Arise ! Awake ! Stop not, till the goal is reached.

July, August, September, 2017

Om Namo Narayanaya

Badarikashrama Diary

April began with the Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Gowswami

Tulsidas, held on the first Saturday of the month. A sincere dedicated

ever-growing group devotees joins together in the singing of the 5th

book of the Ramayana featuring Hanuman. The next Sunday we

marked the beginning of Chaitra Navaratri with Sri Durga Homa fol-

lowed in the evening with Mataki Chowki with Sri Ma Durga Bhajan

Mandali. Sri Ramanavami Puja continued the Chaitra Navaratari fes-

tivities with kirtan by Suman and Sargam Shah. The yearly Sri Rama-

navami Music Festival organized by Veena maestro and teacher, Sri-

kanth Chary. took place on the 8th and 9th. Nineteen Carnatic Music

schools participated in the 2-day event with many exceptionally talent-

ed students, both instrumental and vocals. The schools graciously pro-

vided refreshments of many South Indian dishes throughout the two

days. Hanuman Jayanti Celebration with the chanting of Hanuman

Chalisa for 108 times concluded the observances for Chaitra Navaratri.

The month ended with Sri Shankara and Sri Ramanuja Jayanti with talk

by Sri Annaya Deshpande who gave a very clear account of the phi-

losophy of Sri Shankaracharaya. Suman and Sargam began the service

with compositions relevant to the philosophy of Sri Shankaracharya

with Bhaja Govindam and others.

In Many, the unexpected passing away of Sri Ram Saxena, a dear

devotee of our ashrama, saddened everyone and plans were made for

a memorial service. Mangala along with Radha Ramamurthy gave talks

to all the classes of Sri Bishop O’Dowd’s World Religions Classes, in-

structor Kris Koffer. Mangala also began a series of meditation classes,

which concluded in May. The primary focus of the month of May was

our 33rd Anniversary Celebration on the 20th and the 21st. The 20th

was the cultural program. It began with Ganesha Puja by Srimat Swami

Vishnumayanandaji Maharaj, and prayers by Rev. Dr. Arlene K.

Nehring, Eden United Church of Christ, Hayward.

Ganesha, Wat Sri Suphan, Chang Mai, Thailand

Thailand’s earliest settlers, the Mons, whose existence dates back to the sixth and eighth centuries, embraced Hindu culture and religious practices and built many temples to Lord Ganesha. Ganesha is known here as Phra Pikanet and Phra Phikanesawora and presides over the arts, learning and commerce. He is invoked for good luck and success. While Buddhism is Thailand’s official reli-gion, Hinduism co-exists with it comforta-bly. This is evidenced by the fact that the government’s Department of Fine Arts features Lord Ganesha in its emblem. An image of Ganesha sits on a pedestal in front of Central World in Bangkok (earlier known as World Trade Center), where worshippers stop by to make offerings. Many media businesses have a Gane-sha shrine at the entrance to their offices. The ritual of commencing daily business with a prayer to Ganesha is a widespread practice. When profits are good, Ganesha is worshipped, as in India, with modaks, fruits and sweets. His image is turned up-side down when business hits a low. The Royal Brahmin Temple, Bangkok, has some of Thailand’s oldest Ganesha images. At Phang-na, a 10th century bronze idol was discovered with inscrip-tions in Tamil and Thai.

Na Me Bhakta Pranashyati My Devotee Never Perishes

Sandesha

Veena students, Ramanavami Music Festival

Mangala was a guest speaker at the San Francisco’s Vedanta

Society as part of their annual Memorial Day Retreat. She spoke

on “Spirituality in Everyday Life”. A Memorial Service for Ram

SaxenaJi was held on the 15th. It was a beautiful tribute to a won-

derful human being who contributed much joy and wisdom to

many people with his emphasis on the Ramayana and Kabirdas.

June month included the monthly Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana

of Gowswami Tulsidas, Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja with kirtan

and the Sri Bhagavad Gita talk and Kirtan with Suman Shah and

Sargam Shah. Kabir Jayanti was a major function in the month.

Devotees of Kabir Das sang a number of compositions of Kabir

accompanied by dolak, tabla, and harmonium. The event was or-

ganized by Bharti Bhakta. On the 24th, Mataki Chowki was held

with the spirited singing of Sri Ma Bhajan Mandali. Prasad was

sponsored by Kiran Mittar and family. Everyone was moved to join

in the singing and rhythms. Gurmeet Singh provided exceptional

accompaniment on the dholak. He also revealed another talent

by playing the harmonium and singing accompanied by his son,

Sanjeet on tabla.

