May
1-2: --
Rishikesh
Inauguration and prana
pratishtha ceremony of Sri
Kanyakaparameswari, Lord Venkateswar
(Tirupathi Balaji), Lord Hanuman and
Navagrahas.
Over 2500 years ago Shankaracharya
traversed the country of India, from
South to North, bridging the gap between
these two diverse regions. He traveled on
foot, from his home near Madras to the
holy lands of Badrinath and Kedarnath
high in the Northern Himalayas.
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Pujya
Swamiji performs the sacred
abhishek ceremony and offers
prayers on the deities before
they are installed in the new
temple. He is joined by the
saints, priests and leaders who
have come from Bangalore for the
sacred ceremony.
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The
Shankaracharya - through this long,
arduous pilgrimage - spread the message
that there are no borders or boundaries
separating people of this glorious land.
The people of the North and the people of
the South may speak different languages,
they may have different styles of
religious worship. But, they are, in
essence, one.
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Thus, it is
in this glorious tradition of
uniting North with South that
Parmarth Niketan Ashram - under
the leadership of H.H. Pujya
Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji
(Muniji) - has built a
Southern Style Temple on the
banks of Mother Ganga, in the lap
of the Himalayas. Here, joined in
the name of spirituality, joined
in the name of divinity, joined
in the name of piety, devotees
from the South will worship side
by side their brothers and
sisters from the North. This glorious
project was sponsored by devotees
from South India, under the
leadership and inspiration of
Shri S. Ramamurthy and Shri Niwas
Murthy.
Over 400 devotees from Bangalore
and other parts of South India
came to celebrate the
inauguration of this beautiful
mandir.
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The occasion was
especially blessed as the inauguration
took place by the hand of H.H.
Pujya Sri Shankarcharyaji Divyanand
Teerth Maharaj.
Carrying on the tradition established by
the first Shankaracharya, today H.H. Sri
Shankaracharyaji re-established this link
between North and South.
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Opening
ceremony - led by Pujya Swamiji
and His Holiness Sri
Shankaracharyaji Divyanand
Teertji. Innumerable other
revered saints graced the
occasion with their presence.
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Additionally, the
bridge between North and South at
Parmarth Niketan will be further
strengthened when 30 young children come
from South India to join the 100 young
rishikumars living at Parmarth Niketan's
gurukul.
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already 100 children from various
parts of North India and Gujarat
- many of whom are orphans - in
the beautiful gurukul/orphanage.
Here they are receiving not only
an academic education, but they
are also learning the ancient
traditions of yoga, meditation
and Vedic studies. Now, thirty
young children from South India
will come to join this gurukul. |
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The
saints and leaders are joined by
Parmarth Niketan's rishikumars
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Children from the South and the North
will live and study side by side,
immersed in the beautiful culture of
India, immersed in studies of the
scriptures, and immersed in the tradition
of unity.
May 1-14: --
Rishikesh:
Acupressure camp: Dr. Suman
Shah, Dr. KC Goel and 18 doctors from
Calcutta and Allahabad came and treated
1381 patients who were suffering from a
wide variety of ailments.
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Inauguration of the
acupressure camp
May 2
- Rishikesh
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We had a
beautiful wedding on the holy
banks of Mother Ganga in which
Thomas (Tejas) Easley and Hema
Arya took their vows with the
Himalayas as the witness. "A
wedding," Pujya Swamiji
said, "marks not only a
marriage of bodies. But, rather
it marks a marriage of souls. In
mathematics one plus one equals
two. But in spirituality, one
plus one equals one! You are not
two now. You are one. One heart,
one mind, one soul. But, one plus
one can also equal eleven. It
means coming together does not
merely double who you were when
you were alone. Now, you are more
than ten times as much!"
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May 6
- Delhi
Inauguration of the new
Mandir. Parmarth Mandir, Safdarjung
Enclave, New Delhi has existed for many,
many years as a small temple with a few
rooms. As many of you know, it is where
Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji
(Muniji) stays when He comes to Delhi.
