady at the desk, sign in as a volunteer and make your way either into the cat room or dog room. Once there, you decide which dog you’d like to walk or which cat you’d like to pet. Two

hours later, we are picked up Humane Society in Columbia, and the experience is over. Over but one tip of advice—buy a lint weeks, relationships are built roller for afterwards☯ ☯ with the animals, ones who used to be shy will become playful and those who used to be mean will become calmer. Going to the Humane Society is probably my favorite part of my week; I have two hours to bond with animals and it’s very relaxing. I would suggest anyone who wants to help out or just generally enjoys animals to go to the local

KUDOS Maya Cutkosky has been selected to be in the Piano Showcase. She will be performing in the Piano Show case, on November 19th at the Missouri Theater. Tia Rawat’s team (Carerra U-9 Girls) won the Silver Medal in the Show Me Soccer v3x3 games held in Columbia on November 6th weekend. Tia scored 4 goals and helped her team to reach the finals. Bal Sabha congratulates Maya and Tia☯ ☯

Bal Sandesh needs you!

We welcome submissions of all types (reports, poetry, short stories, artwork, puzzles, jokes etc.).

Work can be submitted to the Editors or the Parent Advisor. We prefer electronic version of the submission (e-mail or diskette). Artwork can be submitted on paper. Older kids interested in volunteering to serve on the editorial team should contact the Editorial Staff or the Parent Advisor.

Bal Sabha meets every fourth Sunday of the month from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Shanthi Mandir

Editorial Staff Maya Cutkosky Neeta Thawani Nidhi Khurana Prerna Srinivasan Vikram Arunachalam Parent Advisor Hema Srinivasan

Phone (573) 445-2854 (660) 882-5317 (573) 874-9647 (573) 445-0033 (573) 445-2854

E-Mail boonville.kid@hotmail.com n_khurana@yahoo.com

srinivasanh@missouri.edu

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Deepavali Celebrations Hema Srinivasan

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eepavali Greetings: Shubh Diwali! Happy Diwali! Ganga Snanam Acha?

Deepvali this year was on October 26th. Most of us got up earlier than usual on that day took an oil bath, the Ganga snanam and donned new clothes and went on to work. In India, festive firecrackers will follow it. Not to be left out, we celebrated the Diwali on the following Saturday at the Mandir. Yes, on October 29th, Columbia Community gathered at Shanthi Mandir for our sixth year Diwali celebrations.

Diwali is known as the festival of lights. The light is really the light of knowledge, which removes the darkness in mind created by ignorance. Thus, we welcomed Sri Mahalakshmi in our hearts and minds and performed Lakshmi Puja at the Mandir. This was followed by recitation of Slokas in praise of Lakshmi seeking her blessings for all of us.

After the spiritual lighting of the mind and heart along with the actual lighting of beautiful lamps, we also lit sparklers in festive lighting safely in the parking lot. Children, ably assisted by the young at heart, enjoyed the festivities.

The other most important tradition of Diwali is feast and sweets. After the firecrackers, every one took the Prasad, which was a delicious feast with exceptionally large servings of sweets.

May the blessings of Sri Mahalakshmi be with us all through the year and with her blessings, may the sweetness of Diwali sweets linger in our tongues all through the year☯ ☯

Deepavali photos courtesy: Jayanathan and Ravi Thawani

Wood dholak donated to the Mandir Mid-October, HTCC received the donation of a excellent quality wood dholak (pictured alongside), thanks to Shri Kasturi Venkateswara Rao garu, Smt. Lakshmi and family of Hyderabad, India. Thanks are also due to Pranavi Tella who brought the dholak from India, particularly given the strict security and meager baggage allowances these days. The dholak, which comes with a sturdy carrying case, will be available immediately at Shanthi Mandir for all HTCC pujas and other events☯

Karwa Chauth Celebration at Mandir

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arwa Chauth was celebrated on Saturday, October 15th in the temple, where married women come to pray for their husbands long life. The puja was held in two groups where they listen to the traditional story and do the ritual “thalis”☯ ☯