June concluded with the annual Mira Bai Festival with Rita Sahai

and the Vasundara Choir. This year was a narration of Mira Bai’s

life interspersed with bhajans with many original compositions of

Rita. The choir consisted of over 25 people with a section of young

people who were featured on several pieces. It was a delightful

and significant way to remember the devotional life of a dynamic

spiritual personality who has influenced devotees for hundreds of

years. They were accompanied by Pradosh Sarkar on tabla.

Sri Ma Durga Bhajan Mandali and Odissi Dance by students of

Nataraj School of Dance, directed by Sima Charaborty continued

with spiritual entertainment. One panel discussion on

“Growing Up in America as a Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, and Jain” and

another on “Embracing the boundaries with those who had em-

braced another tradition other then their original tradition”,

created an interfaith atmosphere of acceptance.

Music was also contributed by Paul Keim, a minister from the

First Presbyterian Church, Hayward. Finally a Unity Mandala

Workshop was led by artist, Salma Arastu which was a collabo-

rative art project. Sunday was the traditional Samuhika Sri

Satyanarayana Swami Puja and Katha. Rita Sahai and her senior

students, Rajnish Kamat and Vivek Anand began the worship

with their devotional kirtan with original compositions by Rita.

The mandir was filled beyond capacity, overflowing with devo-

tees worshipping the Lord Satyanarayana. Swami Vishnumaya-

nandaji led all in the group worship. Mahaprasad was provided

by the Ahuja family. The event was covered by TV Asia. The

video is available on our Facebook page.

Earlier in May we observed Buddha Jayanti Celebration.

Gayatri Sadhana Day included Gayatri Mantra Japa for 3 hours

followed by Gayatri Homa. Doug Flegal, Chandra Dey, and Man-

gala attended the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade in Castro Valley

along with other members of the Eden Area Interfaith Council.

Devotees at Samuhika 108 Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja

Swami Vishnumayanandaji, puja, altar decorations.

Mataki Chowki, Sri Ma Durga Bhajan

Mirabai Festival: Rita Sahai, Vivek Anand, Rajnish Kamat

On April 1st Surmani Dattatreya Velankar, an extremely talented

Hindustani musician, performed a Hari Katha on the life of Swami

Vivekananda. On the 11th Srimat Swami Omkaranandaji Maharaj

performed a full moon Sri Satyanarayana Puja and Katha. Ma-

haprasad was offered to all.

May began with a purnima Sri Satyanarayana Puja and katha

on the 10th. Many devotees attended, offering fruits and flowers.

Those who sponsored the puja sat beside Swamiji to make offer-

ings to the kalasha. The young children in their simplicity and

devotion were eager to offer flowers. The puja concluded with an

inspiring katha and distribution of Mahaprasad. From May 1st to

25th, Badarikashrama Vidyashala held summer classes for 8th and

9th standard students. They reviewed and polished their skills in

English and Mathematics. From 9 AM to 12 Noon, they attended

classes then concluded each day with a thirty-minute yoga class.

A Teachers’ Orientation Workshop took place at Badarikashrama

Vidyashala for both existing and new teachers. From May 15th to

21st, senior teachers of the Vidyshala led workshops according to

their expertise. From May 22nd to 28th, the best and brightest

educators from Karnataka led a series of outstanding workshops.

L Satyanarayana, a retired Head Master from Bengaluru High

School, with 41 years of teaching experience, spoke on the sub-

ject of Social Science, the topic ‘Activity Based Teaching’. Re-

nowned educationalists Dr. Sameera Simha, Chairman of Silicon

City College, Bengaluru, and Professor Muralidhar led an ex-

cellent workshop on “Concept Based Teaching”. Prof. Jaya-

simha, with great enthusiasm and clarity, spoke on the subject

of “Mathematics Understanding Teaching”. A doctor of Psy-

chology, Mr. Kiran Kumar from Mysore, compared the educa-

tion systems between the East and West and explored the

hidden potentials of each student. The workshop concluded

with talks from Dr. Kamakshi Nagendra, who eloquently spoke

on Dharma and morality in education followed by Prof. Veda-

vathi, who with deep understanding, discussed English gram-

mar. On June 1st, Badarikashrama Vidyashala opened its

doors for the academic year 2017-18. The children arrived in

their neatly pressed uniforms and were warmly greeted by

their teachers as they stepped down from the school bus. All

gathered in front of the altar of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada

Devi and Swami Vivekananda to begin morning prayers. On

June 21st, the Vidyashala participated in International Yoga

Day. Narayana Sadhaka led a yoga demonstration with the

help of the 9th standard students who performed a variety of

asanas. Swamiji spoke about the importance of developing

concentration and increasing our prana or energies through

the yoga practice.

The Ashrama saw many visitors such as the Honorable Go-

palakrishna Gowda I.A.S. officer, Professor Shivaraj, Ex-

president of Gandhi Bhavan, Bangalore.

