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Mauritius Celebrates Maha Sivaratri on a Grand Scale
http://www.lexpress.mu/display_search_resu...p?news_id=12801

MAURITIUS, February 13, 2004: "National Unity and Harmony -- that is
the essential message that we wish to express throughout the country on
the occasion of Maha Sivaratri" says Rajendra Ramdheean of the
Mauritius Sanatan Dharma Temples Federation (MSDTF), the main organizer
of the annual pilgrimage to the Ganga Talao at Grand-Bassin, a large
natural lake considered the Ganges of Mauritius.

This year, the week-long festivities will be broadcast to 162 countries
by Aastha Television of Bombay between the 14th and 18th of February
thanks to the collaboration of the Hindu House, Mauritius Telecom,
Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) and the government of
Mauritius. The US two million dollar expense of this production will be
divided between the government and these organizations. Virendra
Ramdhun, president of the Hindu House, says that this is the second
time that this television station has broadcast a religious activity
celebrated in Mauritius. The first one took place in 2001 at the time
of the celebration of Ram Kathaa by the Hindu House.

A new prayer paying homage to the Goddess Ganga is to be introduced as
part of the celebrations this year. The Ganga Aarti will be done at
5:45 PM everyday between the 15 and 17th on the shore of the Grand
Bassin lake. Two cultural troops from India (one directed by the famous
classical singer Savita Devi and the other by Rajendra Jain, who lent
his voice for the televised series Ramayana of Ramanand Sagar) will
give dance and song recitals in the days leading up to Maha Sivaratri.
They will appear at Hindu House on February 16, at Grand-Bassin on the
17th and at other locations around the island.

The MSDTF expects some 450,000 pilgrims (including some from India,
South Africa, Singapore and Malaysia) to converge on the holy mountain
lake at Grand-Bassin this year -- this in a country with just 1.2
million people. It counsels all pilgrims to follow the sacred
prescriptions governing this pilgrimage and observe strict discipline
on the road. In fact, the Maha Sivaratri pilgrimage usually causes
enormous bottlenecks and traffic jams on the roads of the country in
spite of the efforts of the police to regulate the traffic. The MSDTF
considers that the kanwars (decorated bamboo towers) carried by the
pilgrims (or decorated carts pulled by groups) as an act of penance,
are not the only persons to blame. "Itinerant merchants posted
alongside the roads selling religious items to the pilgrims are also at
fault. We ask the regional administrations exercise a strict check,"
explains Samraj Auckloo, vice president of the MSDTF. As in preceding
years, the organization at Cassis will welcome pilgrims to stop for
refreshments at its big tent erected along the pilgrimage route. At the
Hindu House, meals will also be served to more than 15,000 pilgrims,
estimate the persons in charge.

Happy Gudi-Padva/Ugadi/Cheti Chand to all:

Gudi Padva
Maharashtrian New Year

New Year is celebrated in different states of India under various names, for e.g. Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Gudi Padava in Maharashtra. The Sindhis celebrate it as Cheti chand. .

Gudi means a banner raised to announce victory and joy and "Padva" is another name for "Pratipada" which is the first day of a lunar month.

The Maharashtrian New Year's Day is celebrated in March/April, on the first day of the Hindu month - Chaitra and marks the beginning of spring or "Vasant". This day is said to be the one on which Lord Brahma created the world after deluge. It is a day of great festivity and rejoicing as it commemorates the triumphant expeditions of the Maratha armies of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the most beloved leader of the Maharashtrians. It is a day when the brave Marathas returned home from their successful expeditions of war.
People get up early and clean their houses, decorating them with intricate rangoli (colored rice flour designs for the floor) designs. This worship to the "Gudi" is supposed to drive away evil from the house and are expected to usher in prosperity and good fortune.

A brightly colored silk cloth is first tied to a wooden pole with a brass or silver goblet or kalash is placed upturned atop it. Then garlands of sweet sugary battasa, neem leaves and orange -yellow marigold flowers are tied to the pole. This is called the "Gudi". The "Gudi" or decorated pole is placed where it can be seen by passers by.

This auspicious day also marks the beginning of the consumption of summer foods like melons, jack-fruit, mangoes , sprouted gram and more. A variety of sherbets such as Mango Panha and special sweets like Puran Poli are served. Traditional Maharashtrians have the custom of eating a couple of bitter neem leaves fried in ghee and mixed with sugar. They are eaten on Gudi Padva to ensure good health. The neem paste is believed to purify the blood and build up immunity in the body against diseases.

Gudi Padva is considered one of the auspicious days in the year when people start new ventures.

