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September 2004

Orientation for New Vidyapith Parents 2004

Ram Navami Celebration (March 27, 2004, 5:00 p.m.; Report written by Sneha Shah)   Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Birthday Celebration (March 6, 2004 at 5:00 p.m.; report prepared by Jasmine Gadhavi)   Sri Ramakrishna’s Birthday Celebration (February 21, 2004, 5:00 p.m.; Report written by Nisha Parikh)   Shivaratri Celebration (February 14, Saturday, 5:00 p.m.; Report written by Kanchi Kacharia)   Shivaratri Prayer( February 18, 2004, Wednesday; 7:00 p.m.)   Spring Semester Began (February 7 & 8, 2004)   Swami Vivekananda’s Birthday Celebration (January 14, 2003)   Youth Day Celebration (January 3,4,10,11,17 & 18)   New Year’s Worship (January 1, 2004, 7:00 a.m.)

Ram Navami Celebration (March 27, 2004, 5:00 p.m.; Report written by Sneha Shah):

On the warm evening of Saturday, March 27 th, parents, teachers, and students gathered at Vidyapith to celebrate this year’s Ram Navami Celebration. The Pranam Mantras, Ved Mantras, and Aratrikam were sung at the start of the evening. These were followed by the recitation of Dohas from the Ramacharitra Manas, flower offerings, and an enchanting dhun—Sri Ram Jaya Ram. The devotees sat in silence for a couple minutes, savoring the satisfying serenity of the atmosphere produced by the dhun.

Then, Mahendra Uncle read and talked about the importance of the Ram Navami celebration throughout India. He said that Rama and Sita are ideals of India. Love and sacrifice described in the Ramayana have nourished and sustained the family life in India for thousands of years. Families are the bricks of a society. When families fall down, then the society crumbles to pieces. Uncle also discussed the incidences of Sundara Kanda, especially the Rama’s acceptance of Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana. Uncle concluded his talk with the thought that all troubles will be removed when we have established Rama and Sita within our hearts.

After the talk, “Sri Ramanam Sankirtanam” and a bhajan, “Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhaj Man..,” were sung. Several students then presented their ideas. They talked about the Sundara Kanda, the renunciation of Rama and his brotherly love, Rama as a householder. One student quoted Swami Vivekananda on Rama and another one recited the whole “Rama Raksha Stotram”. A bhajan, Mangal Muraty, and a dhun, Sri Ram Ram Raghunandan were sung. The celebration was concluded with the Jagadish Arati, Ved Mantras, Pranam Mantras, and distribution of prasad. It was a truly inspirational evening. The following students presented: Debanjan Saha ,Rishi Dhar, Arvind Krishnamurthy, Sneha Shah, Bhavini Prajapati, Amit Nighalaye, and Smit Shah.

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Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Birthday Celebration (March 6, 2004 at 5:00 p.m.; report prepared by Jasmine Gadhavi):

Students, parents, and friends gathered at the Vidyapith to celebrate the birthday of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Following the traditional prayers and hymns, several invigorating bhajans were sung in praise of Lord Krishna. Mahendra Uncle talked about the importance of having an absolute love for God. Sri Chaitanyadev was the embodiment of this intense love and was an ideal devotee. Sri Chaitanyadev emphasized the importance of chanting the name of God and holy company in order to develop love for God. Then Uncle read the description of the way Sri Chaitanyadev started a group chanting in a devotee’s house and the rules regulations laid out for such chanting.

Following the reading and the discourse, students presented their thoughts and ideas on Sri Chaitanyadev. One important concept that was highlighted was the similarities between Sri Chaitanyadev and Sri Ramakrishna. Both cherished the idea of love for all, and every second of their day was spent thinking of the Highest Supreme through meditation, singing, and even dancing in an ecstatic mood. All in all, the devotees who attended this year’s celebration left feeling of inspired and enlightened by the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

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Sri Ramakrishna’s Birthday Celebration ( February 21, 2004, 5:00 p.m.; Report written by Nisha Parikh):

As I entered the prayer hall, I noted the peaceful silence, the lit lamp, and the fragrance of burning incense. As in any Vidyapith celebration, the atmosphere was serene and yet charged with devotional fervor. This was a very special celebration, the birthday of Sri Ramakrishna. The celebration began with the Pranam Mantras, Veda Mantras, and aratrikam. This was followed by Ramakrishna Stotram, selections from the Devi-Mahatmyam, and several dhuns and bhajans. As the lights were dimmed, the devotees found themselves absorbed in the melody and the beautiful lyrics of the bhajans.

Then, Mahendra Uncle spoke about Sri Ramakrishna and his teachings. He pointed out that the best way to see Thakur is to see him through the eyes of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. He read the Holy Mother’s description of Sri Ramakrishna including his golden complexion, how people used to look upon him with awe and exclaimed every time he passed by, “There he goes!” The most poignant was the part in which Mother told that she used to worship Sri Ramakrishna’s picture along with other gods and godesses. One day, while passing by Holy Mother's room, Sri Ramakrishna saw that his picture is being worshipped. He said what is going on here. Holy Mother was bashful. Then Holy Mother saw that Sri Ramakrishna worshipped his very own picture with flowers and bilva leaves! Holy Mother said that that picture was very good and is good likeness of him. Uncle also read a few passages of Holy Mother on Sri Ramakrishna including a letter to “M” (the noted author of the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna). Holy Mother wrote to "M" regarding the book Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna that, "...His words which are in your keeping are true, every one of them. When you read them to me I felt as if he himself was speaking." At another time, Holy Mother said that, "He (Sri Ramakrishna) used to give me such fine instruction. If I had only known how to write, I would have noted down his words." After a little more reading Uncle left us with a thought: "let us practice the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna in our lives, especially his basic message, which is to develop taste, and love for God’s name.

