Stories less told

The greatness of Mahalakshmi Thayar

When Hanuman went to Lanka in search of Sita, he found Sita seated under a tree in the Ashoka Vana. Hanuman had not seen Sita before, but how did he recognize her. Sita’s very piety and grace was sufficient enough for Hanuman to spot her. Being frail, weak, sad and harping on Rama all the time, he could identify her as the sole one befitting Rama's grace and majesty. In order to make sure that this was Sita indeed, he recited the Ramayana till the point he was discharged to find Sita. Sita on hearing the story broke down and looked frantically in the direction of the voice. She was still uncertain about Hanuman and feared that it was Ravana in disguise of a monkey. It was only when Hanuman showed Sita the finger ring of Rama, she was convinced. In return, she gave him her choodamani as an identity. She also narrated the following incident to hanuman. This was a story which happened between her and Rama and there was no one else who were aware of this incident. Hence, she was sure that when Hanuman narrated the same to Rama, he would be rest assured that it was indeed Sita whose darshan Hanuman had.

This was the time when Rama, Sita and lakshmana were spending time in the Dandakaranya forest as part of keikeyi's directive to Rama. . Lakshmana was off into the woods while Rama and Sita were alone. Rama wanted to rest and he lied down on Sita’s lap. Jayanthan, who was the son of Indra, set his eyes on Sita and wanted to attain her. He took the form of a crow and started disturbing her. Sita tried as much as possible to avert him. She did not wake up Rama lest his sleep would get affected. Alas!! The crow pecked her chest and she started bleeding. When few drops of blood fell on Rama, he woke up to find the crow disturbing his beloved. 

HE took up a blade of grass, chanted a mantra and aimed the Bramhaastra at the crow. The crow trembled and ran for his life. He sought the help of Lord Shiva and Lord Bramha. Both of them refused to support in this evil act. He had no option but to do sharanagati. The crow flew back to Rama, fell at his feet and pleaded mercy. Rama was tough and wanted to punish the crow suitably but Sita intervened and saw that it was the play of a child’s ignorance. She requested Rama to pardon the crow. Since an arrow shot from his bow could not be taken aback, Rama directed the arrow to the crow’s eye.

Rama fought against Ravana, Kumbhakarna, Tataka, Vali, Subahu, Mareecha and many other demons and killed all of them. But he spared kakasura only because Sita was beside him. She is the embodiment of mercy. She is the divine mother with whom even Rama’s anger is under control. It was only because of her benevolence that Jayathan got spared. She is Loka matha, the mother of the universe.

We have to pray to Mahalakshmi even before we pay our obeisance to Lord Vishnu. For those who chant the Vishnu Sahasranama, chanting of Lakshmi Ashtotharam along with it is a must. We must not forget that Lord Vishnu is present in his full mercy only when Thayar is with him. Of course, she is always there with him on his vakshastalam or chest. It then becomes even more important to sing her praise when we pay our tributes to HIM. When the Lord is extolled along with his consort, it is like a fruit with all its sweetness.

Ram Ram

The Beginning

The Beginning

Before we dive into the ocean of GITA to drink its nectar, let us see the circumstances under what was the GITA taught.

The war between the kauravas and pandavas was imminent – All for a piece of land. Arjuna was blessed to have Shri Krishna as his charioteer. On the battle field, when both the sides were just about to start the war, when the air resounded with deafening sounds of the conchs,  of kettle drums and bugles, Arjuna requested Krishna to move to the center of the battle field so that he could, for one last time, have a look at both sides from an equidistant.  Krishna obeyed Arjuna’s commands and moved to the center of the battle field.

That Arjuna who was the embodiment of confidence and valour felt his bow slipping out of his hands. He perspired at the sight, his body started shivering, A sudden sea of emotions overcame him. He suddenly realized that he was to fight with his own grandparents, his own guru, his own brothers. This feeling of Arjuna is not unusual. Many a times we feel confident before exams or even before any major event of our lives. But as the time for execution nears, there is a kind of fear that grips us and we tend to become wavy of our own abilities. Arjuna was no different. Though his best friend and cousin, Lord Krishna was always with him, he failed to take advantage of an absolute surrender towards the Lord. Ego did not spare Arjuna too.