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Sword Dance

Veer Sangha - 6th Grade, Columbia Independent School

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he Cultural Association of India organized the 20th annual India Nite on October 22nd, 2011 at the Jesse Auditorium. I participated in the Sword Dance, which was a medley depicting ‘Chitti’ and his army of robots (from the Tamil movie “Robot”) and a war exercise of the army of King Akbar (from the movie “Jodha Akbar”). The dance group comprised of 9 boys ranging from second to tenth grade. Dr. Smrita Dorairajan coordinated the dance. We started rehearsing the dance around the beginning of September. First we learnt the Jodha Akbar dance. At first we were all out of sync and it was total chaos. Slowly but surely it all started

to fall in place. Smrita was very patient with us. Then we learnt the robot dance. We were allowed to improvise a lot and Smrita incorporated a lot of individual suggestions into the dance routine. We mastered the robot dance fast. Around three weeks before the performance we started really experimenting with the costumes, which was fun. For the robot dance, we got some black foam, painted it silver and then drew designs on it by ourselves. For the other dance we wore kurtas, sashes and swords. Also we wore turbans. One day my dad tied turbans on all the boys, which the moms stitched in place. One of the harder parts was the transi-

tion midway during the dance, where we took off our robot capes and put on our turbans and swords. On the final performance the crowd really appreciated the fact that we were able to change our attire so quickly.

Over the final two weeks we worked on memorizing our steps and fine-tuning our dancing skills. On the day of the dress rehearsal we did good which boosted our confidence. We were all still a little nervous. On the day of the final performance everything went well and all of our hard work paid off. I am so glad I did this because I had a great time and learned a lot about being a performer☯ ☯

My Favorite Activities – Soccer and Dance Tia Rawat - 3rd Grade, Mills Creek Elementary School

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love to play soccer. I played two different leagues – “Carrera” soccer and “Upward” soccer- team Germany. I enjoyed the practices and I always did my best. I am always excited when I have games and tournaments and I try not to give up even when we are not playing well. I work on the things I need to get better at and I reach my

goals and improve on my skills.

I love to play soccer because I always have fun and I always have a great time playing my best and I do what I love to do.

I love to dance. I do all kinds of dances and learn all the steps. I practice all the time so I can improve on my skills. I always try to do my very best and I always enjoy dancing. I have a

great time dancing and I always try to have fun. I get excited when I perform on stage. I get ready on the stage and perform my beginning position and wait until the fun begins. I love dancing because I have a very fun time dancing and I get to have great time and I do what I love to do☯

Crop Walk Mayukh Ghosh

T

he CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Hunger Walk is an annual event that combines fun and fundraising to raise awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hungerfighting. The local chapter of CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) organized the Columbia CROP Hunger Walk on the 2nd of October.

This is the 4th year that HTCC

participated in the walk. 25% of the money raised by the Columbia CROP Hunger Walk is used to partially support the Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen and the Russell Chapel Food Pantry. The rest of the funds are used to support global hunger education and in support of refugees, disaster relief and selfhelp projects in more than 80 countries.

Registered walkers have their friends and family make donations to the cause and sponsor the walk. Sushma and Aarti Nagarkar, Nila Palaniappan, Visala Palaniappan, Suryanshi Rawat, Gagnesh Rawat, Ravi Thawani ,

Meena Thawani, Gopal Ratnam and Mayukh Ghosh registered to walk on behalf of HTCC. They were supported by several other walkers from HTCC .Our youth walkers did a splendid job of raising over $545 for the CROP walk this year which is an increased amount from last year.

The walk routes had a short walk option of approximately 1.4 miles and a longer walk option of 2.6 miles.

The walk routes were designed around the downtown area . The walk was an enriching experience in near perfect weather conditions and helped create awareness for a very worthy cause☯ ☯

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Shreemad Bhagavad Gita – Part 15 Saroj Mohan

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e have seen that knowing the truth will free us from attachment and delusion and we will gain the wisdom to see all beings in ourselves.

In 36th verse the Lord said that by achieving this wisdom or Gyan, the greatest of all sinners becomes purified.

This is beautifully expressed by a metaphor. Just as a person can cross a river comfortably on a raft or a boat, similarly even the most sinful of all sinners can cross the river of sins using the boat of knowledge.