Best wishes of Ramanavami to all:

Received via email:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Shri Rama's Date of Birth

Now we shall proceed with the astral route. Valmiki records the
birth of Rama as Chaitra Shuddha Navami (9th), on Punarvasu
Nakshatra and five plants were exalted then; Sun in Mesha upto 10
deg., Mars in Capricorn at 28 deg., Jupiter in Cancer at 5 deg.,
Venus in Pisces at 27 deg. and Saturn in Libra at 20 deg. (Bala
Kanda.18/Shloka 8,9).

Ayodhya 4/18 states that Sun, Mars and Rahu were at Dasharatha's
nakshatra. It was the month of Chaitra, so the Sun was in Revati,
Ashwini or Bharani. Naturally, either Rahu and Ketu was in any one
of these nakshatra (Rahu and Ketu are diagonally opposite).

The planetary positions on 16th October 5561 B.C., the date of
commencement of the Mahabharat War, have been calculated and known
[Dating of the Mahabharat, by Dr. P.V. Vartak]. Therefore,
calculating further backwards for the astral combination noted
above, the date concludes to be 4th December 7323 B.C. On this date,
Saturn was at 205 deg., Jupiter at 94 deg., Mars between 283 and 298
deg., Rahu at 179 deg. and Sun at 2 degrees. 4th Dec. 7323 therefore
is the date of birth of Rama, when the aforementioned 4 planets
exalted. Venus is always within 47 degrees from the Sun, and might
be in Pisces in an exalted state. Thus Rama's date is confirmed.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Lord Ram was born in 5114 BC</b>
SUNIT BEZBAROOWA & ARVIND JOSHI
TIMES NEWS NETWORK SATURDAY,
NOVEMBER 08, 2003 02:12:42 AM

"<b>Ram was and is for real. He was born on January 10, 5114 BC</b>," Saroj Bala, IRS, Commisioner of Income Tax says, calmly, with the assurance of one who has tangible facts.

Taking on the contemporary historical interpretation of Ramayana as a religio-literary text, and Lord Ram as a semi-mythical figure, is this unassuming person who zealously devotes her spare time to research in history when she's not playing the tax mandarin.

And she has chosen the unusual combination of astronomy, Internet and literary texts to provide us a startling picture of Shri Ram. This might change the way we look at history and religion. We might refuse to begin reading Indian history from that comma, or hyphen called 'Indus Valley.' We might have to stretch the beginnings by a few thousand years because, as Saroj Bala says - Ram was born on January 10, 5114 BC.

Excerpts of an interview with the lady who has the intellectual courage to go beyond the obvious:

What got it all started...

As an amateur historian, I've always been interested in Indian culture and heritage. I am proud that we're Indians and the products of one of the oldest civilisations. However, British rule changed us; we developed a sense of being somehow inferior.

But I could never reconcile to theories like the theory of Aryan invasion to India in 1500 BC. That would make Indian civilization only 3,500 years old.

And if you choose archaeology to dig beyond 7,000 years, you'd have to dig more than 60 metres - something not being done in India as yet. So, archaeology is not the only answer. There's a lot of objective research of another kind that needs to be carried out in earnest.

So, how can we say Ram was born on January 10, 5114 B.C...

My colleague Pushkar Bhatnagar of Indian Revenue Service is the real originator of this theory. He acquired a software named Planetarium, used to predict planetary movements and configurations.

By entering in this software, precise details of planetary positions vis-à-vis zodiac constellations described by Maharishi Valmiki in the Valmiki Ramayan, it is possible to determine important dates starting from Shri Ram's birth-date to the date of his return to Ayodhya.

More than just Ram's date of birth...

The results have not just thrown up Shri Ram's date of birth; it has actually traced the entire sequence of incidents throughout Ramayan.

Pushkar Bhatnagar starts with tracing Ram's birth. Then he moves ahead in the narrative. Valmiki Ramayan states Ram was 25-years-old when he went to exile. When the configuration of planets described at this point is fed into the software, the date thrown up matches perfectly with Ram's age at that juncture of his life - 25 years.

Again in the 13th year of Ram's exile, during a war with Khar and Dushan, Valmiki describes a solar eclipse. The software proves that on that given day there was indeed a solar eclipse (with Mars in the middle). This solar eclipse and the particular configuration of planets could be seen from Panchavati (longitude and latitude plainly shown in the software).

<b>Hanuman Saw 8 Constellations while flying to Lanka... </b>

In the Sunderkand, when Valmiki describes Hanuman crossing the sea and returning from Lanka to Rameshwaram, he gives details of 8 constellations. Usually, one can see not more than 6 constellations at a given point of time. But since Hanuman was flying across, and it must have taken him approximately 4 hrs to get there, he could see 8 constellations - in two hours one constellation would have moved out of sight and another become visible. So, in a period of 4 hrs he saw 8 constellations!

