Significance of Ganapathi Homam

!!!!!!!Important dates in the month of May are listed.!Page 2

True Devotion will Surely Win

A short story!Balaram was taken into the shrine. The neighbors showed him the two idols, beautifully decorated with flowers and apparel and said, "Look that is Goddess Brahmaramba, your sister a n d t h a t i s L o r d Mallikarjuna.” Page 3

Vedanshi

Mantras,Shlokas & Stotras!Lord Subrahmanya, familiarly called Muruga, is born of Shiva and Paarvati to destroy the demon Taarakaasura. He was appointed Commander-in-chief of the gods. With his matchless weapon, the shakti or lance, shining brilliantly like fire, He destroyed Taarakaasura. Being worshipped always as very young, He is also called Kumara. He is depicted as a boy either with one head and two arms or with six heads and twelve arms.!

The word Subrahmanya means one who tends the spiritual growth of the aspirants. His six heads represent five sense organs and the mind. When these are controlled and sublimated, man becomes perfect.!

The shakti or lance stands for knowledge and wisdom with which the demon of ignorance can be destroyed.!

The peacock is His vaahana (vehicle). It is shown as belaboring a snake with one of its legs. The snake represents lust or lower desires. The peacock signifies the power of celibacy. By the power of

celibacy man can put down lust or desires and become perfect.!

Shadaananam kumkuma raktavarnam!

mahaamatim divya mayoora vaahanam!

rudrasya soonum sura sainya naatham!

guham sadaa sharanamaham prapadye.!

I seek refuge for ever with the six-faced God of vermilion complexion, the son of Rudra, leader of the army of Gods, who possessed of great intelligence, and mounted on a celestial peacock, ever resides in the cave of human hearts.!

Namo namaste guha shaktidhaamne!

namo namaste guha shaktidhartre!

namo namaste guha devasenaa-!

bhartre namaste kulabhooshanaaya.!

Salutations to the Lord Subrahmanya, who is the abode of power, who holds the lance, who is the commander of the celestial hosts and who is the ornament of His divine family.!

- A prayer book for children!

Snana (Bath) Sloka!

Gangge-Ca Yamune Ca-Iva Godaavarii Sarasvati |!Narmadaa Sindhu Kaaverii Jale[a-A]smin Samnidhim Kuru ||!

Meaning:!1: O Holy Rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and also Godavari, Saraswati,!2: Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri; Please be Present in this Water Near Me (and make it Holy).!

www:greenmesg.org

It is difficult for the children to repay the debt of what the mother and the father have done to bring them up!

2.111.9; Valmiki Ramayana

Donation Opportunities Dollar a day sponsor!Silver sponsor!Gold sponsor!Platinum sponsor!Diamond sponsor!!Page 3

Estimated Cost Breakdown

Land Purchase !

$200,000!

(under contract)!

more updates!

Page 2

Letter from the board “There are a number of pioneers and supporters helped to bring the organization to this level and I personally thank all of them. As you notice the trustees group contains a good mix of long-term settlers and young new comers of Lafayette.”  Page 4

Trustees and Executive Committee for the year 2014-2015 listed!Page 4

A Monthly Newsletter Issue No 6: May 2014

The part of the sacred knowledge

S A N A T A N H I N D U S A N S K A R K E N D R A

Issue No 6: May 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana " 1

May Important Dates!

For more details please refer DrikPanchang.com!!Performing Ganapathy Homam once every year gives prosperity, health and wealth. If any one is running Ketu dasa or bhukti or there is some dosha of Ketu in the horoscope, he shall perform Ganapathy Homam and get-relief. Ganapathy Homam should be performed in the early morning and Poornahuthi to be offered during sunrise, unless any other time is specifically mentioned to suit the particular purpose.!

-S Ramaswamy

Sanatan Hindu Sanskar Kendra!PO Box 80362, Lafayette, Louisiana - 70598!

Email: shskendra@gmail.com, Website: sanatanlft.org!Tax Id: 46-2580905

Durga Sita Ram Ganesh Krishna Shiva

Significance of Ganapathi Homam !Ganapathi homam is performed to beget happiness, prosperity and good health. Anyone is desirous of praying to God to remove any obstacles in any of his plan/work/Business/action and also to be victorious in his deeds can pray to Lord Ganesha. Ganapathi homam can be performed to please Kethu and hence anyone who has Kethu dasa or bhukthi or wishes to appease Kethu can participate in the homam. Performing Ganapathy Homam once every year gives prosperity, health and wealth. As per ganesh puran many types of ganapathi homam can be done example: Mahaganapathi Homam, Asthadravya Ganapathi Homam, Sahasra modaka Ganapathi Homam,etc…!