Shree Krishna said, “Even if you are the greatest of all great sinners or Papotattam, you will still cross the river of sins with the boat of knowledge. You will overcome all the sins or Vriginum completely.” The knowledge of the truth is like light; it dispels the darkness of ignorance instantly.

Lord Krishna, in the 37th verse, provides another analogy. He says, “O Arjuna, just as a big blazing fire burns down fuel or wood, similarly the fire of knowledge consumes all the sins.”

Knowledge of the Reality purifies the mental, intellectual, and egocentric delusions. Wisdom dispels the darkness of ignorance. Sins are the result of attachments of duality.

Knowledge of the non-dual state removes all ignorance and sins vanish.

Just as fire burns so does wisdom remove all ignorance and delusions of the mind.

In 38th verse Shree Krishna says, “Most certainly there is no purifier in the world greater than knowledge. In the course of time those who have perfected themselves in the practice of Karmayoga and have purified their Antahakarna or mind and heart, find Atma inside themselves. They realize the Self on their own.” (This is a subjective experience.)

The journey to self–realization is complete only through the total elimination of ego. The path of Karmayoga is a practice well known to Yogis, who by purification of body, mind and intellect reach the subjective experience of the Self, by the Self itself.

In the 39th verse our beloved Krishna describes the kind of person who achieves this most desired and blissfully peaceful state. This is a very famous verse too. Shree Krishna said, “The person who is full of faith and devotion, known as Shraddhaavan; one

whose senses are totally under his control, obtains this ‘Knowledge’ and instantly, he obtains eternal peace. He realizes the Parmaatma or the Self.”

Shraddhaa or faith means to readily understand the meanings of the scriptures and teachings of the Guru with rapt attention, humbly, till one gets the subjective experience. To have faith means even before the subjective experience, one earnestly believes in it.

It is the most important first step on the long journey of self–realization. By earnestly doing spiritual practices or Sadhana and by controlling the sense organs along with the mind and intellect, the seeker attains the eternal peaceful state of self- realization.

In the 40th verse Shree Krishna declares that the man who is devoid of

above mentioned qualities, is Vinashyati or is destroyed and completely ruined. Shree Krishna says, “The person who is ignorant, ever doubtful of every thing and with out any faith will be destroyed, ruined. For such a person there is no happiness in this world or beyond it. For him bliss in this world and heaven are both out of reach.”

A restless, egocentric person, hankering after objects that gratify the senses, is always struggling feverishly.

If he achieves his objective then he is happy for a short time, only to crave something else or more and if he does not get what he wants, he is angry and more restless. There is never an end to this cycle of suffering.

Shree Krishna explains to Arjuna in the 41st verse, “O Dhananjaya, he who has renounced all his actions through the

path of Karmyoga and removed all doubts through knowledge and discrimination or Gyansankshinshaym; such a pure hearted person is free from the bondage of karma or actions.”

This verse is almost a summary of the whole chapter. A perfect Karmayogi is ever established in the state of nondual, pure, Infinite consciousness. True knowledge has removed all his doubts and ignorance.He is totally free from ego and all his actions are free from bondage of Karma.

In the 42nd verse Shree Krishna concludes this chapter by giving encouragement to Arjuna by telling him to remove all his doubts and ignorance through the Knowledge of the Reality and be ready to fight the war or Dharmayudha acting like a perfect Karmayogi.

Shree Krishna said,“ Therefore, O Bharatavanshi Arjuna, using the sword of knowledge cut off the doubts and ignorance of the Self, which is residing in your heart, and take refuge in Karmayoga; arise, be ready to fight.”

Our story started with a very dejected Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which literally means ‘the field of action.’ Shree Krishna has been pouring out the knowledge of the Self or the Reality, the paths and methods, of attaining self–realization. He has explained that through knowledge actions become inaction, work becomes worship. At last, a peaceful, blissful state of non-dual Infinite consciousness prevails. It is a state of eternal, peaceful self-effulgent awareness.

In the previous chapter Karmayoga was fully described. In this concluding 4th chapter we see that after selfrealization or attaining wisdom, all actions or Pravriti merge into inaction or Nivriti. A perfect Karmayogi abides in the peaceful, blissful state of infinite awareness.