<b>Historicising Shri Ram. Man or God... </b>

After researching on Shri Ram, I do believe he's a man who walked the earth in flesh and blood. There is an essential difference between the Valmiki Ramayana and the Tulsi Ramayana. Tulsidas was a devotee who looked up to Ram, but Valmiki was a contemporary. Valmiki has written Ram's life-history, as a biographer does - he's a contemporary of Ram, and this is not very different from what happens all over the world. Kings have always had their life-history written.

<b>The submerged bridge...</b>

Recently, NASA had put pictures on the Internet of a man-made bridge, the ruins of which are submerged in Palk Strait between Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka. This clearly should be treated as historical evidence that corroborates its mention in Valmiki Ramayana.

<b>The puzzle of Indian history...</b>

The presence of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vedas cannot be explained by the short period between the decline of the Indus valley civilization and the Rig Vedic period. A civilization cannot suddenly burst into advanced writing.

One needs to look at various sources of history to re-build it. Especially when looking at ancient history. One needs to excavate, look at literature, ancient texts, astronomy.

Government apathy to archaeological diggings and investigation in this direction...

There's been a very strange development in the media and the people of India. We have started seeing ancient India as something equivalent to the word 'Hindu'. The very word Hindu came into circulation only after the advent of Islam in India. In Ramayana and the Vedas , there is no mention of the word 'Hindu'. At the most, there is only mention of terms like 'Aryavrat' or 'Bharatvarsh' and residents here are called as 'Aryans'. Since centuries, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs have been living in this country and it's their land as much as it is to a Hindu. Anything that has happened on this land in the past is their common heritage. But, unfortunately, politicians with vested interests have divided the people on artificial religious lines and making it appear that anything related to ancient India was perhaps related to Hindu, which is not the case and should not be the case.

<b>There has never been any strong will... </b>

It is not that researches have been not taken place. There has been excellent work done by noted historians like Sir Alexander Cunningham and Dr Lal. Cunningham has written as many as 21 volumes on ancient Indian history. But one needs special permissions to access these texts.

Unfortunately, Cunningham's work that has very important information has not seen the light of the day. Dr. Lal has pictured the ancient city of Dwarka and it can be read in 'The lost city of Dwarka'. He has listed out 1000 artifacts. Only 9 crores needed to be sanctioned by the government in placing a transparent tube to the sea-bed that could allow people to see for themselves the wonder that was Dwarka.

And now people equate the sum total of ancient history to 'a temple or no-temple' at Ayodhya. Delay in research also because science hadn't arrived...

Without the aid of science it is practically impossible to manually calculate the exact planetary configuration 7, 000 years back. It is science which is going to validate our history and prove that it is much older than 3, 500 years.

<b>What would be the implications of your research on the society? </b>

I seriously feel that there can only be positive effects of my research. In fact, Indians should seriously re-look how old is our history and culture. This is not the end of the research; it's just the beginning. People should be encouraged to do more in-depth research by all means such as archaeology, dating methods and oceanography.

Max Mueller had come up with the theory that Aryans had come to India in 1500 B.C. In the Internet, Max Mueller Foundations says that that they have re-looked at this theory and is of the opinion that this theory is no longer valid because Indian history is much older than that period. It's just that people have to open up their minds and find out the answers for themselves.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

http://www.trichurpooram.com/

Biggest festival of Kerala goes online <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Overheard that tomorrow (22nd Apl) is an auspicious day (sorry forget the name/term); apparently it's after 70 odd years that we are witnessing it.
Anyone with more info on this?

Some sites are saying it is on 22nd April
Akshaya Tritiya falls on the third day (Tritiya) of the new moon of Vaishakh month. This is one of the most auspicious days according to the Hindu calendar. According to the Puranas, this day marks the beginning of the Treta Yug. The birthday of Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu falls on this day. It is believed that by doing a good deed on Akshaya Tritiya one can earn Punya (merit) for life. This day is considered auspicious for starting new ventures and making new purchases.
__________________________________________________

22nd April is not <b>Akshaya Tritiya </b>as the day does not fall in the bright month of Vaishakha. <b>This day if glorified as the beginning to Treta Yuga</b>.

a) The devotee should worship Narayanaya accompanied by Shri with flowers, incense and unguents.


b) If he takes the holy dip in the Holy Ganga, he is absolved of all sins. He should worship Vishnu with unbroken rice grains and feed Brahmanas with the flour of barley, first friend and then ground and he himself shall partake of it. He who does this is bowed to by all Devas.

_______________________________

The Gauri Vrata is for an unmarried virgin, desirous of a bridegroom, matrimonial bliss and good fortune for her sons and husband. Gauri’s image should be made in gold. Silver, copper or clay along with that of Lord Shiva on this third day in the bright half (sukla paksha) of the month of Chaitra. Observing fast and remaining awake throughout the night, the worship is with scents, fragrant flowers, clothes, auspicious ornaments and bundles of dhurva grass. She propitiates a Brahmana woman whose husband and sons and girls of auspicious characteristics and whom are still alive. She will offer them saffron, collyrium, clothes and other items.

