Happy New Year 155,521,972,949,112 !!!

If at the beginning of English year, we wished each other by saying “Happy New Year 2010”, then for this Hindu New year, the corresponding phrase will translate to above!

Surprised?? If you had a chance to pay attention to what a person performing any religious rite says in what is called as a Sankalpa, you would find that the person is actually describing the time elapsed since the dawn of Universe. The Sankalpa goes like this:

“Dwitiya parardhe, Shwetavarah kalpe, Vaivasvata Manvantare, Kaliyuge, Pratham Charane, Sarvadhari naam Samvatsare, Chaitramaase, Shukla Pakshe, Pratham tithau, Somvasare, JambuDweepe Bharat Khande, Bharat Varshe Godavaryam Dakshine Tire (Or Gangayam UttareTeere if you are in UP)…..

…. poojam aham karishye”.

 

Meaning:

"Today, the second half of  Brahma's life in Vaivaswat Manvantar and Shvetvarah Kalpa and the first part of Kaliyuga, in the year named Vikruti in the month of Chaitra in brighter half on first date  in the holy land of Bharat in Jambudweep(Asia) at such & such  place on Monday I perform this Yagya/Pooja/etc."

This is of great significance for understanding the Hindu way of counting the age of universe. Here is the short glimpse.

The calculation of total time measured by Hindu calendar can be easily accomplished by replacing the terms used in the above sankalpa by the respective numerical equivalents. Yes, Dwitiya parardhe, Shwetavarahkalpe, Vaivasvata Manvantare, Kaliyuge, Pratham Charane etc terms signify some time associated with them.

Time Elapsed        (In Years)	Head	Notes
5,111	Kaliyug	Total duration of Kaliyug = 4,32,000 years
38,88,000	Satya, Treta and Dwapar Yugs	Satya, Treta and Dwapar are 4,3Yug respectively. and 2 times of Kali
11,66,40,000	27 Mahayugs	1 Mahayug = Satya + Treta + Dwapar + Kali Yug.
1,85,06,88,000	6 Manvantars	1 Manvantar = 71 Mahayug + 1 Satya Yug.
17,28,000	Satya yug at the beginning of Kalpa	1 Kalpa = Brahma’s Half Day
155520,00,00,00,000	50 Years of Brahma	1 Brahma’s Year = 360 Brahma’s Days 1 Brahma’s Day = 2 Kalpas 1 Kalpa = 14 Manvantar + 1 Satya Yug (= 1000 Mahayugs)
155521,97,29,49,111	Total

The coming year is 5112 in Kaliyug and is named “Vikruti”. So Happy New Year 155 521 972 949 112 !!! 

Sounds like you are telling your age in microseconds or may be number of trees in this world, Isn’t it?

So lets just say, “Happy Vikruti year 5112!!”

Now lets also take  a look into Indian Time Measurement System

Purans and Vedas and other ancient scriptures talk of some "time systems". But this knowledge has been lost and tainted over the centuries. How/ Why ? First, because of the antiquity of these magnificent treatise' ; Second, innumerable attempts have been made by foreign invaders , again and again- for centuries, to wipe out this knowledge; third, Indian culture had a lot of openness which encouraged new ideas and information to be added to the already existing "database". Finally, a lot of knowledge contained in these ancient texts was encrypted so that if it were to fall into "wrong" hands it could not be easily interpreted. So if today some one wishes to interpret it- they better be smart !!

Now a days there is concerted effort to restore and decipher this knowledge- by some Indian scholars around the world. And that is helping us in understanding our glorious past. Let us support them (these scholars) - at least let us listen to them ! Let us give them a chance to present "our" case ! Let us encourage them !! It will go a long way in restoring our pride and it will bring to us a sense of gladness and respect about our past and heritage. We were glorious !! An understanding of the past can only help us in doing it again !!

Lets get back to the subject. How accurate was this time system ? Was it scientific ? Sadly, to prove that we compare it to the modern system. We will not divert too much by comparing them both. But to give an example, Indians in ancient times had calculated the time period for a cycle of creation of our universe till its destruction as 8 .64 billion years. Interesting , because that is what the modern scientists claim too- based on their scientific calculations. Ancient Indians had defined larger time cycles too. How?