“There has never been a time when you and I have not existed, nor will there be a time to when we will cease to exist. As the same person inhabits the body through childhood, youth, and old age, so too at the time of death he attains another body. The wise are not deluded by these changes” ☯

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SHA NT HI

SA NDESH

HTCC Quarterly Fiscal Report For the period July 1, 2011 - September 30, 2011 Prepared by Abirami Elangovan, Treasurer, November 2, 2011 Quarterly Revenues Interest Income Interest income Membership: Annual Family Membership Sustaining Family Membership Donations: Check Donations Hundi Donations/Prayer Services Capital Campaign Facilities Use Donations: Farewell Tabla Class Yoga Class Other Revenues: Paypal a/c confirmation Summer Workshops Total Quarterly Revenues

$597.96

$597.96

$50.00 $950.00

$1000.00

$1,571.00 $527.00 $14,354.00

$16,452.00

$110.00 $90.00 $15.00

$215.00

$0.18 $10.00

$10.18 $18,275.14

Quarterly Expenses Administrative Joplin Relief - Add’l disbursement as of Sept. 30, 2011 Lawn and Garden Maintenance and Supplies Printing and Mailing Special Events Utilities

$12.52 $505.00 $302.69 $146.81 $147.64 $674.23 $1,061.42

Total Quarterly Expenses

$2,850.31

Net Income for the Quarter

$15,424.83

Thank You! Donor Acknowledgement August 1, 2011 – October 30, 2011 We gratefully acknowledge the following donations made during the above period. If we have inadvertently made an error in not including your name, please let us know. $49 Cutkosky, Steven and Hema Srinivasan Katoch, Bandhana Pennathur, Shiva and Sonali $50 - $99 Chaudhary, Kunal and Ritcha Gupta, Ghanshyam and Manorma Patel, Mita $100 - $149 Balakrishnan, Elangovan and Abirami Khanna, Ramesh and Pushpa Kumar, Senthil and Kalai Mantrala, Murali and Surya Mitra, Ranadhir and Roma Rao, Mohan and Kalpana Rawlani, Ramesh and Chandra Thapar, Manish and Deepti $150 - $499 Anand, Satish and Sushma Basu, Asit and Sandra Batchu, Sudhir and Priya

Dhanashree, Moghe Gopalaratnam, Vellore and Anantha Malhotra, Anil and Kusum Nair, Satish and Jyotsna Ratneshwar, Srinivasan and Subbalakshmi Rawat, Gagneesh and Aditi $500 - $999 Loyalka, Sudarshan and Nirja $1,000 - $1,499 Sethi, Yash and Anjna $2,500 + Khurana, Inder and Jasmit

Please donate or pledge generously to our Capital Campaign 2010

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Community Calendar (November 15, 2011– January 31, 2012) Nov. 19th

Music Concert to benefit HTCC Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Contact: Hema Srinivasan (573) 445-2854

Nov. 20th

Sharing the Warmth clothes/ coat drive Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Contact: Nidhi Khurana (573) 874-9647

Dec. 3rd

Siddha Yoga Seminar Time: 10:30 a.m. - Noon Contact: Visala Palaniappan, visalap@hotmail.com

Jan.1st

New Year Celebration Time : TBD

Jan.15th

16th Annual Pongal/Sankranti Celebration Time: 6:00 p.m.

Location: MU’s Stotler Lounge Contact: Nandhu Radhakrishnan (573) 823-8252 Variety entertainment, pot luck dinner and a food drive to benefit the Food Bank is planned

Jan. 28th

Saraswati Pooja Time: 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Location: Knights of Columbus Hall Contact: Ranadhir Mitra, mitrar@socket.net

**More details will be posted on the Shanthi Mandir website (http://shanthimandir.missouri.org) a week before the scheduled event )

An Appeal to Give a Gift to the HTCC’s Capital Campaign 2010 H. R. Chandrasekhar, Chair, HTCC Capital Campaign Committee & Inder Khurana, President, HTCC Executive Board

We are writing to solicit support for HTCC’s Capital Campaign 2010. During the six years that we have been in existence, Shanthi Mandir and the Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri (HTCC) have come a long way in providing indispensable service to our community. Our devotional, educational, service, outreach and youth programs have served MidMissouri's Hindu community. We greatly appreciate your constant support, and encouragement to make this happen. As you may already be aware, we plan to renovate the existing Shanthi Mandir facility to serve us in the medium term, and to invest in land for a larger, permanent structure. The renovations are necessary to serve our community’s current needs while we systematically plan for the future. At this important crossroad, the Mandir needs your continued support.