The first chapter is called “Arjuna Vishada Yoga” where Arjuna cribs and laments for the state of affairs. He became disillusioned at the fact that he will be killing his own brethren. He sulked at the thought that there will be widows on both sides due to this bloodshed. And all this was for a piece of land. All this enlightenment dawned upon him at the verge of the breakout of the war. He refused to fight, became adamant that he would take to sanyas and lead a life of recluse.

It was then that Krishna taking up the position of an acharya or Guru, gave a long sermon in the form of the divine song – the bagavad-gita. He starts his discourse only in the second chapter after patiently hearing to Arjuna’s complaints. He then speaks at length about the duties of a kshatriya, the varna dharma of Arjuna. He elaborates about the Karma which each one of us is ordained to do. He extols Bhakti as the sole destination for man to attain his holy feet. He explains the nature of the soul and shows the way to redeem this soul from repeated births and deaths. What to talk of the effort that he has taken to bring back Arjuna from a cowardly person to the a brave warrior !!!. This is the ocean of mercy . If Krishna wanted, he could have changed Arjuna by just his sankalpa, by his mere thought. But then the world would have missed a precious GEM like the GITA. It is for the welfare of the world that GITA was given. We are all Arjunas not knowing what to do in the battle of life. Our senses are our enemies. We have to fight them and this is possible when we use knowledge of GITA as our weapon.

The sage Vyasa who is Lord Vishnu incarnate has divided the GITA is 18 chapters comprising of 700 slokas. He has divided it into broadly three parts as Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. People can follow whichever path they want depending on what is suitable to them. All roads lead to the same destination i.e. moksha.

We are all more than 700 days old. It would surely be unfair our part not to know even a single sloka of this divine song. Our Vedas and shastras are a rich treasure to keep us happy. We need to accept and respect them. The Gita explains the highest essence of the Vedas. It cleanses our heart, removes our sins, enhances the satvic mind and leads us to salvation. When GOD himself came down to lift us from this samsara sagara, we have to acknowledge and at least climb one step towards HIM. So, a shloka a day definitely will keep all evils away.

RAM RAM

  

A shloka a day keeps all evils away

BAGAVAD-GITA - The Divine Song

I would like to thank Sujatha for inspiring me to write on this. I have been quoting a sloka from the GITA in my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LahariCulturalLearning . Sujatha asked me elaborate on them and I thought that it is a good idea to start discussions and spread GITA to as many as possible. The view points that you will read in the blog are all derived from various sources of great Acharyas, from books read and from upanyasams heard. So, I am only doing the transport job. No explanation is mine as my intellect is too small to even think of commenting on the GITA. So, here starts the drop service.

The Bhagavad-Gita is one of the most important and powerful literatures of Hindu mythology and philosophy. No other work has got so many commentaries by the great Acharyas. Practically, every guru has dealt with its tatva in an elaborate way. Be it Adi Shankara, or Ramanujaacharya or Madhvaacharya- it has been their most favoured topic for discussion and explanation. In recent times, we have had teachers like Shri. Chinmayananda, Shri. Dayananda  Saraswati or Shri.Prabhupada with their commentaries. While some elaborate the GITA from the point of view of an advaitin, some of them give explanation based on vishishtadvaita. Whatever philosophy one understands and follows, it is important to grasp and execute the instructions given in the GITA to attain moksha. Let us remember that the human life we have, is just not to earn money, produce off springs and be successful in materialistic life alone. Neither should we use prayer for only mundane goals. Our goals must be divine and in high esteem. The ultimate aim is to get ourselves free from the bondage of continuous birth and death.

Some people say it is too philosophical and beyond the comprehension of our intellect. This is not so. The Gita is divided into three parts – karma yoga, Jnana Yoga and Bhakti yoga. One can reach the lord through any one of the ways. Though the vedantic aspect may be difficult to comprehend, if one is always in the mode of reading , contemplating and has a deep interest to know this aspect, then the Lord himself opens the door in the form of a guru. There are many other characteristics in the GITA which we can easily tailor it to our day-today lives. For example, we learn about how to perform our duty unconditionally, how to maintain our poise when we have ups and downs in life, how to control the mind, how to develop true devotion to the lord and many other aspects.

So, let us not think that the GITA is only for retired people. This is the general feeling that one can start reading the GITA when they retire and have ample time. Sorry, we are all completely mistaken. When we cannot set the right priority when we are young, how can we set the priority when old. Our mind and attitude would have been tuned to such materialistic pleasures, that forget understanding the Gita, reading itself will be a burden. Moreover, the GITA is apt to read and implement when we are young. It teaches us daily lessons that will enable us to be more balanced and develop a mind that is more empathetic and introspective.

