HOUSTON: By the causeless mercy of our Srila Gurudev, Bhaktivedanta Narayan Goswami Maharaj and their Lordships, we are pleased to announce the deity installation ceremony for Sri Sri Radha Govindaji, Gaur Nitai and Ram Darbar.
Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur, a great vaishnava saint writes “Love (priti) is a very sweet word. When it is spoken, a very sweet mood arises in the hearts of both the speaker and the listeners. Though few are able to understand its true meaning, everyone still likes to hear the word. All beings are controlled by love”….quoting Srila Chandi dasa, he explains how the universe was created by Bramhaji on the underlying principles of love:
“Concentrating deeply, Brahma created the syllable pi. Then when the ocean of rasa was churned, the syllable ri emerged.
When the ocean was churned a second time, nectar emerged, which was prepared into the syllable ti. How can I compare anything to these three syllables, which are the abode of all happiness?
That person in whose heart the essence of these three syllables has forcibly entered finds dharma, karma, shyness, commonsense, caste and family tradition useless”.
Pure love or priti can be applied only to Krsna. As conditioned souls, we have forgotten our true identity and our eternal constitutional position. Because it is our nature to love, we are always seeking out for it; but we search in worldly or material relationships, and are thus always frustrated.
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.
Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees”.
The mission of Sri Sri Radha Govinda mandir is to provide a platform in which everyone can come and join in hearing the Lords pastimes or Harikatha and in chanting the holy names. With this process we can revive the true love or priti that we are eternally seeking.
Please join us to welcome their Lordships for the inauguration festival celebration. Delicious prasadam will be served after every program.
For further details contact 832-464-4686 or email at contact@sggm.org. You can also visit their website at www.sggm.org
Temple address is 16628 Kieth Harrow Blvd, Houston,TX 77084
HOUSTON: Orissa Culture Center (OCC) and Shri Sitaram Foundation cordially invite the people of Houston and surrounding cities to the sixth chariot festival of Houston. For the last six years the festival has been providing a ground for spreading the message of peace and universal brotherhood among the people of Houston. The venue for this year’s festival is 11715 Bellfort Village Drive, Houston, TX, 77031 and the date for the celebration is set for Sunday, July 14.
The day’s events are planned to include aspects relating to Shree Jagannatha and Vedic Philosophy. The event will start with a “Maha Yagna” or the fire worship in the morning followed by different rituals of the three deities of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhdra.
Anup Jalota
The major attractions of the festival are planned for the late afternoon hours and include the chariot pulling by thousands of devotees, devotional kirtans and bhajans, Kids activities and maha arati. The admission and parking are free. This year OCC is proud to present a live vocal devotional concert by world renowned vocalist/ Bhajan Samrat Shri Anup Jalota.
OCC is a fast growing non-profit institution with a dedicated mission to promote the cultural heritage and traditional art forms from India in general and state of Orissa, India in particular. The Rath Yatra will host a colorfully decorated 22-foot high chariot carefully crafted by dedicated members of Orissa community. All devotees will be allowed to offer worship to the Lord on the chariot.
Celebration of this festival is possible by generous support of participating organizations and individuals. The event is partially funded by a grant from Houston City Arts Alliance. We cordially invite everyone from Houston and neighboring cities to participate in this year’s chariot festival and experience the oneness that binds all humanity.
For information, please visit www.houstonrathyatra.org or call 832-225-2376 or e-mail at rathyatra.hou@gmail.com. You may connect on https://www.facebook.com/HoustonRathYatra
HOUSTON: His Holiness Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji, “The Father of Indian Healing” and Master of Eastern Vedic Sciences will be conducting a 7-day workshop at Unity Church, 2929 Unity Drive Houston, Texas-77057, beginning June, 26 2013 to July 3 2013.
The shivir is designed to initiate participants into meditation and helping empower one of one’s own inner infinite potential powers. It is a meditation program that includes various processes of initiation and advanced meditational methods practiced by ancient masters of the Himalayas.