Lets start from the beginning since we are talking about time ! But according to Indian philosophy there is no beginning (or end) !! When we say beginning, it means beginning of "a" cycle. In the beginning there was only Divine Energy. This energy is referred to as "Brahman" ( this brahman has nothing to do with the caste system ! ).This Brahman or the energy takes three shapes- that of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. The Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer.

There is only a sea of water and in that sea is an Egg, and from that Egg emerges Brahma. The Egg is referred to as "Hiranyagarbha"- the golden womb or egg. This is the first step to all creation. During Brahma's day there is creation, at night there is destruction or "pralaya". What does Brahma's day mean ?

Physically, one "God" year or day is not equal to one man year or day. Why is that? Its not to confuse us- I hope !! A thought here. I feel that a year for us is defined by our Solar system with Sun being the center of the system. But other solar systems, in the same universe, will have a different Sun's , and obviously their "day" and "year" will not be equal to ours. So the common/constant unit will be "Gods" time scale ! Thus there is a God time scale and there is a Man (earth) time scale. Lets crunch some numbers now.

"Nimesh" is the time it takes to blink an eye. This is the smallest unit of time (similar to seconds). Fifteen Nimesh add up to one "Kashth". Thirty Kashth's equal a "Kaal", and thirty Kaal's make a "Muhurt". Thirty Muhurt's sum up to a "Ahoratr". One Ahoratr constitutes a day.
Thus there are thirty Muhurts in a day (or in one Ahoratr) – fifteen each for day and night. A God Ahoratr (day) equals one man year. The first six man months- when Gods have their first half of a day is called "Uttar Yaan" and the next six man months - when Gods have their night is called "Dakshin Yaan".

Three hundred and sixty human years equal one God year. Thus 12,000 God years equal 4,320,000 man years. This is a "Maha Yug".

There are four major Yugas or periods/eras. Satya Yug, Tret Yug, Dvapar Yug and Kali Yug. Satya Yug lasts 1,440,000 man years; Tret Yug for 1,080,000 ; Dwapar Yug for 720, 000 and Kali Yug for 360,000 man years. In addition ,there are other time periods between these four Yugas. These periods are referred to as "Sandhyamsh" and they last for 720, 000 man years. Adding up the four Yugas and the Sandhyamsh we get a total of 4,320,000 man years or a Maha Yuga.

Hold on , there is more !! But do these numbers sound too large and too vague ? Thats what we tend to feel/ think till we realize that they can carry so much truth. Ignorance never carries an answer. At least not the truth. One "Manvantr" equals seventy one Mahayugas. Thus there are 296,720,000 man years in a Manvantr. One "Kalp" equals a thousand Mahayugas. Thus there are 4,320,000,000 man years in a Kalp. One Kalp corresponds to one Brahma day ! Thus there are 8,640,000,000 man years in one day/night of Brahma. Between the time he opens his eyes- to start all over again. Time between creation and destruction.

That is a count of 8.64 billion years !! It is the same as calculated by present day science !! But even the present day science cannot divide this time period as done so, poetically and scientifically, by our ancient scriptures. Is this a coincidence ? A lucky guess by ourancestors ? ....You guess!!

How do we calculate our festivals ? It does not fall on the same date each year! Indians use Lunar calendar for these calculations. A lunar month has 28 days. But there are only 12 defined months(Maas): Chaitr, Vaishakh, Jyeshth, Ashaad, Shravan, Bhadr-pad, Aasvin, Kartik, Maargsir, Pushya and Magha.

There is a problem here, these 12 months add up to 48 solar weeks, and an year has 52 solar weeks ! Physically- the year is after all defined by the Sun ! The concept of "Adhik Maas" is applied here. Every year one month (four weeks) is added to make it 52 weeks. This year the extra month is Adhik Jyeshth. Thus there are 8 weeks of Jyeshtha Maas- Adhik and Niji (real Jyeshtha).

There are 2 weeks in a lunar month, comprising of 15 days each (equalling 14 Sun days). They are: Poornima/Amavasya, Padyami, Vidiya, Tadiya, Chaturthi, Panchami, Shashti, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami, Dashami, Ekadashi, Dvadashi, Trayodagi and Chaturthi. These name may vary depending on language and region.