So, let us start reading a sloka everyday and understand its purport.  As much as possible, I will give the purport of the Gita on a weekly basis. One can find the weekly quote in the FB page of LAHARI: https://www.facebook.com/LahariCulturalLearning. The explanation will be in the blog. Please feel free to discuss and comment so that all of us can grow spiritually together. Satsang is the order of the day.

RAM RAM

Pathi Pavani, Papa Vimochani - Gange

Ganga – Our divine and Pure mother

The sacred river Ganga which flows from Haridwar, is a lifeline to all of us and is of course, a sacred river to Hindus. She is considered to be a papa nashini, the remover of all sins. 

But today, she is in a state of pity and misuse. People who reside near the Ganga worship her like a goddess yet perform all unhealthy and unhygienic acts on her leaving her as a river to ridicule. The industries that mushroom along her coast dump all their waste into her, yet she patiently bears the pain and works her way as a true karma yogin. It would be good to know where and how this “pathita pavani” came down to earth. She has a divine birth, originating from Satyaloka where Bramha resides. 

This happened when Lord Vishnu took the form of Vamana murthi to subdue Mahabali in the Vamana Avatara. Bali was a powerful Asura yet very generous and with a large heart. When he perform a yagna to please the gods and become all powerful, the Devas approached Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu then took the form of a small Brahmin boy and went to attend the yagna. Bali was giving away gifts to the poor Brahmins and when it was Vamana’s turn to ask, he asked for three steps of land. Bali was taken aback by this strange request from a small boy. Out of his ignorance, he agreed to give away what was asked for, despite the warnings from his guru Shukracharya.

When the boon was granted, Vamana grew tremendously and began to measure the earth as his first foot. He measured the entire akasha mandalam (the sky) as his second piece of foot. His foot stretched to such a great extent that it reached Bramha loka. Bramha saw the toe of the Lord, identified it and did "paada puja" to the lord. He poured water from his kamandalam (water pot). This water from Bramha's kamadalam is the Ganga. She is the creation from brahma’s kamandalam. One can imagine her purity and her place in heaven. 

She then divided herself as four tributaries and flowed through various regions in the heaven. It was Bhageeratha, a king of the Iksvaku clan (the clan of Lord Rama) who brought Ganga to the earth. He had the responsibility of redeeming his ancestors from a sage’s curse. He therefore did penance for a 1000 years and got Ganga to the earth. But the force with which she fell was immense and the earth could not withstand her force. This time, it was Lord shiva to the resuce. He caught her and locked her in his matted hair. 

Bhageeratha did penance for yet another 1000 years and requested Lord Shiva to release her. Shiva let her go as a very small stream. This small stream flows with such ferocious force on the earth. She falls as the river Alakananda in Bharath. One must see the force with she comes down the Himalayas. We have to thank Lord shiva for having let her as a “small stream”. 

She is known by various names depending on the course she flowed and interesting incidents that she came across. She is called Janhavi, Bhishma  janani, Sureshwari, Bhaageerathi, Alakananda etc. Shri. Adi Shankara has paid a rich tribute to this goddess through a beautiful composition called “Ganga Storam”. One can learn and chant this everyday for the well being of all in this world.

She is the giver of life to us. Isn’t it our responsibility to take care of her and show our gratitude to her? She provides livelihood to all people in this country and we corrupt her in so many ways. While we take so much care to keep our house clean, our body hygienic, and neighborhood healthy, why then do we ignore the river which gives us life? It won’t take long for her to show her anger on us but she is patience personified and is taking in all that we do. Before she vents her anger on us, let us rectify ourselves and give her back to her what she has given us. Else it sure is a self dug grave.

I have pasted the Ganga stotram down for those who want to learn. It is set to a beautiful tune. One can google for the tune and learn it. 