Durga Saptashati: 26 June- 27 June (This is a free event) The Durga Saptshati is the powerful scripture on the Shakti sadhna comprising of 700 shlokas organized into thirteen chapters, which is narrated and widely read in the mythological story form but in reality contains the mystical powers of a human. Babaji will reveal these hidden messages and activate one’s powers by invoking the divine mother who in the scripture was invoked wholeheartedly by the Demigods after being distressed by the acts of the demons. The loving mother, to protect her creatures, incarnates in various forms and slays the demons after long lasting wars. After intensely meditating on the DurgaSaptshati, Babaji has decoded the sacred Beej Mantras encrypted in each Shloka, which possess enormous power capable of relieving one of his/her karmas and the vices. Babaji, whose mission is to eradicate sufferings from the world and fill each home with peace, happiness and unconditional love, for the first time in the history of humanity revealed this guarded sacred sadhna to the common man. In this Shivir, Babaji will initiate people into this sacred sadhna and facilitate participants to release their karmas, which are the root cause of the problems. The sacred sadhnas are also done in Babajis divine presence thus raising the vibrations to higher dimensions of life. The divine energies arising out of the recitation of these sacred beej mantras increases the vibrational frequency of each and every cell and the DNA of the body that results scientifically in the miraculous healing of the body, mind and soul. Regular practice of this Shakti sadhna with pure intention and utmost devotion, empowers the seeker to create a healthy body, a peaceful mind, loving relations, prosperous life and a rapid spiritual growth.
Prati Prasav Sadhna: June 27 2013 to July 3 2013 (This event requires prior registration): Our present is nothing but the outcome of what our own deeds of the past. The circumstances, obstacles and the problems in life erupt from the deep-rooted psychic impressions in the subconscious that were knowingly or unknowingly accumulated over many past lifetimes with every action, word and thought. These unresolved problems or issues are sanchit karmas or psychic impressions. This deep-rooted karma create recurring negative incidents in life until they are completely uprooted. In order to be released from the suffering, pain or disease one must release them completely. Prati Prasav Sadhna is the holy practice that helps one surface these deep-rooted karma and release them to higher frequency vibrations created with the help of a Guru who is himself a Master in this ancient practice of Indian Yogis. In this shivir, one is taught how to shed this heavy load and bring out the inner light in the form of health happiness and prosperity. It not only involves witnessing past life incidences, but also releasing these negative psychic impressions from one’s subtle bodies. With the help of Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji’s grace we transcend back to those areas of our past lives and release and heal them. PratiPrasavSadhna is an excellent Sadhana to dissolve fears, phobias, sufferings, limitations and awakening of your consciousness towards infinite dimension.
Shiv Yog Science Beyond Science: Last year in March 2013, Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji invited the doctors and medical professionals In the New Jersey workshop to carry out comprehensive pre and post Shivir diagnostic tests on randomly chosen participants at this shivir. Three sadhak volunteers were randomly selected with no pre-screening for any specific health condition or disease pre-disposition for the experiments. Interview with sample participants brought out a wide spectrum of health conditions ranging from normal, near-normal to highly-complex medical pre-condition. On the 6th day of the shivir healing was sent to these volunteers, one of whom had been suffering from brain tumor and other two sadhaks. The live healing session amazed the doctors and medical professionals to see that the brain tumor and gall stones that were first visible on the ultrasound were no more visible on ultrasound. It shrunk in size and then disappeared.
Many scientists, researchers and doctors were very surprised when His Holiness Avdhoot Baba Shivanandji mentioned that these healings were not miracles but ShivYog’s Science Beyond Science. As the deeper significance of this description was not so obvious, the descriptor Science Beyond Science.
While Shiv Yog has gained popularity in all parts of India and abroad, because of its unique powerful message of self empowerment, it is largely seen as a program that empowered and encouraged seekers to tap into the healing powers and capabilities hidden within themselves. Babaji has been progressively and consistently revealing the mysteries of life beyond the common and limited understanding known to humans.
For more information visit www.shivyog.com or www.shivyogus.com or call 1-609-474-4808.
Participants during the Pariprashnena Quiz. Photos: Nagalla Nagaraj
By Ravinder Yerram
HOUSTON: On Saturday, May 18, as Part of “Self Discovery” programs all over the Houston conducted by ISKCON, the Hare Krishna Dham, devotees grand celebrated annual event called “Festival of Love and Trust” (FOLT) at Gauranga Hall. This year, the theme of FOLT was “Nama Ruchi (Attraction towards Mantra meditation) – the Unique Gift of Srila Prabhupada”. The festival promoted loving exchanges amongst the participants with lot of interactive activities around the theme. More than 100 families from different places of Houston came and celebrated the FOLT with lot of enthusiasm and interest.