A group of 20 NCC cadets from Jain University bicycled from

Bangalore to Madihalli, a 125 km journey. Professor Shivaraj

inspired them with a rousing talk. The NCC group performed

a meaningful skit to the summer school students of the

Vidyashala.

The Ashrama has organized a Teachers’ Orientation Work-

shop for all high school teachers and PUC lecturers to be con-

ducted on Saturday July 22nd and Sunday, 23rd.

News from Badarikashrama, Madihalli

Dr. Kamakshi Nagendra, Teachers’ Orientation

International Yoga Day, Narayana Sadaka with students

NCC cadets from Jain University, Bengaluru, with Swamiji

BALASAMSKARA KENDRA

Classes for children are held every Sunday at 10:30 am. Bay Area parents who want to actively partici-pate in the cultural and spiritual education of their children conceived of the school. The curriculum includes Hindi classes, Sanskrit Mantras, and expla-nations of puja, rituals, symbolism of Gods and Goddesses and Indian festivals. Story telling famil-iarizes our children with our ancient culture and epics. Children find it a lot of fun and look forward to every session. We encourage all of you to bring your children from the ages of 5-15 to our school. Please call the Ashram staff for more information or Anita Bajaj at 510-553-1123. All welcome. Free.

Our India center is located in Madihalli about 75 miles west of Bengaluru. It is set among rolling hills, surrounded by fruit orchards and a variety of tropical vegetation. It is now a Tapobhumi, provid-ing service to humanity in the fields of education and health. Swamiji is currently living in India and invites all interested to join in short or long term work for humanitarian service. We sincerely hope you will take the opportunity to visit our Ashrama during your next visit to India.

Badarikashrama

Madihalli P.O.

Turuvekere Tq., Tumakuru Dt., Karnataka 572227 Office : 08139298911 08139298910

Mobile : 9741246418-Swami Omkarananda www.badarikashrama.org

Email: badarik1986@gmail.com

USA Center Badarik@pacbell.net

510-278-2444

Daily Schedule at San Leandro

Temple is open between the hours of 7am to 12 noon

and 5pm to 8pm Puja is conducted thrice daily at 7am, 12 noon and

6.30pm Every Monday 6:30 pm: Sri Siva Puja & Aarti

BADARIKASHRAMA

15602 Maubert Avenue

San Leandro, CA 94578

Non Profit Org.

U.S. Postage Paid

San Leandro, CA

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July, 2017

Sat 1st 9:30 am Sri Akanda Ramayana, Sri Ramacharita Manasa

Sun 2nd 1:00 pm Recitation of the entire Ramayana

Tue 4th 10:30 am Sri Durga Homa, Independence Day Celebration

Sun 9th 10:30 am Guru Purnima, Sri Guru Puja, Sri Satyanarayana Puja

Sun16th 4:00 pm Talk by Sister Eleanor Francis (Chandra) “Mysticism” Carnatic Instrumental Concert: Flute, violin, mridangam

Sun 23rd 9:00 am Sadhana Day, Mrityunjaya Japa, 12 noon: Homa

Sun 30th 11:00 am Sri Bhagavad Gita Talk & kirtan, Suman & Sargam Shah

Aug, 2017

Fri 4th 7:00 pm Sri Varamahalakshmi Puja & Kirtan

Sat 5th 2:30 pm Sri Sundarakhanda Ramayana of Gowswami Tulsidas

Sun 6th 11:00 am Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja & Katha

Sun 13th 11:00 am Sri Ramanama Sankirtan & Meditation

Mon 14th 6:30 pm Sri Krishna Janmastami Puja & Music

Sun 20th 11:00 am Sri Bhagavad Gita talk & kirtan, Suman & Sargam Shah

Fri 25th 7:00 pm Sri Gowri & Sri Ganesha Puja (Chathurti)

Sun 27th 2:00 pm Sri Ganesha Homa & Music

Sept, 2017

Sat 2nd 2:30 pm Sri Sundarakhanda Ramayana of Gowswami Tulsidas

Sun 3rd 11:00 am Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja & Katha

Sun 10th 11:00 am Sri Ramanama Sankirtan & Meditation

Sun 17th 11:00 am Sri Bhagavad Gita talk & kirtan by Suman & Sargam Shah

Thu 21st to

Sat 30th

5:00 am to

6:30 pm

NAVARATRI CELEBRATIONS Daily: 5:0 am Sri Durga Saptasatipatha & Puja Daily: 1:00 pm Sri Durga Homa Fri 29th: Mataki Chowki

Oct, 2017 Sun 1st Sat 7th Sun 8th

11:00 am 2:30 pm

11:00 am

Sri Satyanarayana Swami Puja & Katha Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Gowswami Tulsidas Mahatama Gandhi Peace Prayer Day