Now, Parmarth has undertaken the new
project of expanding and renovating the
ashram and the temple. Work on the temple
will begin first.
| On May 6,
the mandir bhoomi puja took place
by the hands of His Holiness
Pujya Sri Shankaracharyaji
Divyanand Teerthji Maharaj, His Holiness
Mahamandaleshwar Pujya Swami
Asanganandji Maharaj, His Holiness
Pujya Swami Chidanandji Maharaj
(Muniji), and
many more revered saints. |
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In addition, the ex-Chief Minister of New
Delhi graced the occasion, as did Shri
Ashok Puriji of Dubai,
Honorable
Bibiji,
several MPs and MLAs and other
distinguished officials and respected
dignitaries.
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The
first bricks are laid by His
Holiness Pujya Sri
Shankaracharyaji, Pujya Swami
Asanganandji Maharaj,
Pujya Swami Chidanandji Maharaj
(Muniji), Shri Ashok Puriji,
Respected Bibiji and Shri KL
Chughji
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See Special Edition update, to be
released after a few weeks, with details
on this new project and how you can get
involved.
May 10 -18
- Rishikesh
Shri Devi Bhagwat
Katha. This
divine katha, singing the glories of the
Mother Goddess was delivered by Acharya
Shri Shrikant Vyasji.
It was the first time this katha was
given at Parmarth Niketan and the entire
atmosphere was infused with the love of
the Divine Mother.
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Pujya
Swamiji and Pujya Shri Shrikantji
offer aarti to Mother Goddess
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Pujya
Swamiji offers the Shri Devi
Bhagwat at the holy feet of prior
to the Katha
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On
the special occasion of the
wedding anniversary of Shri
Shrikant Vyasji and his Dharma
Patni (Divine wife; partner on
the path of Dharma) Pujya Swamiji
offers them blessings and flowers
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View of Rishikesh and Parmarth Niketan
from up in the Himalayan jungles
May 14-
Rishikesh
Awards distribution
for Sanskar Vidya Mandir, the
nursery/primary/junior school sponsored
by IHRF and located on the premises of
Parmarth Niketan. Pujya Swamiji gave
blessings and prizes to the top ranking
students in each class. "Who will be
first place next year?" He asked.
Every hand shot up into the air, "I
will, I will" they all exclaimed.
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Pujya
Swamiji with the number one
students from each subject and
class.
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May
14-20 - Rishikesh
Acupressure camp: a
second acupressure camp, led by Dr. KC
Jain and his team of 10 trained
assistants from Ajmer, Rajasthan came and
treated 612 patients.
So, during the month of May,
close to 2000 patients were treated - at
no charge - using the ancient science of
acupressure.
May 25: Haridwar
Pujya Sant
Shri Rameshbhai Oza
was delivering Bhagwat Katha in the holy
city of Haridwar. On the inauguration,
opening day, Pujya Swamiji went to offer
His blessings and His pravachan.
May 25: Chandigarh
Directly from
Haridwar, Pujya Swamiji travelled to
Chandigarh for the opening of another
special Bhagwat Katha. He was a Chief
Guest alongside the Governor and several
other dignitaries.
| May
27 - Rishikesh Shri Ashok Desai,
the head Chief Justice of
Uttranchal came to Parmarth
Niketan with his family, on his
visit through Haridwar and
Rishikesh.
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Above:
Honorable Justice Shri
Ashok Desai and
Pujya Swamiji walk, escorted by
the Rishikumars, to the holy
banks of Mother Ganga.
Left: Pujya Swamiji offers tilak
to the Justice and to his family.
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May
30 - Rishikesh
| Shobha
Yatra and inauguration of Shrimad
Bhagwat Katha delivered by Pujya Shri
Shrinathji Shastri of Vrindavan. At the
young age of 82, Pujya Shri
Shrinathji Shastri is one of the
leading Bhagwat scholars in
India. His talks are filled with
wisdom, insight and a great depth
of devotion and understanding. The beautiful katha
is being sponsored by Divine Soul
Shri Shyam Sunder Shah of
Calcutta.
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Upcoming Events
May 30 -
June 6: Shrimad Bhagwat
Katha delivered by Pujya
Shri Shrinathji Shastri of Vrindavan. At
the young age of 82, Pujya Shri
Shrinathji Shastri is one of the leading
Bhagwat scholars in India. His talks are
filled with wisdom, insight and a great
depth of devotion and understanding.