Before starting any new venture or anything afresh, Ganesh Homam is must. If one is suffering from losses, when starting a new business or investments or when one is getting married, or to remove obstacles or for celebration of your or your child's birthday, Maha Ganpathy Homam is recommended. Ganapati or Ganesha, the Lord of Gananas, the elephant faced God, represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. Ganesha is revered as the son of Shiva and Parvati, and is always honored first in most worship services and rituals. Ganesha is also known as Ganapati, Vigneswara, Vinayaka, Gajamukha and Ainkaran. He is worshipped for siddhi, success in undertakings, and buddhi, intelligence. He is worshipped before any venture is started. He is also the God of education, knowledge and wisdom, literature, and the fine arts. Ganesha is also one of the five Gods the worship of whom was popularized by Adi Shankaracharya; the other four are Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Surya. The worship of these five deities is called the pancayatan Homam. In some cases, a sixth God, Skanda is also worshipped!

The large head of an elephant symbolizes wisdom, understanding, and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life. The wide mouth represents the natural human desire to enjoy life in the world. The large ears signify that a perfect person is the one who possesses a great capacity to listen to others and assimilate ideas. The trunk relates to the power of human mind, which must be strong enough to face the ups and downs of the external world and yet delicate enough to explore the subtle realms of the inner world. The two tusks denote the two aspects of the human personality, wisdom and emotion. The right tusk represents wisdom left tusk represents emotion. The broken left tusk conveys the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection.

Based on Lafayette, Louisiana, US Time!

10 Saturday! Mohini Ekadashi!

12 Monday! Narasimha Jayanti!

14 Wednesday! Vrishabha Sankranti!

15 Thursday! Narada Jayanti!

24 Saturday! Apara Ekadashi!

27 Tuesday! Vat Savitri Vrat!

28 Wednesday ! Shani Jayanti

Lord Ganesha!Sponsored by!

Jay and Usha Patel!

Estimated Cost Breakdown!!

Land Purchase - $200,000 (under contract)!

Temple Construction - $700,000 ± 20%!

Moorties (Deities) – By Sponsorship!

Parking lot and landscape - $150,000 ± 20%!

Priest Quarters - $100,000 ± 20%!

Auditorium and class rooms - $500,000 ± 20%!

S A N A T A N H I N D U S A N S K A R K E N D R A

" Issue No 6: May 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana2

Donation Opportunities!Dollar a day Sponsors!

Silver Sponsors - $500 to $1000!Gold Sponsors - $1001 to $10,000!

Platinum Sponsors - $10,001 to $25,000!Diamond Sponsors - $25,001 and above!

Donations are also accepted through our website www.sanatanlft.org!

Membership Options!Annual Membership dues - $100!

Lifetime Membership dues - $5000!Pledged lifetime membership dues - $1000/yr for 5 years!

Short Story True Devotion Will Surely Win Sri Sailam is a great pilgrim center in Andhra Pradesh, and is famous for its temple of Siva and Parvathi atop a hill. There, Lord Siva is adored as Mallikarjuna and Goddess Parvathi as Bhramaramba. There is a legend relating to this sacred shrine and the Divinity that abides there as Siva and Sakthi.!

In a hamlet very near Srisailam, there lived a mother and a lad, six years old. He was called Balaramanna. He was studying in the local elementary school.!

Once, on the eve of Sivarathri, all the school boys were returning home eagerly discussing the

festival. One boy said: "My sister and brother-in-law are coming tonight for Sivarathri. Tomorrow we will all go to the temple on the hill. "Oh! What fun it is to be with my sister and brother-in-law". Another boy said: "My sister and brother-in-law have already come. They have brought me new dress to wear. We are all going to the temple tonight itself." Balaramanna heard this talk. He wondered whether he too had a sister and brother-in-law. He ran home and asked his mother: "Mother, do I have a sister?" Where is she? What is my brother-in-law doing? Why don't they visit us? My friends are all enjoying themselves in the company of their sisters. I too would like to be with my sister and brother-in-law." !