By the way- why are we celebrating the year 5112 today ?
Logically- because Kali Yug began 5111 years ago !! Also, Kalyug began the day after Lord Krishna took maha-samadhi! That day was exactly 36 years after the advent of Mahabharat !

To see the depth of knowledge possesed by our ancestors, as early as 4000 years ago, following are quotes from Atharva Veda:  

"Sun has been pronounced as the determining factor of TIME (KAAL – GANANA)".
-Atharva-veda-II/13/2-38

"Sun rises under the command of TIME (KAAL) and it sets in under the same command".
-Atharva-veda-II/19/54-1

"The Day is caused by the presence of Sun in one part (of the earth), while the Sun is traveling in the other half (of the earth) during the night".
-Atharva-veda-II/13/2-43

{This indicates that the ancient Indian scholars had knowledge of the fact that earth is round. }

"He (Sun) created one month by thirty days and nights and one year by thirteen months (one extra month)."
-Atharva-veda-II/13/3-8

{ It is called LOND YEAR in Indian Calender these days}

"TIME (KAAL) created the past and the future (and also the present)."
-Atharva-veda-II/19/54-3

The Atharva-veda (Book II. Kanda-12, Sukta-1 and SHLOKA-36) Mentions that there are six RITU (seasons) in one year, such as:
- Greeshm (Summer)
- Varsha (Rains)
- Sharada (Season after Rains)
- Hemant (Early Winter)
- Shishir (Cold season)
- Vasant (Autumn)

"The earth is possessed of GRAVITATIONAL FORCE (GURUTVAKARSHAN) and it rotates around the Sun".
-Atharva-veda-II/12/1-48

"The earth revolves around its own axis"
-Atharva-veda-II/12/1-37

 

Note - This post is based upon different email and contents available throughout the web. Special thanks to Chetan Jee to forward such a valuable mail.

Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best. It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil.


Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God of Hindus begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for the Hindus stands for Pratyaksha-Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial Wheel of Time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that this manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who revels in its very 'being', the very essence of his own Self, is always in the Sunday mood.

The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is one of the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is brought about thereafter these cosmic events become instrumental to remind us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very important spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti day the Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere, and thus it signifies an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'. May you go higher & higher - to more & more Light and never to darkness.

Astrological Significance:

Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. There is a sankranti every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and thus there are twelve sankranti's as well. Each of these sankranti's has its own relative importance but two of these are more important - the Mesh (Aries) Sankranti and the most important, the Makar (Capricorn) Sankranti. Transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn, during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. From this day begins the six-month long Uttarayana, considered very auspicious for attaining higher worlds hereafter. While the traditional Indian Calendar is basically based on lunar positions, but sankranti is a solar event, so while dates of all festivals keep changing, the english calendar date of Makar Sankranti is always same, 14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar month of Magha. There is another significance of this day, after this day the days start becoming longer & warmer, and thus the chill of winter in on decline.

Religious Significance:

1. The Puranas say that on this day Sun visits the house of his son Shani, who is the swami of Makar Rashi. These father & son do not ordinarily get along nicely, but inspite of any difference between each other Lord Sun makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself comes to his son's house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the family.

2. From Uttarayana starts the 'day' of Devatas, while dakshinayana is said to be the 'night' of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half is called Pitrayana.

3. It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terrorism of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandar Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.

4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaj Bhagirath, did great Tapasya to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption of the curse of Bhagirath's ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar. Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.

We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who can express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone possess a personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the world too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in the flow of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the tree of 'our' life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone the tree blooms & flourishes.

There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000 cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull & dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such people is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down 'to' & later 'from' the Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to get the redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens the life of anyone.

5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as a sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the higher realms beyond.