The image of Gauri should be gifted to a Brahmana if it is metallic. If it is made of clay, she should immerse it in a tank or a river.

This vrata has to be kept for twelve years with due formal resolve to donate and also donate twelve cows for the achievement of her desires.

Swarna-Gauri Vrata is to be performed on the third day of the bright half of Sravana. Goddess Bhavani (Golden Image) accompanied by Lord Shiva should be worshipped by means of the 16 (sixteen) Upacaras with a prayer etc. this vrata is to be kept for 16 years and the Udyapana (concluding rite of the vrata) by performing worship of Ganesha and other Gods with a flat copper-plate over the water pot with scents, fragrant flowers and perform Homa. Sixteen bamboo baskets shall be filled with sweet dishes and cooked rice offered to the Devi as Naideya and distributed amongst Brahmanas , kinsmen and relatives.

The full benefit of this vrata can be attained by gifting the golden image to the preceptor and other monetary gifts to the other Brahmanas. (No expenses should be spared for this vrata).

About Akshaya trithi
Akshaya TritiiyA

Today is a very important day for vedic sacrificers. It is the vishuvAn day, the midpoint between the two divAkR^itya sattras. An important soma sacrifice for the yAGNIkIs.

http://www.swaminarayan.org/festivals/rathyatra/

Yesterday was Rathayatra.. <!--emo&:guitar--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/guitar.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='guitar.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Came via email:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->On Friday July 02, 04' is the full-moon night in the
month of Ashadh in the Hindu calendar, when we will
celebrate the birthday of Sage Veda Vyasa.
-------------------------------------

<b>Significance of Guru Purnima</b>

OM! Salutations to Veda Vyasa,
the descendent of Vasistha Muni
and the sinless grandson of Shakti.
Salutations to the son of Parashar,
To the father of Sukadeva,
To him who is an repository of spiritual austerities
||
Salutations to Vyasa, an incarnation of Vishnu.
Salutations to Vishnu in the form of Vyasa!
Salutations to him who is a repository of Brahman and
the Vedic lore
Repeated prostrations to the descendant of Sage
Vasistha ||
Salutations to Vyasa, who is Brahma with one head
Who is Vishnu with two arms
Who is Shiva without the third eye.
Prostrations to Bhagavan Badarayana, the teacher of
Vedanta ||
[Traditional verses in praise of Veda Vyasa, loosely
translated]

On Friday July 02, 04' is the full-moon night in the
month of Ashadh in the Hindu calendar, when we will
celebrate the birthday of Sage Veda Vyasa. Therefore,
this day is called Vyasa Purnima, where the word
Purnima means `full-moon night'. Since Veda Vyasa was
an exemplary teacher (=Guru), his birthday is also
celebrated as `Guru Purnima' or the Teacher's night,
and traditional Hindus honor their teachers this day
every year.

Sage Veda Vyasa was born several thousand years ago,
to an illustrious Sage named Parashar and a humble,
tribal fisherwoman named Satyavati. His mixed
parentage is reflected clearly in his life, which he
devoted to assimilate the settled, so-called civilized
populations with the tribal and marginalized groups of
the Indian society.

Worried that mankind was forgetting the message of
God, he labored to collect, compile and arrange the
Revelation into four texts named the Vedas and taught
them to his four students. Even to this day, the major
texts of Vedic literature are being transmitted orally
without much alteration by devoted scholars in India,
though the tradition today is in great danger of
extinction. The magnitude of this task may be judged
from the fact that even the surviving Vedic literature
is about 8 times the length of the Bible.

However, as a Sanskrit proverb goes, `The Veda Speaks
Like a King', because the Vedas are very difficult to
understand. Sage Veda Vyasa was concerned that the
ordinary people might be left out if this propagation
of the divine teachings occurred only through the
Vedas. Therefore, out of compassion, he retold the
teachings of the Vedas through a massive poem called
the Mahabharata, which today has almost 100,000 verses
and is one of the longest poems in the world being
eight times in length to Illiad and Odyssey combined.
This poem is called the fifth Veda in the Hindu
tradition. Within the Mahabharata is embedded the
Bhagavad Gita, a short text of 700 verses which forms
the bedrock of modern Hinduism.

Further, he collected ancient history of India,
parables, passages on morality and instructions on
piety in very readable and accessible texts called the
Puranas. While the Veda `speaks like a King', the
proverb goes that `the Purana speaks like a friend'.
He taught the Purana to his own son, Shukadeva. In the
course of time, this literature proliferated and today
the 18 major Puranas alone have approximately 4
million verses. So vast is the magnitude of Hindu
literature that can be traced to the spiritual lineage
of Sage Vyasa that he is remembered in the Hindu
tradition as `vishaalabuddhi' or one of great
intelligence, one who lit the lamp of wisdom with the
oil of Mahabharata. Hindu texts further declare that
even the mere remants of Vyasa's wisdom  are
sufficient to encompass the entire Universe.