GANGA STOTRAM

jaya jaya gaìge jaya hara gaìge jaya jaya gaìge jaya hara gaìge | 

1. devi sureshvari bhagavati gaìge tribhuvana-taariëi tarala-taraìge | 

shaìkara-mauli-vihaariëi vimale mama mati-raastaam tava pada-kamale || 

2. baagee-rathi sukha-daayini maata-stava jala mahimaa nigame khyaataha | 

naaham jaane tava mahimaanam paahi kripaa-mayi maama-gyaanam || 

3. hari-pada paadya ta-raìgiëi gaìge hima-vidhu muktaa dhavala taraìge | 

dooree kuru mama duñhkriti bhaaram kuru kripayaa bhava-saagara paaram || 

4. tava jala-mamalam yena nipeetam parama-padam khalu tena griheetam | 

maatar gaìge tvayi yo bhaktah kila tam drañhöum na yamah shaktaha || 

5. patitod-dhaariëi jaahnavi gaìge khaëòita-girivara-maëòita bhaìge | 

bheeñhma janani he munivara kanye patitani-vaariëi tribhuvana dhanye || 

6. kalpa-la-taamiva phaladaam loke praëamati yastvaam na patati shoke | 

paaraa-vaara vihaariëi gaìge vimukha yuvati krita taralaa-paaìge || 

7. tava chen-maatah strotah snaatah punarapi jaöhare so’pi na jaataha | 

narakani-vaariëi jaahnavi gaìge kaluñha-vinaashini mahimot-tuìge || 

8. puna-rasa-daìge puëya-taraìge jaya jaya jaahnavi karuëaa-paaìge | 

indra-mukuöa-maëi-raajita charaëe sukhade shubhade bhritya sharaëye || 

9. rogam shokam taapam paapam hara me bhagavati kumati kalaapam | 

tribhuvana saare vasudhaa hare tvamasi gatir-mama khalu samsaare || 

10. alak-aanande param-aanande kuru karuëaa-mayi kaatara vandye | 

tava taöa nikaöe yasya nivaasah khalu vaikuëöhe tasya nivaasaha || 

11. vara-miha neere kamaöho meenah kim vaa teere sharaöah ksheeëaha | 

athavaa shvapacho malino deena-stava na hi doore nripati-kuleenaha || 

12. bho bhuvaneshvari puëye dhanye devi dravamayi munivara kanye | 

jaya jaya gaìge jaya hara gaìge jaya jaya gaìge jaya hara gaìge || 

jaya jaya gaìge jaya hara gaìge jaya jaya gaìge jaya hara gaìge | 

Translation: 

Victory to Ganga; Victory to Shiva! 

1. Goddess Ganga, you are the divine river from heaven, you are the saviour of all the three 

worlds, you are pure and restless, you adorn Lord Shiva’s head. Mother, may my mind always 

rest at your lotus feet. 

2. Mother Bhagirathi, you give happiness to everyone. The significance of your holy waters is 

sung in the Vedas. I am ignorant and not capable of comprehending your importance. Devi, you 

are full of mercy, please protect me. 

3. Devi, your waters are as sacred as the “Charanamriti” of Sri Hari. Your waves are white like 

snow, moon and pearls. Please wash away all my sins and help me cross this ocean of samsara. 

4. Mother, those who partake of your pure waters definitely attain the highest state. Mother Ganga, 

even Yama, the Lord of death, cannot harm your devotees. 

5. Jahnavi, your waters flowing through the Himalayas make you even more beautiful. You are 

Bhishma’s mother, and sage Jahnu’s daughter. You are the saviour of people who have fallen 

from their path, and so you are revered in all three worlds. 

6. Mother, you fulfill all the desires of those devoted to you. Those who bow down to you do not 

have to grieve. Ganga, you are eager to merge with the ocean, just like a young woman anxious 

to meet her beloved. 

7. Mother, those who bathe in your waters do not have to take birth again. Jahnavi, you are held in 

the highest esteem. You destroy your devotees’ sins and save them from hell. 

8. Jahnavi, you are full of compassion. You purify your devotees with your holy waters. Your feet 

are adorned with the gems of Indra’s crown. Those who seek refuge in you are blessed with 

happiness. 

9. Bhagavati, take away my diseases, sorrows, difficulties, sins and wrong attitudes. You are the 

essence of the three worlds and you are like a necklace around the Earth. Devi, you alone are 

my refuge in this Samsara. 

10. Ganga, those who seek happiness worship you. You are the source of happiness for Alkapuri 

and the source of eternal bliss. Those who reside on your banks are as privileged as those living 

in Vaikunth. 

11. Devi, it is better to live in your waters as a turtle or fish, or to live on your banks as the poor, 

rather than to live away from you, even as a wealthy king. 