The Festival inaugurated with Ratha Yatra of “Lord Jagannath, Baladev and Lady Subhadra” around the Gauranga Hall of the Temple conducted by the children of all ages who performed ecstatic kirtan. Before starting the cultural programs, ladies sang the Mangala Charana (invocation prayers) led by HG Madhavi Gopi. This was followed by the Sri Nama Bhajan – “Bol Hari Bol – Chant the name of Hari” beautifully sung by the Bhakti Vriksha kids with different musical instruments which was taught by Sujata Srikanteswaran.
Inauguration of Children Art Calendar
There was also a presentation of Bhakti Vriksha Testimonies by various members of all the Self-Discovery groups. The interactive multimedia quiz called “Pariprashnena” (inquiry) was conducted by Gopal Ramamurthy, in which the participants were asked questions based on Bhagavad Gita, ‘Your Ever Well-Wisher’ book (Srila Prabhupada’s Biography), Vaishnava bhajans and Darshana (deities of ISKCON temples all over the world).
Barsana Humble Self Discovery group enacted a skit called “Mind Your Mind”. This skit revealed the mind of a person, who is trying to progress in devotional path, and how the mind resists and distracts him from the same. It also presented how the person was able to control his mind with the help of devotee association and chanting of the holy names to make progress in the devotional service.
Bhakti Vriksha Youth group presented a Higher Taste Fashion show, in which they depicted how Bhakta Prahalada is saved and how Hiranyakasipu is slayed by Lord Narasimha who is none other than Lord Krishna.
HG Kalasuda Devi Dasi directed “Kali’s Nightmare” drama, in which devotees acted wonderfully showing how in Kali Yuga (The age of quarrel and hypocrisy), the evil qualities (Meat Eating, Intoxication, Gambling and Illicit Sex) influence and divert the people in devotional service. The drama further revealed how the Sankirtana movement started by Lord Chaitanya can help one overcome these evil qualities. They also showed the love and trust among devotees will protect from these evil influences and progress in devotion with the blessing from the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada.
The Temple president, HG Shyamsundar and his wife HG Shyamvallabhi inaugurated the highlight of event, “The Art Calendar”, which was made with the kids’ wonderful paintings on the theme, “Nama Ruchi”. The Art Calendar along with a Back to Godhead magazine and a Bhajan CD was given as a gift to all the families. At the end, a sumptuous vegetarian feast prasadam perfectly completed the ensemble for the evening.
ISKCON is excited to invite everyone to the interactive “Self Discovery” programs (consist of music, mantra-meditation, philosophical discussion, and dinner) in your neighborhood. At these Self-Discovery programs you will meet many like-minded, growth-oriented people like yourself, and likely make many new friends and contacts. We would also recommend bringing family members and friends to the program.
For further details, visit “http://www.iskconhouston.org/alpha/activities/outreach/self-discovery-classes” or call at 713-686-GITA (4482) or visit ISKCON Hare Krishna Dham located on 1320 W 34th Street, Houston, TX 77018
HOUSTON: The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, in one of the most memorable verses in the Bhagavad Gita (4.7), assures Arjuna that:
Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that time I descend Myself.
In one such manifestation, He appeared as Lord Sri Nrisimha – the Man-Lion incarnation that tore the world asunder in the ferocity of the event. In this case, it was to protect his beloved devotee Prahlada from the demoniac Hiranyakashipu.
The evil Hiranyakashipu, the son of Sage Kashyapa and Diti, desirous of achieving immortality and thirsting for revenge for his brother Hiranyaksha’s demise (who was killed by Varaha-deva), had obtained a boon from Lord Brahma that he should not be killed by man or beast; in the day or at night; by any kind of weapon; neither on Earth nor in the sky; and neither inside nor outside the house. After obtaining the boon, he was unstoppable and became the ruler of the worlds. He was extremely cruel and especially hostile to the devotees of the Supreme Lord Hari.