June 1: Ganga
Dusshera.
Birthday of Mother Ganga. This day will
be filled with celebration, puja and
offerings to the Mother who irrigates not
only our land, but also our lives.
June
7: 3:30 am: At
this sacred hour, on this special day,
our respected Vaidyaji (Ayurvedic expert)
will be dispensing a unique, miraculous
medicine which has the power - when given
at this predetermined auspicious time -
to relieve symptoms of asthma and
bronchitis even in chronic sufferers.
June
7-15: Ramayan Katha
delivered by Pujya Swami Rajeshwaranandji
June 7-9:
Pujya Swamiji will be the Chief Guest at
the opening/Prana Pratishtha ceremony of
the new Radha Krishna Mandir in Auckland,
New Zealand.
June 13-20:
Dr. Ravi Goel from UK will come and lead
a free eye care camp, which will include
screening, diagnosis, treatment and free
distribution of glasses.
June
20-30: Pandit
Chaitanya Goswamiji will be delivering
the Chaitanya
Charitamrit.
This is the first time in Rishikesh that
this sacred katha will be delivered
July 16-22: Special
Yoga Intensive Week.
Open to beginners and advanced students.
September
15-October 15: Purushottam
Mas - A
month full of special, divine activities.
Pandit Shri Madan Mohan Shastriji will be
delivering a month-long Bhagwat Katha!
| Special,
Special Event --June 3. |
On June 3, 1952, when
a child took birth in India, the universe
must have paused in time. The sun must
have shined brighter; the wind must have
blown with a newfound direction; the
flowers must have op ened their petals
wider, releasing more and more of their
sweet fragrance. For, it was upon this
day that H.H. Pujya
Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj
(Muniji) took birth in a human
form, sacrificing the eternal, divine
bliss of Moksha for the benefit o f
humanity. Since the moment He incarnated
on the planet, He has forever transformed
the lives of millions. His every breath
is in service to the world; His every day
is a gift to us.
He is the sun that has
risen on the world,
bringing us all to life by the mere
grandeur of His presence and His
blessings.
Hands
that reach to touch Your feet
You turn them toward work for the
world
Eyes that gaze and yearn to
simply soak up Your darshan
You turn them toward files filled
with ways of serving others
Ears that want only to listen to
You sing
You fill them with instructions
on how to complete the projects
for the poor
Mouths that want only to say,
“We love You,”
You give us mantras to chant
ceaselessly, endlessly, only
God’s name.
Minds that want only to think
about You
You fill them to overflow with
lists and tasks and jobs to
benefit others
Hearts filled with nothing other
than love for You.
“Let it beat only for
God,” You say.
Wallets that want to empty
themselves into Your hands
You turn them away, accepting
nothing.
Bodies which want nothing more
than to serve You day and night
You put them to use in the
service of the poor, the sick and
the children.
Lives that want to lay themselves
down at Your holy feet
“Use it in the service of
the world,” You say.
What
is there then for us to give You?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * ** * * * * * * * * ** * * * *
* * * * ** * * * * * * * * *
The birds sing a new song,
written freshly just for You each
morning.
The flowers open their petals at
first glimpse of Your darshan,
unveiling their splendor first
unto You.
The sun shines through the trees,
dancing off the leaves,
landing gently on Your face.
Mother Ganga flows to wash Your
feet…closer and closer She
moves to where You stand.
The knowledge of the universe is
stored in a treasure chest;
the key rests softly in Your
hands.
The ocean of wisdom is but a pool
for You to swim in.
The world is unfolding as a
drama, written by You, for You,
known only to You.
What
is there then for us to give You?
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Param
Pujya Swamiji,
PLEASE ACCEPT
DEEPEST PRANAMS FROM ALL OF
US
AROUND THE GLOBE
From the
bottom of our hearts, we thank
You for taking birth
and
blessing us with Your divine
presence.
MAY WE BE
FOREVER BLESSED WITH THE
SHELTER
OF YOUR
HOLY FEET
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