12. Goddess of the Univers, you purify us. Daughter of Muni Jahnu, one who recites this Ganga 

Stotram every day, definitely will achieve success. 

RAM RAM

Bindi - Today's GENX evading Aabharan

Do you like a Flat ,Plain Forehead

Bindi - A beautiful colored decoration to your forehead. Kept in between the eyebrows, this adds beauty, grace and is a must for every girl who is born as a HINDU. Why do we wear bindhis? 

The center point of the eyebrows is called the spiritual eye. It is called as the "aagnya chakra" or the seat of concealed wisdom. The latent energy we have in us constantly flows out of us when we do not wear a bindi. A pottu or a bindi conceals this and preserves this energy. It adds to the beauty and charm of a girl.

For the past few years , maybe , a decade, the trend is that most of the women - be it middle aged ladies or children fail to sport this colourful and beautiful decoration on their forehead. IS it that they find it old fashioned and superstitious. The lack of bindi on the forehead definitely gives an unlucky look. What is it that influences them so wrongly?

What to talk about children when mothers themselves don't bother to wear one. What makes moms not to wear a bindi? While their mothers or mothers-in-law have one, why has the habit been left off?. Where was the beginning and how did this practice of a blank forehead begin? Is it fashion? Is this forward thinking?"Definitely Not"... It is a neglect of our culture, a sheer indifference to what our elders say and an I-know-it-all attitude.

I wonder where did all this start?. We see foreigners loving to wear a bindi and respect our culture. Why do we underestimate our culture? When Christians and Muslims can be so adherent to their practices, why is it that we Hindus are so casual about our culture and practices. 

Hinduism is such a liberal religion. It gives you freedom to pray at whatever time you want, whichever God you want, whatever posture you wish.Unlike other religions, though rules are laid down, there is always a free will. Probably the biggest mistake our elders laid down to us - free will.

Is NOT wearing a bindi in any way showing that we are mentally progressing? Does this in anyway indicate that we have a scientific bent of mind? Is there one reason to prove that this is not needed? Or does it in any way increase the beauty and grace of a female? Why do we ape the west so blindly? What is that one authentic reasoning that we do not respect our culture. Are we so egoistic to accept its greatness? Do we regard our elders as just a bunch of idiots who had all the free time that they laid these rules?

Let us not deceive ourselves in the name of women liberation. This, in no way proves, that we are getting true freedom. True freedom must come from within. We don't get liberated by just changing the way we look.

We find ourselves more weaker in health or mental state than the elderly women at home. They have had more will power, more inward strength and physical fitness. This surely is one of the reasons. Finding it silly? All failure can't give you direct answers. Neither will GOD come in front of us and tell us why we suffer. That is the reason we have the vedas and shastras to guide us. When we neglect them, it takes a toll on our well being. We have to truly introspect and find answers.

If any person who doesn't wear a bindi can reason out why they do so, it would be truly good. And if we can find a sensible answer for not wearing a pottu, then we can surely question our dharma shastras and get answers.

Rules are laid for our own welfare. They are to be practiced for longevity, good health, prosperity and success in all that we do. We need to understand this. Rules practiced will definitely give positive results. There is no harm in taking a bindi and keeping in your forehead. If it is not in our practice  we have to get it to into practice. When we spend hours and days to achieve some result, we have to take small effort in keeping reminders for this too. It is NOT insignificant. We are sending wrong signals to our children  We are setting a bad example for generations to come. The results will not be visible immediately but will show in succeeding off-springs.

So, before it is too late and we find answers of why things go wrong with us, let us appreciate and respect out elders and their suggestions. Wear bindi and look beautiful not only from outside but from the inside too

RAM RAM

Who was Right??

Karna and Vibheeshana

Karna and Vibheeshana- Both characters of the Mahabharatha and Ramayan respectively are often topics of discussion. The discussion is always about who did right? Did Karna did the right thing by supporting Duryodhana given the fact that he got the status of a king from the latter. Or is what Vibheeshana did was right that he left his own brother to support his brother’s enemy Rama. Before we conclude, a small background of both.

Karna: He was the first son of Kunti. Born even before Kunti got married, she had to forgo him as she feared shame and infamy. Karna was brought up by a charioteer and hence came to be known to the world as a son of a charioteer. 