Little Prahlada was a saintly child who worshiped the Supreme Lord Hari and considered him to be the Supreme rather than his father; he also taught this to his fellow classmates. Hearing this, a highly disturbed Hirankyakashipu started plotting the death of his own son. He ordered his ministers to kill Prahlada, such as poisoning, throwing off a cliff, placing poisonous serpents, burning in a pyre. However, each time Prahlada emerged unscathed.
Hiranyakashipu tried once again to reason with Prahlada but to no avail. Finally, in a state of great fury, asked Prahlada, “Where is your Vishnu to whom you pray so much,” to which Prahlada calmly replied, “He is everywhere; within and without; in every single atom of the universe.”
Angrier Hiranyakashipu pointed large pillar and asked Prahlada whether Vishnu was inside the pillar, to which affirmative reply. This enraged him and struck the pillar, at which moment there was a great noise as if the entire world was torn apart. Amazed at this event, everyone watched the terrifying Man-Lion form of the Lord appear from the pillar. This was Lord Nrsimha, an incarnation of the Supreme descended to protect his dear devotees from miscreants.
Lord Nrisimha attacked Hiranyakashipu and dragged the demon-king to the courtyard, placed him upon his lap, and using his lightning-like nails, tore him apart. It was twilight, and every single aspect of the boon that had been promised to Hiranyakashipu by Lord Brahma had been honored in its entirety.
At that time, the rage of the Lord Nrisimha could not be pacified by anybody. The demigods, extremely fearful of the rage, finally requested Prahlada to step forward and pacify the Lord. Lord Nrisimha, seeing him, immediately calmed down and smiled, then hearing the profound prayers of Prahlada, offered him benedictions, but he just wanted his father to be pardoned, to which the Lord said:
My dear Prahlāda, O most pure, O great saintly person, your father has been purified, along with twenty-one forefathers in your family. Because you were born in this family, the entire dynasty has been purified.
The Narasimha Chaturdashi festival is observed with great enthusiasm every year at the ISKCON, Hare Krishna Dham in Houston. This year the festival falls on Thursday, 23 May. Please mark your calendars so you do not miss the joyful festival with delicious prasadam feast. We look forward to having your association in jointly celebrating the most auspicious and glorious advent of the Lord Himself.
Hare Krishna Dham located on 1320 W 34th Street, Houston TX – 77018.
PEARLAND: “Seetha kalyana vaibhogame; Rama kalyana vaibhogmae” – with the auspicious rendering of these lines, devotees cheerfully assembled to celebrate the Sita Rama Kalyanam entered the wedding hall of Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland, carrying the seer varisai – an array of delicious sweets and savories, on May 11 around 9 AM. The stage was decorated so beautifully that it brought in the celestial ambience. The blissful wedding took place with every step of the way being carefully explained by the knowledgeable priests at the altar while those gathered to sponsor the event diligently followed the ritual. Right from the bedecked bride and groom, to the décor, to the spread of sweets, to the rendition of songs apt for each segment of the wedding the spectators were blessed to be part of this holy matrimony. Ladies gathered up on the stage for the pidi sutral (offering of colored rice), followed by kanya dhanam (offering of the bride to the groom), mangalya dharanam (tying the knot) and maalai maatral (exchange of garlands); the entire ceremony took place colorfully and sequentially. With so many events in grandiose happening over the past weekends at MTS, the Houston devotees proved to be ardent supporters of the Sita Rama wedding and had flocked fervently to make it a huge success. Following the wedding, the celestial couple was carried around the temple premises in the silver chariot in a procession while the devotees chanted Vishnu Sahasranamam. Other notable activities were – the melodious rendering of lilting krithis on Rama & Seetha by the well-known musician Bombay Mahalakshmi; rendition of Tulasi das’s Nama Ramayanam by the children of the Vedic Heritage School; attendees scribing the “Rama” nama on sheets of paper as is the tradition back home; and a sumptuous lunch. Kudos to the organizers and the MTS board for making Houston the cultural hotspot of US by tirelessly bringing such great events to help keep our rich Vedic and value-based traditions
From Left. Dr. Bishnupada Goswami, Dr. Amrit Achari, Consulate General P. Harish, Nandita Harish, Mridula Karna, Kalpana Mookerjee, Gauranga Mookerjee, and others.