Significantly, one of his most influential texts on
Hindu theology and philosophy is a very short work
containing just about 550 short sentences. This text
is called Brahmasutra and it is so profound that it
has invited dozens of commentaries and explanations.
For the last over 1000 years, few Hindu thinkers have
started their own school of philosophy without first
writing a commentary on the Brahmasutra. And today,
most surviving Hindu spiritual traditions trace their
origin to Sage Veda Vyasa, who is uniformly considered
the founding Guru of their respective spiritual
lineages via different lines of succession.

Despite all his wisdom, Sage Vyasa never lost sight of
the over-arching importance of ethics and morality in
our lives. This fact is recognized in the Hindu
tradition through a Sanskrit verse which reads `In the
18 Puranas, Vyasa has said two things. The first is
that virtue and piety means doing good to others. The
second is that sin is to hurt others'.  Towards the
end of the Mahabharata, he exclaims that if human
beings tread the path of Dharma, pursue desires and
wealth in a legitimate manner, salvation would result
automatically. The primacy that he gives to Dharma, or
the Hindu notion of piety, duty and virtue is
exemplified in another story that occurs in the Vishnu
Purana. It is said that once Veda Vyasa went into
meditation in the middle of a shallow stream to see
mankind's future, while numerous wise men and
disciples waited at the banks for him to come out of
his spiritual state. When Sage Vyasa merged from his
meditative state, he uttered two sentences – `Women
will be superior to men, and Shudras (i.e., artisans
and laborers) will be superior to the priests'. The
assembled crowd was perplexed and he explained –
"Because of their conceit and arrogance, men in
general will abandon the path of Dharma while women
will not do so in their humility and dedication.
Similarly, amongst men, priests will become arrogant,
while the humble laborer will continue to practice
virtue and piety as a result of which he will become
more exalted in the eyes of God."

It is believed that Sage Vyasa is immortal and he
never died. Witnessing the destruction and violence in
the society of his times, he retreated to a place
named Vyasasthali in the Indian state of Haryana,
where he is still said to exist. Even today, Hindu
monks and laypersons undertake a pilgrimage to this
site to offer him respects and benefit from his
spiritual presence.

The word `Guru' itself means `remover of darkness and
ignorance'. The Hindu tradition gives much more
importance to personal instruction than to books. The
Hindu revelation, the Vedas, itself is called `Shruti'
or that which is heard (from God and from teacher). We
Hindus do not believe that God inscribed his
commandments in writing for us and handed them over to
us. Rather, inspired Sages and Saints heard His Voice
within their hearts, and then narrated it to others.
And the recitation of Vedas continues to this day,
through an unbroken chain of teachers and students.

Hindus believe that through his example, personal
insight, original thinking and experience, the Guru
infuses the teaching or instruction with a life. The
teaching or knowledge becomes alive only through the
Guru, and mere bookish knowledge is not as useful as a
teacher's instruction. In particular, in all schools
of Hindu spirituality, the role of one's Guru is
considered indispensable to achieving the final goal.
He is a role model for his students, the very
embodiment of wisdom and knowledge. Hindu scriptures
therefore emphasize that we should approach a teacher
for acquiring knowledge instead of just picking up a
book.

Hindus show their reverence for their Teachers in many
ways – one is by celebrating the Vyasa Purnima.
Students typically are expected to walk behind their
teachers, sit behind them in the audience, speak in a
voice softer than their teacher. While walking behind
the Guru, if he sees a door ahead, the student is
expected to run to his teacher's front and open the
door for him. He must not eat in the presence of his
teacher, smoking and drinking alcohol is therefore out
of question. The student does not sit while his
teacher stands. If only one seat is available, the
student offers it to his teacher. If the teacher
enters the student's room, the latter must rise to
greet him. A picture of a lifelong teacher must be
placed along with icons of gods in the student's
personal shrine in his home.

This does not mean that the Hindu tradition encourages
an uncritical and unquestioning reliance on one's
teacher. Rather, as a verse in the Mahabharata says –

"A student completes ¼ of his learning when he hears
his teacher, ½ of his learning when he questions his
teacher to clear his doubts, ¾ of the learning when he
reflects himself on the knowledge he has gained. And
finally, his learning is complete when he teaches what
he has learned himself, to others"

Hindu tradition is replete with touching narratives
of the respectful and affectionate relationship
between teachers and their disciples. Numerous hymns
written by grateful students praise the role of their
Guru in opening their eyes to truth, and in preventing
them from drowning in the quicksand of ignorance and
delusion.