Capital Campaign 2010, with a goal of raising $150,000, started with Ganesh Chaturthi Puja (Shanthi Mandir’s fifth anniversary) and will continue through December 31, 2011. As we implement the HTCC BoT and Executive Committee approved medium-term and long-term plans, we seek generous donations from our members who have been integral to our growth thus far.

You will be glad to know that we already have raised 50% of our target and hope to accomplish the Capital Campaign target by December 31, 2011. Your donation/pledge can make a difference and help us make ourcapital campaign successful.

We would greatly appreciate payment of the pledged amount on or before December 31, 2011. Secure credit card donation using PayPal service is also accepted through HTCC’s web site.

As you consider your donation, please remember that:

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Donations to HTCC are tax-deductible per IRS 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation designation.

HTCC is exempt from Boone County property tax.

Shanthi Mandir is wholly owned by HTCC. We do not have any mortgage or other financial liabilities.

Mandir purchases are exempt from Missouri sales tax.

Volunteers contribute over 15,000 of hours of service each year; this holds our operational costs to a minimum.

100% of donations made to the Capital Campaign will be available solely for capital expenditures.

We have outgrown our physical infrastructure (prayer hall/parking), thanks to excellent community support. We would like to provide improved support facilities, including weather protected entry, larger kitchen and rest rooms, full handicap access to the Mandir, and additional parking. We need to accommodate growth in programs while retaining the momentum of our current services.

In addition to your financial support, we hope you can also assist us with soliciting other friends to donate to the HTCC Capital Campaign. We wish to sincerely thank you on behalf of the officers of HTCC☯ ☯

HTCC Poised to Grow……...

Shanthi Mandir

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 286 Columbia MO 65201

Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri (HTCC) 2006 Holly Avenue, Columbia, MO 65202-2043 HTCC is registered as a Nonprofit Corporation in MO HTCC is tax-exempt under IRS Section 501 (c) 3

Current Programs at the Mandir (November 15, 2011) Devotional Programs Open prayer time/Aarti Tuesday Geeta Study Circle Tuesday Sai Bhajan Thursday Venkateshwara Suprabhatam/Vishnu Sahasranaamam Saturday Open prayer time/Aarti Saturday Kirtan (Monthly event) 1st Sunday Educational/Youth Programs Tamil Classes 1st /3rd Sunday Bal Puja 2nd Sunday Bal Sabha 4th Sunday Service Programs Volunteering at Central Missouri Food Bank 1st Tuesday Narayan Seva (Sai Group - St. Francis Home Lunch) 2nd Sunday Non-Perishable Food Collection (Ongoing continuously) Fitness and Cultural Art Programs Tabla classes (instructor fee required) Sunday Carnatic vocal music classes (instructor fee required) Sunday Yoga classes (instructor fees required) Saturday

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

7:00 - 7:30 p.m.

7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

3:00 - 5:00 p.m.

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Flexible for now 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Flexible for now

Shanthi Sandesh is a quarterly publication of the Hindu Temple and Community Center of Mid-Missouri (HTCC). It is published on behalf of HTCC by its Publications Committee. Editor: Tarang Parashar <tarangparashar@gmail.com>.

Directions: Take Exit 127 on Interstate 70, Head north on Rangeline Street, Right at first traffic light on Vandiver Drive, Left on Parker Street, Right on Holly Avenue, Shanthi Mandir sign will be visible on the right after 5-6 homes. (Note: Holly Avenue is immediately before the Sunrise Optimist building).

Please visit our web site and send us your e-mail address if you would like to be included on the Friends of the Mandir distribution list to receive timely program notices.

http://shanthimandir.missouri.org