HOUSTON: On Thursday April 18 around 5:30 PM. Head priest Dr. Bishnupada Goswami performed Annapurna Puja at the temple of Houston Durgabari Society located at 13944 Schiller Rd, Houston, TX 77082.
Annapurna Puja is an important festival of West Bengal. Goddess Annapurna is the Goddess of plenty. It is believed that Goddess Annapurna’s barn is never empty.
‘Anna’ means food grains. ‘Purna’ means full, absolute and perfect. Annapurna is the one who grants sustenance to everyone. Goddess Annapurna is worshipped with great devotion.
Lord Shiva had begged alms from Goddess Annapurna who is the supreme energy of Lord Shiva for achieving perfection in knowledge and renunciation. Annapurna is another form of Goddess Parvati who grants nourishment. She is the life force of Shiva. He is incomplete without Goddess Annapurna. To attain perfection in wisdom and renunciation, Shiva seeks her nourishment.
Goddess Annapurna teaches us the art of giving. Generosity and renunciation are her strengths. Through renunciation she teaches equality to all. Mother Annapurna nurtures us each day by giving us food as well as sustaining our lives in so many ways. Goddess Annapurna is thanked by her devotees for her generosity and kindness. Ardent devotees rejoice to thank the Mother Divine from the deepest core of their hearts.
Sponsored by Gauranga (Goray) Mookerjee and Kalpana Mookerjee, this occasion was witnessed by many devotees, and senior members of the society.
Puja and Havan were witnessed by many including honorable Consul General P. Harish, his wife Nandita Harish, Gauranga and Kalpana Mookerjee, Amrit and Gauri Achari, Mridula Karna, Jayanta Bandopadhyay, Geeta and Santosh Mandal, and others.
A special Chandipaat was performed by Consul General P. Harish and Dr. Amrit Achari.
After puja, and Havan, Dr Goswami performed aarti followed by dinner/prasad. The devotees were very enthusiastic about being part of this occasion.
Sponsorsy Gauranga (Goray) and Kalpana Mookerjee have Annapurna Puja as their Traditional family puja in India for many years.
From left: Lord Ganesha, Lord Chandikeshwara, Lord Venkateshwara, Goddess Meenakshi, Lord Sundareswara and Manonmani , Lord Muruga with Valli and Theyvayanai.
By Dr. Venugopal Menon
PEARLAND: Certain experiences happen but seldom, and they happen only to the destined.
Sri Meenakshi Temple in Pearland just concluded its ten-day grand commemoration of ‘Mahotsavam’, the magnificent, anniversary extravaganza. From Thursday, April 18 to Sunday April 28, the entire temple atmosphere was transformed into one of supreme celestial ambiance with religious, cultural and social activities celebrating the divine glory of Goddess Meenakshi.
As per the legendary Agama traditions that guide Sri Meenakshi Temple, as supervised and performed by the honorable priests Sri Manicka Sundara Bhattar, Sri Kalyana Sundaram and others, and adhering to austere spiritual and religious requirements, the elaborate ceremony was planned and prepared with all the infinite details meshed in to their appropriate places.
The event was inaugurated on Thursday evening with the VigneswaraPooja as is the auspicious custom of every Hindu religious function, getting the blessings from God Ganesha for its successful progression. The following day, there was Homam and special Abhishekam for all the Utsava Murthis performed in the tent pitched outside, where the ritual was repeated daily through the festival. The highlight of Friday morning was dhawjarohanam, hoisting of the flag that declares the traditional inauguration of ‘Utsavam’, the annual temple celebration.
On Saturday, April 20 was the ornate coronation of Goddess Meenakshi, the heavenly ‘Pattabhishekam’, when Chairman Tupil Narasiman, bestowed with the customary honor on behalf of all the devotees, formally accepted and handed over the regal scepter. It was followed by the procession of the Utsava Murthis in the ‘Poo Pallakku’, the palanquin, beautifully decorated with flowers. It was a magnificent spectacle to watch the parade with the Murthis adorned in their godly vehicle wrapped up with over five thousand light golden and pink carnations. The festivities were enriched by the accompanying ‘Mangala Vadyam’, the auspicious Nadaswaram by Shri Murugadoss along with N. Ganesan and P. Shanmugasundaram on the Thavil, artists who were brought from Canada .