A description of the Guru-disciple relationship in the
Hindu tradition cannot be complete without giving a
summary of the teacher's parting message to his
students, taken from the Hindu text Taittiriya
Upanishad –

"Dear Students,
"Speak the truth, and tread the path of righteousness.

Never neglect study in your life.
Give gifts to your teachers (so that he who taught you
may never live in want).
Do not sever the thread of procreation.
Never become negligent in the pursuit of truth.
Never become negligent in the practice of Dharma.
Never become negligent towards your own welfare.
Never become negligent towards the welfare of others.
Never become negligent towards self-study, and
teaching what you have learnt to others.
Never neglect your duties towards gods and towards
your elders.
Worship your mother as God. Worship your father as
God. Worship your Teacher as God. Worship any worthy
and needy person who arrives unexpectedly at your
doorstep as God.
You should adopt only good habits from me. Do not
follow me when I have been wrong. And whenever you
come across another teacher who is worthy of request,
offer a seat to him with reverence.
Practice charity with faith, not without faith. Give
with humility, dignity, trepidation and
understanding...
This is indeed the dictate of Dharma. This is indeed
the hidden teaching of the Vedas…"

Worthy students must never forget this instruction.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Recieved the following in email.

****************************************************************
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 9:43 AM
Re: Diwali Postage Stamp]

Dear Friends:
Pursuant to the Press Release by Congressman Joe Wilson, Co-Chair of
India Caucus and my meeting with the US Postal Service, it is very
important that we present at least 20,000 individual petition (hard copy
-- not an e-mail) to the Chairperson of The Citizens' Stamp Advisory
Committee with in the next ten days. Each adult member in the family is
qualified to sign his/her own petition.
We THANK all those people who sent the e-mail copies of the petition in
the past. More than 80,000 petitions have been received via e-mail. But,
as you know, the impact and weight of personally signed hard copies is
greater than the e-mail copies; hence this APPEAL to you.
I have appended below a Copy of the letter, that has been drafted in
cooperation with the people who are personally involved in this
exercise, for your action. If you open the page fully, it comes to one
full page letter size.
PLEASE copy the letter, sign it, complete the details and mail it by
FIRST CLASS to the address given at the top of the letter. More than one
petition can be mailed in the same envelop.
Thanks for your cooperation and support to this worthy cause.
PLEASE Circulate this info among your friends and get as many petitions
sent as possible.
You may also make multiple copies of this letter and get them signed by
your friends, associates and others.
Sincerely,
Piyush Agrawal
__________________________________________________________________________________






Dr. Virginia H. Noelke, Chairwoman
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
c/o U.S. Postal Service, Stamp Services
1735 North Lynn Street, Suite 5013
Arlington, VA 22209-6380

Dear Chairwoman Noelke:

We write to you in support of the Diwali stamp proposal being made by
the Committee for Diwali Postage Stamp, The Association of Indians in
America (AIA) in cooperation with other national & local organizations.
These organizations collectively represent the wishes of more than two
millions people of Indian Origin migrated to USA from various parts of
the World. This Postage Stamp Committee has made a request for a Diwali
stamp every year since 2000.

Diwali is a religious festival celebrated in India and in many other
countries around the world by the Indian Diaspora. This festival is
enthusiastically celebrated by the Indian American community, consisting
of 1.7 million people according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Although
primarily a festival celebrated by Hindus, it is also celebrated by
Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, a true testament of
India’s religious pluralism and harmony.

Diwali represents a festival similar to that of Christmas, celebrated in
the fall, where families come together to share their blessings and pray
for success in the New Year. The festival celebrates the triumph of good
over evil and light over darkness, represented by the lighting of
candles inside of homes.

Many other religious-based holidays already have a stamp commemorating
the importance of the festival to our communities here in America. There
are Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Eid stamps, all of which positively
reflect our pluralism, tolerance and diversity. Indian Americans are a
vibrant community with strong family values. They are extremely
hard-working, and can be found in many professional careers. More and
more Indian Americans are successfully running for public office and
assimilating into American society. A positive way to recognize this
assimilation and success in America, is for the U.S. Postal Service to
issue a Diwali stamp to honor the Indian American community.

Several congressional resolutions have been introduced in both the U.S.
House and Senate requesting the Postal Service to consider issuing a
Diwali stamp. Also, The White House honored the Indian American
community by having a Diwali ceremony in November 2003.

We respectfully request the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee to issue
a stamp to honor Diwali. This would serve as a fitting honor to the
Indian American community and fulfill our commitment to diversity and
equality in America.

Thank you for your consideration of this letter.