During an occasion when the princes of Hastinapur were showing off their valour, Karna challenged Arjuna for a fight. There, he was humiliated by Bheema saying that only equals could fight each other and that Karna was a “suta putra”. This insulted Karna. Duryodhana is a person who always looked to win over strong people to his side. Though he didn’t know Karna’s valour, the very fact that Karna challenged Arjuna was sufficient for him to understand the talent. He cleverly,  rather cunningly made Karna the king of Anga ( a small kingdom) and gave him name and status in society. It was for this single favour that Karna remained with Duryodhana till the end of his life.

 

On the other hand, Vibheeshana was the own brother of Ravana. Tough Ravana was evil, Vibheeshana was a great Vishnu bhakta. He advised Ravana several times about returning Sita to Rama and that Rama was Vishnu incarnate. Ravana refused to budge. Finally, when Ravana did not listen to him, he decided to desert his own brother and join hands with Rama. He left Ravana for good and later became the kind of Lanka.

So, who did the right thing? Karna who did not leave Duryodhana irrespective of what atrocities Duryodhana did or Vibheeshana who left his own brother,  a brother known for unrighteousness.

Now, on the face of it, it would seem that Karna did the right thing that he did not deceive Duryodhana, and gave a fitting return by pledging his life for his friend. And Vibheeshana deserted his very own brother for the sake of a kingdom.

It is true that one must not give up gratitude in life. We must always remember people who have helped us in times of distress. But karna’s big mistake was that in the name of gratitude, he supported all the atrocities of Duryodhana. He didn’t dare to oppose any of his friend’s acts. He didn’t bother to correct him when something wrong was done. A true friend is one who tells the right and wrong not minding the bitter words he may have to listen. He “supported” Adharma which is equivalent to “doing” Adharma. 

But even Bhishma, Kripa and Drona supported Duryodhana. Even though they did not support Duryodhana’s wrong doings, they fought for him. So, were they wrong too? In a way, yes. They also supported Adharma. But they were bound to the king and the kingdom and not to Duryodhana. All the above people were committed to save Hastinapur. The king and the kinddom had given them shelter, food and occupation. They, however, did not hesitate to try and correct Dhritarashtra. They did their best to avert a war. They did all that was possible to change Duryodhana but failed. Having failed, they resorted to fight for their king which was their dharma.  But Karna did not fight for the kingdom or the king, he fought for his friend which was again a mistake. Had Karna advised his friend, he would not have got so much of disgrace.

On the other hand, Vibheeshana was Ravana’s own brother. He had shared all the ups and downs of Ravana from childhood. But still, he had the courage to to leave Ravana to join Rama in the fight for dharma. He advised Ravana several times about the power of Rama and pleaded Ravana to leave Sita gracefully. But Ravana did not listen. In turn, he insulted Vibheeshana. Vibheeshana had no other option but to leave Ravana because supporting his brother would be like supporting Adharma. And being a staunch devotee of Vishnu, the best he could do was to leave Ravana and surrender unto Rama.

So, friends, at the face of it, we would definitely think that what Karna did was right. But with true analysis we would be happy to know and conclude that Vibheeshana was right.  Though Karna can be exalted as a good friend, he cannot be spoken in high esteem because he supported wicked Duryodhana who was the embodiment of cunningness and atrocity. In fact, Karna cannot be spoken of as a true friend too for the reasons already mentioned.

Adharma in any form must be condemned – even if it is your own kith and kin. We must never fear to speak out the truth. A wrong is a wrong and a right is a right. We cannot change positions for our convenience. And what is our dharma? Our dharma shastras have many rules laid down for us to follow which will make lives easier, happier, more contended and satisfying., It is up to us to take it or leave it. We in turn choose our mode of happiness – temporary or permanent. Some are not practical in today’s life. But we can definitely follow many of them which are not difficult and very much possible in our day today lives. The change should be in our minds.

Long live sanathana dharma!!

Ram Ram

Annual Report OF LAHARI, 2013

Annual Report of “LAHARI”, 2013

I would like to give some details about what we at LAHARI are doing towards helping ourselves and the society. I thank the parents for being inspiring and motivating to your children. Your support and enthusiasm have helped these children mould themselves into good and noble kids. I am sure they will come to be balanced and mature children as they grow knowing what is right and what is wrong.  I am also confident that having sown the seeds of Bhakti in them, they will grow to spread it and make a difference wherever they go. I would like to brief you about the various activities that we at LAHARI have been doing. It is all because of your patronage and team work.