Attendees enjoying the grand feast during the festivities at Sri Meenakshi Temple on Sunday April 28.
There was traditionally prescribed poojas every evening with the Utsava Murthis dressed up with resplendent radiance and taken out in a procession around the Outer Praharam.
Cultural programs were organized during the evenings of the Mahotsavam, which richly augmented the artistic elegance of the atmosphere. The various groups who performed each day were, Anuradha Subramaniam and Chitra Dharmarajan with their groups and the students of Rajeswary Bhat, all singing Devi Kruthis in praise of the Goddess, Sri Nagan Srinivasan doing Abhirami Andhadhi, the Houston Rudram group offering the Vedic chanting, Roopa Bala and her group reciting Lalitha Sahasranamam, Surabhi Veeraraghavan doing classical dance honoring Matha Parasakthi, Deepa Ramachandran performing with her violin, Mahesh Iyer and his students contributing the ‘Taala Vadhya Vrndha’ and the various Houston dance schools doing ‘Natyanjali’ as their offering. The programs were of such high caliber, especially with the young talents showing great promise and adding to the wealth and splendor of the festival.
The grand finale on Sunday was the Royal Nuptial ceremony, the ‘Thirukalyanam’, as the richly legitimate and delightful conclusion of the ten days of celebration. As plentiful and deserving as the occasion demanded, it was arranged in the Temple Kalyanamandapam, the wedding hall with all the pomp and glory of a stately wedding. The sophisticated process included every detail as prescribed for a celestial marriage ceremony. Adhering to the traditional ritualistic recipes, starting with Seervasai, procession from the Balalayam, Oonjal ceremony, Sankalpam, Vigneswara Pooja, Punyavachanam, Raksha Bandhanam, Pravaram, Kanyadanam, Agni Prathishtai, Mangalya Dharanam, Lajahomam and Purnahuthi the event concluded with the Mangala Aarthi. Following the ceremony, there was the Rathotsavam, a magnificent procession around the temple with the Utsava Murthis honorably placed in their respective vahanams. The concluding majestic parade to the accompaniment of the chanting of Rudram, recitation of Sahasranamam, Kolattam and Nadaswaram infused ecstatic spiritual vibes to all those who participated. And as required by the tradition, the Dwaja Avarohanam, the un-hoisting of the celestial flag marked the conclusion of the Utsavam.
Of course weddings cannot be complete without a meal, and in this case with the royal pageantry that befits the occasion. It was a sumptuous grand feast, with all the several dishes meticulously prepared in the temple kitchen by the staff and several volunteers under the supervision of Malar Narayanan and cordially served on banana leaves by the many affable volunteers.
The efficient and committed team of the temple from the chairman to the directors to the administrators to the employees along with a large squad of sincere volunteers deserves to be abundantly applauded for a splendid job in organizing such a marvelous festivity. A most deserving compliment goes to Roopa Balakrishnan, the Pooja committee coordinator, working tirelessly and arduously, weaving the various filaments together, and involving an array of enthusiastic devotees in presenting to the public an exemplary spiritual bequest to be remembered for a very long time.
Beautifully decorated Lord Ramachandra with Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. Photos: Thejas Rajaram
By Ravinder Yerram
HOUSTON: ISKCON, Hare Krishna Dham, Houston witnessed hundreds of devotees and guests for celebration of Rama Navami, the appearance day of Lord Ramachandra on Friday, 19 of April.
Lord Ramachandra is a very important incarnation of God, the Supreme Lord who came to the world as Rama, or Ramachandra, in the celebrated Raghu dynasty in the Treta yuga.
Beautifully decorated Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava.
Lord Ramachandra set the perfect example of an ideal king, son, brother, husband, and master. He is also called maryada-purusottama, “one who exhibits an ideal behavior.”
Festival began with ecstatic kirtan by Jiv Jago youth group and Maha Arati by devotees. Alter of presiding deities of Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava was beautifully decorated with flowers and fruits and colorful outfits, which was the ultimate attraction of the day.
Spriritual talk by His Holiness Rtadvaja Maharaja.