Respectfully,

Signed:_________________________________ Date:____________________

Name
(Print)__________________________________________________________________

Address:_______________________________________________________________________

Tel:______________________Fax:_________________E.mail:__________________________

Chinmaya Mission Ann Arbor has Guru puja and Satyanarayan vratha tomorrow at Avatika. FYI

What is the significance of Dhanur maasa? Why are no auspicious functions like weddings, gruha pravesha etc not held in this month? Similarly, the pushya maasa too is considered inauspicious for functions. Why is this so?

<b>'Dhanur Maasa'/Dakshinayana: Southward Journey of the Sun </b>
Well, you find sun god traveling in two directions. One, he travels southward. After that, he travels northward. The southward journey of sun from house to house, depending upon months, as per the zodiac system, is called 'Dakshinayana', southward journey of sun.
And this, Dakshinayana (southward journey of sun) period, is meant to express our gratitude to our fathers, forefathers, to whole family and progeny. We express our thanks to all our pedigree, the family, fathers and forefathers. We have to remember them in our gratitude. The properties, the personalities, the life in general, they are all because of our parents and grandparents. This period of Dakshinayana, during which sun god travels in the south, is also called 'Dhanur Maasa'.

Rakhi is on 30th Aug 2004.

<b>Legends Behind :: Rakhi & Raksha Bandhan</b>

<b>Legends Behind Rakhi Festival</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Aug 22 2004, 07:15 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Aug 22 2004, 07:15 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> Rakhi is on 30th Aug 2004.

<b>Legends Behind :: Rakhi & Raksha Bandhan</b>

<b>Legends Behind Rakhi Festival</b> <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Avani Avittam

"Avani Avittam" falls usually on the same day as Rakshabandhan. It is a day of major significanc for all Brahmins (Tamils atleast) when the "Yagnopaveetha" is changed and new year resolutions are taken up. It would not be out of place to also mention the special "IDLI JAPAM" that's almost a mandatory ritual among tamil brahmins <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<i>Yagnopaveetham paramam pavithram Prajapathe Yat sahajam purasthaaad Aayushyam Agriyam prathi muncha shubram yagnopaveetham balamasthu theja.</i>

yes,Yagnopaveetha ceremony is also performed in North India on Rakhi day.

This day also mark completion of Amarnath yatra.

<img src='http://www.amarnathyatra.org/holycave3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />

(fwd)

<b>SANSKRIT DAY</b>

Sravan Poornima
Sravan Poornima occurs on 29-08-04 this year. The month SRAVAN occurs when the full moon day occurs with the star Sravan. It occurs between August 15 to September 15 every year. The Govt. of India observes this day as SANSKRIT DAY. Sravan Poornima is a special occasion in the Indian culture. The North Indians celebrate “Raksha Bandhan” on this day and the people of Kerala state celebrate “ONAM” festival, which is the “festival of harvest”.

<b>Vidyarambha</b>

There is a reason why this day has been chosen to observe as Sanskrit Day. The year is divided into Uttarayana and Dakshinayana according to the movement of the Sun. Uttarayana occurs from 15th January to 14th July and Dakshinayana occurs between 15th of July and 14th January every year. During the Dakshinayana people would not move out of their home/home town, due to the rainy season. This was the practice in the ancient India. To spend the months usefully they started their learning and teaching process on Sravana Poornima day. Even today it is a tradition that a child is given Aksharabhyasam (teaching of alphabets) first time during this season (Vijayadasami, the last day of Navarathra). Before the beginning of a fresh course Pandits and scholars perform a kind of ritual called Upakarma. This day is called Vidyarambha (beginning of learning Vedas). In general, they start learning the Vedas, Philosophy, Vyakaran (Grammar), Kavyas and Sanskrit. It lasts till Makar Sankranthi. Therefore this is an appropriate day to observe as Sanskrit Day.

<b>ONAM</b>

Onam is the festival of harvest celebrated in Kerala, the southern state of India. It is also a festival of colours and flowers. It is also said that King Mahabali (grand son of Prahlad) visiting his subjects during this day. This was the day of Vamanavathar. On this day, Lord Mahavishnu took birth as the youngest son Kasyapa and Aditi and conquered Mahabali. So people of Kerala decorate their houses and streets with different colors of flowers called “Atthapoo”. Girls and ladies will sing and dance in groups wearing new clothes to welcome their king “Mahabali”. The new couples will be invited for lunch and dinner. This celebration starts on the star “Hastham” and will be celebrated for 10days till the star “Onam” (29-08-04)

<b>Raksha Bandhan:</b>

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in the whole north India. It is the celebration of “brother hood”. In olden days when the warriors go to the war field their sisters used to perform a special prayer and tie a colorful thread on their brother’s right wrist for their protection. Then on this day of Sravan Poornima also there used to be a kind of worship and used to tie a kind of colorful thread called “Rakhi”. Since a thread is tied as a Raksha it is called the festival of “Raksha Bandan”. There was an incident during the regime of Badsha Hyumayun, son of Babar that the queen of Mewar Karmavathi sent a Raki to Badsha Hyumayun and made him her brother. This incident avoided the war between Mewar and Delhi Sultanate.