• Conducted Vishnu Sahasranama Competition in February 2013 Judged by Smt. Shanta Vishwanathan

• Participated in group chanting during ganesha chaturthi celebrations by seniors and juniors. They chanted
“Ganesha Pancharatnam, Ganga Stortram, and Vishnu Sahasranama. The big honour was that we were “invited” to chant. I had few kids join the sloka class after this performance This means to say that LAHARI kids are making a difference in the life of others and are also inspiring young minds. Good going.

• Participated in the Dussera celebrations of White House n the form of skits like “The Akshaya Patram” and “Saints of India” which was well received and appreciated.

• Two of our kids participated and won the Gita chanting competition in the Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in Ganesha Temple, R.T.Nagar.

• Children of LAHARI gave a  bhajan performance for Navarathri in front of the White House temple for Navarathri

• Children also participated in the bhajan singing for Dussera celebrations in white house

• Senior children participated in the Annapoorna stotram competition held in November 2013.

As part of LAHARI charity drive, we have donated more than half the fees collected to organizations which are doing service to preserve and spread our vedic culture. I have given the website of most of them. You may visit the websites. If you wish to donate to these organizations, please do so. Come to think of it, what we donate in life is just a drop to what service people out there are doing. So, please donate liberally to vedic studies and its promotion.  We are all so gifted in life, let us thank GOD by doing a drop of danam. I am sure all of you are doing charity in some way or the other. Just in case, you want to support vedic institutions which are doing an amazing service towards preserving and spreading vedic studies, you may donate to these organizations below, if you please. The following are the organizations which we donated to

1. Kinchit karam Trust – This is started my Shri.U.Ve Velukudi Krishnan who is doing a great job in spreading shri vaishnavism. He has undertaken many programs which spread and inspire vedic learning. http://kinchitkaramtrust.org/kkt/

2. Kacchi moodoor Archakas Trust – This is an organization which was started under the initiative of Maha Periva of Kanchi. The aim is to support archakas in temples of remote areas. It doesn’t just restrict to pay these archakas but sees to it that they are constantly evaluated on their vedic skills and how much they are able to work selflessly. They have regular exams to keep themselves abreast. http://kmawt.org/

3. Sandeepani gurukulam – Stared by Shri. Muralidhara swamigal. This also aims to spread the vedic learning and also “GO (cow)” samrakshanam. They have undertaken the work of old temple renovation and are doing a wonderful job. Apart from these, they have also undertaken social responsibility in many villages.
Please visit: http://madhuramurali.org

4. Vedaparayana Trust: This was formed with the aim of celebrating the birth anniversary of Shri Adi Shankaracharya, the advaitist. Many homams and veda sadas were conducted as part of this celebration. Many Sanskrit scholars were honoured.

5. Saraswati Vidyalaya Patashala , Mattur, Shimoga: This is another school which promots vedic studies. This is a village which has most of the people talking in Sanskrit. I came to know about this trust through an article in “THE HINDU”. They have their own pathashala which teaches children Vedas, Upanishads and other chants making them good Brahmins. For more details and to donate, please visit: http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/tale-of-two-villages/article4581221.ece .It was heartening to see that Sanskrit has its due respect at least in one village of India.

6. Jagadguru Kanchi Mamunivar Trust: Started by an ardent devotee of Maha Periva, Smt. Rajalakshmi Vittal, she along with her husband who are in their 70s are running this trust. Their aim is again to reach and spread vedic studies as much as possible.  My in-laws have been there and have lauded their selfless work and dedication. http://kanchimamuni.org/ourcharity.htm

7. A separate drive to collect money to the temple committee of our White House temple was done and children donated liberally. Thanks to you all.

Apart from the charity to vedic organizations, we also donated to the following

• Ashwini charitable trust: an NGO that provides education to underprivileged children from urban slums in Bangalore. They do a lot of sponsorship to deserving poor children. http://ashwinitrust.org/

• Sharanya Trust : A government orphanage which is in our own R.T.Nagar premises which houses only 25-30 girl children. These people also are doing a wonderful job. Do visit this once if you haven’t.

So, parents a big thank you for all your help and support. We are all doing a drop service and when each drop in the form of a child comes together, it forms a lake, river and an ocean. So, let us continue this service come what may. Let us hold to our magnificent Hindu Dharma and spread it wherever possible

RAM RAM