After the reading there was more singing, followed by presentations by students and the alumni of Vidyapith. To everyone’s delight more than twenty students came forward and presented their thoughts on Thakur. Their presentations included poems, stories, explanations of Thakur’s parables and quotes, accounts of his life, the relationship between Holy Mother and Thakur, his first encounter with some of his disciples, and his spiritual strength. All the presentation were excellent, yet the most touching were those presented by two alumni who spoke about how Thakur’s teachings have impacted upon their lives and continue to guide them. The celebration ended with the singing of the Jagadisha Aarati and distribution of prasad. It was truly an enjoyable celebration, and as Uncle stated the following day, it was “One of the best celebrations we’ve had for Thakur.”

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Shivaratri Celebration (February 14, Saturday, 5:00 p.m.; Report written by Kanchi Kacharia):

Every celebration has its own charm, and this year’s Shivaratri was no exception. On Saturday, February 14, devotees gathered in the Vidyapith’s Main Hall to worship Shiva, the great God. The celebration commenced with Pranam Mantras and Veda mantras. Then, the Shiva Manasa Pooja was offered, followed by the singing of aratrikam, the hymn Shiva Mahimna, and flower offering. Then, Mahendra Uncle talked about the infinite nature of Lord Shiva and how he resides in each and every being. He talked about the importance of spiritual development and various ways to attain it. Quoting Sri Ramakrishna he said that a finite mind cannot comprehend the infinite nature of the Lord, just as a one gallon pot cannot hold ten gallons of milk. The glories of God cannot be described in finite words. As the shloka from Shiva Mahimna translates, “Oh Lord, if the blue mountain be the ink, the ocean the ink-pot, the biggest branch of the heavenly tree be the pen, the earth the writing leaf, and taking these, if Sarada, the goddess of learning, writes for eternity, even then the limit of Your virtues will not be reached.” The talk was followed by melodious bhajans and dhuns such as Hridaye Shankaram, Gauranga Ardhanga, Om Namah Shivaya, Shiva Panchakshara Stotram, and many others.

Several students presented their thoughts on and Lord Shiva and the significance of Shivaratri. They brought to light the history, meaning, as well as the importance of Shivaratri. Some explained in detail the significance of Lord Shiva’s physical appearance. Shiva as the embodiment of the Holy Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha – was also beautifully brought out. Some accentuated the symbols that represent Shiva and their meanings, the most important being the Shivalinga. Throughout the celebration an aura of peace prevailed in the air. The celebration concluded with Shiva Arati, after which prasad was distributed to all.

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Shivaratri Prayer( February 18, 2004, Wednesday; 7:00 p.m.):

Even though Shivaratri was celebrated on Saturday, February 14, several Vidyapith students, parents and teachers gathered again in the Vidyapith Prayer Hall on February 18, to offer prayer on the auspicious day of Shivaratri, according to the Hindu calendar. The prayer began with thepranam-mantras, manas-pooja, followed by hymns, bhajans and dhoons describing the glories of Shiva, including the famous hymn Shiva Mahimna. Flowers were offered and the celebration was concluded with arati and Veda Mantras. All the devotees were happy to celebrate Shivaratri on its actual day and left thinking about the glories of Shiva.

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Spring Semester Began (February 7 & 8, 2004):

New Semester begun on February 7, 2004 for the Saturday students and on February 8, for the Sunday students. Parents teacher meeting were held on both of these days from 4 to 6 pm to inform parents about the curriculum, rules and regulations and other activities of the Vidyapith.

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Swami Vivekananda’s Birthday Celebration (January 14, 2003):

Students, parents and devotees gathered at Vidyapith to celebrate Swami Vivekananda’s birthday according to the Hindu Calendar. Prayer began at 7:00 a.m. with Subhprabhatam, Pranam Mantras, Ved Mantras, Manas Puja, and Aratrikam. Flowers were offered with some bhajans and dhuns.

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Youth Day Celebration (January 3,4,10,11,17 & 18):

Swami Vivekananda's birthday was also clebrated as Youth Day with various competitions. For more details please see page 10-11.

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New Year’s Worship (January 1, 2004, 7:00 a.m.):

Early in the morning Parents, Students and Devotee gathered at Vidyapith to perform the New Year Day worship. Morning Prayer began at 7:00 with Pranam Mantra, Suprbhatam, and Ved Mantra. Then Dashopachar pooja was offered. It followed by Aratrikam and flower-offering along with some bhajanns and prayers. Thus, the New Year started with prayers and serene environment with a wish that it will be a spiritually rewarding year.

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