Came via email:


http://www.chennaionline.com/specials/va.../pooja.asp
http://www.chennaionline.com/pooja/zip/varalakshmi.zip
http://www.chennaionline.com/specials/vara...hmi/slogams.asp
http://www.chennaionline.com/pooja/varalakshmi.asx
http://www.chennaionline.com/specials/vara...hmi/gallery.asp

http://www.chennaionline.com/specials/va.../index.asp

<b>Celebrating the birth of Lakshmi </b>

The goddess, called Devi, Ambal, Lakshmi, Shakthi, is one of the most
important figures in the Hindu pantheon. Tradition tells us to pray to
the Goddess first, because with her kind and benevolent heart, she will
intercede with the Lord for the granting of any boon. While the goddess
represents everything from power to prosperity, in the form of Lakshmi,
the consort of Lord Vishnu, she is a symbol of wealth.

Visitors to the hill shrine of Tirupati, after offering worship at the
sanctum sanctorum of Lord Srinivasa, circumambulate the shrine and then
come to the figurine of Goddess Lakshmi set high up in the wall. She is
in standing posture with gold coins pouring out of her hand. They reach
up and touch her feet. Even children, too small to reach the image, are
lifted up and the ritual is gone through.

In Chennai, one of the most popular shrines is the Ashtalakshmi Temple
in Besant Nagar. Located close to the sea, the winding steps take
one-to-one manifestation of Lakshmi. It is said that Lakshmi will enter the
house of anyone who thinks of her and bless them. There are many
festivals in the year dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi. Among them, Varalakshmi
Vratham is unique because it is marked by strict observance of certain
practices and austerities. It is also called Varalakshmi Nonbu. The puja
falls on Friday before the full moon in the Tamil month of Aadi. This
year, it occurs on August 3rd.

The name Varalakshmi itself can be interpreted in two ways. In one
sense, Varalakshmi is one who grants boons. In another, she is the Goddess
who is invited into the home and honoured. The different types of
benefits that will accrue thanks to performing the Varalakshmi puja are
"dhan" (money), "dhanyam" (grains or food), "arogyam" (health), "sampath"
(property), "sathsanthanam" (virtuous offspring) and "dheerga
saumangalyam" (longevity of the husband).

Performing the Varalakshmi puja is said to be equivalent to worshipping
all the different forms of Lakshmi. The evening before the day of the
puja, the area for its performance is cleaned and decorated. A bronze or
silver kalasam (special pot) is filled with rice or water and coins, a
whole lime, five types of leaves and betel leaves and betel nut. The
kalasam is smeared with sandal paste and covered with a new cloth up to
the neck. A coconut applied with turmeric paste is placed on top with
mango leaves around. An image of the Goddess made of different materials,
including cloth, is affixed to this. The kalasam is deemed to be the
Goddess herself. Offerings of pongal are made and arathi is performed.

The next morning, before rahu kalam, the kalasam is placed on a bed of
rice. This signifies that Lakshmi has entered the house. After the
installation, a puja beginning with an invocation to Lord Vinayaka begins.
During the puja, the Lakshmi Sahasranamam and other slokas dedicated to
Varalakshmi are chanted. Different types of sweets are offered to the
Goddess. The women and girls of the house tie yellow coloured saradu or
thread around their wrists. Thamboolam is given to other "sumangalis"
(married women) who are invited to the house that evening. The woman who
has performed the puja observes a fast on that day, eating only certain
items. The following day the holy water in the kalasam is sprinkled
throughout the house. If rice has been used in the place of water then it
is mixed with the rice stored in the house.

The legend behind Varalakshmi puja and the vratam is fascinating. It
was a game of dice which caused a small tiff between Lord Shiva and
Parvati as to who was the victor. An honest gana, Chitranemi, was asked to
arbitrate and he decided in Shiva's favour. An angry Parvati cursed him
to suffer from leprosy. When Shiva pleaded with her, she gave in and
said the day women in the world observed Varalakshmi puja, Chitranemi
would get deliverance. Chitranemi got relief when he observed some women
performing the puja. Ever since then, this vratham has been observed.

BTW today is naag panchami. We made a sweet called kuler (Bajra flour, jaggery, ghee).. <!--emo&:drool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/drool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='drool.gif' /><!--endemo--> and prayed Lord Shiva.. <!--emo&:felx--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/flex.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='flex.gif' /><!--endemo-->

Google gives the foll as first link for naag panchami.

http://www.bawarchi.com/festivals/nagpanchami.html