The mother knew the child's heart. In order to comfort him and sow the seeds of faith in him, she said: "My dear child, you too have a sister and brother-in-law. They are, "Brahmaramba and Mallikarjuna". "Is that so? Where are they? I shall go and bring them home for the festival. Tell me where they are", said the lad. The mother sent her son along with her neighbors to the temple on the hill. She told them to take care of their son and gave them some money to buy odd little things for him. Balaram said: "Mother, should I not take something for my sister?" The mother replied: "No, my son, since you are a child, they will themselves give you a lot of gifts."!

Balaram was taken into the shrine. The neighbors showed him the two idols, beautifully decorated with flowers and apparel and said, "Look that is Goddess Brahmaramba, your sister and that is Lord Mallikarjuna." Balaram at once ran to the idol of Brahmaramba, caught hold of her hand and said: "Sister, please come home with me. Mother has sent me to invite you." There was no response. He ran into the other shrine and loudly said: "Brother-in-law, please come with me along with my sister. I won't leave the place without you." The temple priests took him for a mad cap and pushed him out.

Balaram's agony knew no bounds. He was determined to return home with his sister and brother-in-law. He decided to end his life if his sister and brother-in-law did not appear before him. He ran and stood on the top of a peak and cried: "Listen, if you won't come with me, you my sister and you my brother-in-law, I will jump off the peak and end my life." At once, he heard someone calling: "Brother, wait!, wait! we are coming, we are coming." Both Lord Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba ran towards him and gathered him into their arms. Balaram said: "You must come with me, mother is expecting you." The all compassionate Lord and his consort did accompany the lad. They granted to them the vision to see them as Siva and Sakthi.!

"Whatever you hold once, you have held,!

Hold on to it, till you win.!

Whatever you have asked, once you have asked,!

Ask aloud for it, till you win.!

Whatever you wish, once you have wished,!

wish deeper for it, till you win.!

Whatever you have planned, once you have planned,!

Plan firmer for it, till you win.!

He must grant to stop your wail.!

Wail, weep, pray till you win.!

Don't lose heart and turn away!

True devotion will surely win.”!

-Bhalchandra Jaykumar Swadia

Sanatan Hindu Temple!Floor Plan!

Sub-Committee Nominations!Executive Committee is looking to form the following sub-committees:!

• Financial planning committee!

• Fundraising committee!

• Temple building committee!

• Event planning committee!

If you are interested in one of the committees please email to shskendra@gmail.com!

Vedanshi Sponsorship!Vedanshi is now reaching the communities of Acadiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Alexandria, Lake Charles and Beaumont. A monthly issue sponsorship is $350. If you are interested in sponsoring Vedanshi, please email us at shskendra@gmail.com

S A N A T A N H I N D U S A N S K A R K E N D R A

Issue No 6: May 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana " 3

L E T T E R F R O M T H E B O A R D !Dear friends,!

Sanatan Hindu Sanskar Kendra (SHSK) is successfully completed its first year. We had our first annual general body meeting on April 26th, 2014. SHSK also elected its first board of trustees in that meeting. In a short term SHSK has a commendable growth. There are a number of pioneers and supporters helped to bring the organization to this level and I personally thank all of them. As you notice the trustees group contains a good mix of long-term settlers and young new comers of Lafayette.!

I understand there are concerns in our community about the feasibility and sustainability of this temple project. I recognize the plan proposed in the meeting seems like large. !

However, there are many in younger generations believe that it will be an attainable project. A group of energetic

young professionals are already mobilizing donors with long-term pledges. They are also conducting a feasibility study at this point. I am convinced that they will take the project seriously and make it a successful one. The whole project is segregated in multiple phases so that all of us can see the progress rapidly.!

Please remember large banyan tree comes from a small seed; all large buildings and monuments were built one stone at a time. So this will be our starting point and I request all community members to join in SHSK and share your knowledge, experience, and resources for this historical project. !

Sincerely,!

Ravi Vallalar  !!

Trustees

Executive Committee Jay Patel - President Dinesh Deoras - 1st Vice President Senthil Thavamani - 2nd Vice President Ravi Vallalar - Treasurer Srinivasan Ambatipati - Secretary!

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We would like to get your comments, feedback or suggestions on SHSK activities. Please email us or talk to us when we meet together next time.!

Thank you for your support and blessings.!Srinivasan Ambatipati!

Sharad Gunda!

Akshey Gupta!

Jagadish Gupta!

Amarendar Kasarla!!

Seenu Kasturi!

Ajay Patel!

Jay Patel!

Suresh Patel!

Srinivas Yerasi!

S A N A T A N H I N D U S A N S K A R K E N D R A

" Issue No 6: May 2014, Lafayette, Louisiana4