An interactive spiritual talk on Lord Ramachandra pastimes was given by His Holiness Rtadvaja Maharaja from Ramayan and very well correlated with Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. All the devotees and guests were eagerly involved in hearing the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra.
At the end, a full scrumptious vegetarian prasadam meal was served to everybody by ISKCON devotees.
Worshipers at the Hare Krishna Dham are grateful for this wonderful blessing, thus the reason for the joy during the event in which hundreds of Houstonians took part.
The deities of Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava preside over a welcoming aarati and kirtan each Sunday at 5:30PM at ISKCON Hare Krishna Dham located at 1320 W 34th Street, Houston TX, 77018.
For more details, please visit www.iskconhouston.org or
HOUSTON: History was created in Houston on April 13, 2013 when Ravi Shankar Puri and his wife Savita Puri hosted a successful and blissful “Mata Ki Chowki” at Shri Radha Krishna Temple, located on 11625 Beechnut.
It was an unprecedented event where more than 2,000 devotees showed up to watch and witness MataVaishno Devi“Gufa” and “Mata Vaishno Devi’s beautiful Bhavan”. The lovely evening began with the Mahaparsad by Bombay Brasserie. All the devotees enjoyed the food. Special sweets (jalebi and halwa) were provided by Bombay Sweets and Raja Sweets.
Devotees started lining up and started the journey from the beautiful main gate which was designed and built by Ravi Shankar Puri along with his friend Satnaam. Continuous chanting of “Jai Mata Di” was being heard right from the start. At the entrance of the beautiful gufa yatra, all yatris were given the sacred thread, imported from India, along with tilak and stamp for attending the yatra.
After passing through “Charan Paduka” and a Bridge (Saanjhi Chaat), devotees were served with delicious thandai at the Vaishno Dhaba just before reaching “Charan Ganga” (devotees have to go through the water before entering Maa Ka Darbaar). Those who have visited Vaishno Devi in India were reminded of their beautiful journey.
There was melodious singing by Ravi Shankar Puri. He was accompanied by professional dholak master, Shyamal Bhattacharya and Roopesh, keyboard player,Kamal haji, and octopad and drum player,Darshak Thacker. They were accompanied by the chorus which consisted of Prashaant Malik, Sunil Mishra and Amit Joshi. They all kept the devotees clapping and dancing.
Attendees felt the spiritual vibration when one member from the Rana family, Shivali beautifully dressed as “Durga Maa” entered the hall. Harshi played the role of Dhayanu Bhagat. Manish goel and Sanajy Aggarwal carried out the duty of priests.
The entire event was a vision of Ravi Shankar Puri. “It was not easy, in fact it was a great challenge,” he said. “It would not have been possible without the help of several dedicated volunteers and donors from Houston and other cities. He mentioned some of the names who devoted their selfless time and labor like Sanjay and Jyoti Mehra, Anil Rana, Dr. Sudershan Sanduja, Radha Sanduja, Hemant Gaur, Lalita Srivastva, Raju Aggarwal, Shashi Singh, Kusum Sharma (and her group), Alpana (with group), Poonam Baweja, Manish Goel, Manoj Agarwal, Dinesh berry, Madhusudan , Nitin Narang, Rajni Narang,” said Ravi Shankar Puri.
He also mentioned and thanked some of the finanacial donors for the event. They are Manish Aaggarwal, Rakesh Agarwal, Dilip Bhargav, K P Wadhvani, Vinod Gupta, Arun & Vinnie (Vinodini)Verma, Pradeep Seernani, Ashok garg, Banke Bihari parivaar, Kiran Oberai (Keemat Grocers) ,Vinay and Guddi. Bijay Dixit was the official photographer for the event. A special thanks was also mentioned by Ravi Shankar Puri to TV Asia for the event coverage. In addition, he also thanked Vanshika Vipin of Indo-American News for her professional help and Amar Agarwal for providing the temple facility and for all the help that was rendered by him.
Overall, this was a memorable blissful evening. Ravi Shankar Puri along with his wife Savita Puri offered special thanks and blessings to all the devotees for attending the event.
For more information on Mata Chowki, Satyanarayan Katha, Bhajan Sandhya call Ravi Shankar Puri at 713-480-7284 or