Culture & Festivities:

This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country.
Uttar Pradesh:
In Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant is called 'Khichiri'. Taking a dip in the holy rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month long 'Magha-Mela' fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar and Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar.
Bengal:
In Bengal every year a very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar where the river Ganga is believed to have dived into the nether region and vivified the ashes of the sixty thousand ancestors of King Bhagirath. This mela is attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.
Tamil Nadu:
In Tamil Nadu Sankrant is known by the name of 'Pongal', which takes its name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this festival has more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly amongst farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this Sankrant is a 'Puja' (worship) for the Sun God.
Andhra Pradesh:
In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.
Maharashtra:
In Maharashtra on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-colored tilguds made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar and til-laddus made from til and jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch. While exchanging tilguls as tokens of goodwill people greet each other saying – 'til-gul ghya, god god bola' meaning 'accept these tilguls and speak sweet words'. The under-lying thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.

This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are invited for a get-together called 'Haldi-Kumkum' and given gifts of any utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day.

Gujarat:
In Gujarat Sankrant is observed more or less in the same manner as in Maharashtra but with a difference that in Gujarat there is a custom of giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pundits on this auspicious day grant scholarships to students for higher studies in astrology and philosophy. This festival thus helps the maintenance of social relationships within the family, caste and community.

Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. It has become an internationally well-known event.
Punjab:
In Punjab where December and January are the coldest months of the year, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and which is celebrated as "LOHARI". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankrant, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous Bhangra dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the sumptuous food that is specially prepared for the occasion.
Kerala:
The 40 days anushthana by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day in Sabarimala with a big festival.

Bundelkhand:
In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh this festival of Sankrant is known by the name 'Sakarat' and is celebrated with great pomp & merriment accompanied by lot of sweets.
Tribals of Orissa:
Many tribals in our country start their New Year from the day of Sankrant by lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting together. The Bhuya tribals of Orissa have their Maghyatra in which small home-made articles are put for sale.
Assam:
In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu.

Coastal Region:
In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra.

How to Celebrate:
1. Get up early in the morning, before sunrise, have bath and be ready with water & flowers for the sunrise. Worship the rising Sun, by offering water, flowers with both the hands & then pray with folded hands by chanting the Gayatri Mantra and pray for knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment to rise in the similar way to greater & greater heights. Pray for blessings to live a dynamic, inspired & righteous life.

2. Do tarpan for your ancestors. Offer water to the ancestors while praying for their blessings. Resolve to redeem the pledges & pride of your forefathers. Live life in such a way that wherever your forefathers may be their head is held high by the life & deeds of their children.

3. Have a special session of Meditation, wherein you bring about the awareness of the self-effulgent subjective divinity. Affirm the greatest importance of your spiritual goal very clearly, and pray to God to bless you with the capacity to constantly revel in your true self. May the graph of your rise like the Uttarayana Sun. May there be greater 'Love & Light' in your life & the world.

4. Prepare laddus or other sweets of Til & Gur and offer them to your friends & relatives. See to it that your 'Well-being Prayer for all' gets manifested in action & deeds.

5. Have the lunch of Khichiri. This stands for inculcating simplicity in your life & habits.

6. Give some Daan on this day to someone who truly deserves.

7. Visit your son at his place and give presents to the son and the daughter-in- law. If it is not possible to visit, then organize to send presents to them to express your love & affection to them. Work to properly cultivate the generation, which has to carry forward all the best you cherish & value.

This article is based on an email sent by Saroj Jee.

Shri GuruDakshina Karyakram

We had Shri GuruDakshina karyakram last Sunday (December 6th, 2009) in Azad Shakha. I know that this is surprising for the readers from Bharat as in Bharat we do GuruDakshina on the GuruPoornima day only. But here in USA, we celebrate GuruPoornima on the GuruPoornima day but we do GuruDakshina in the winters. This is because most of our swayamsevak visit Bharat in the summer due to holidays in the schools. In Sangh, we do all of our activities as per the availability and ease of everyone. We don't see any particular Muhurt, date, time etc. So if we do GuruDakshina in the winters, we do just because the ease of everyone. This is just like VijayDashmi karyakram. We do Path Sanchalan as per the convenience of not only the swayamsevak and karykartas, but also for the convenience of the people in the society. During VijayDashmi we have many different programs in our society which celebrated for many days. Ramleela, Durga Pooja, Garba etc are all different examples of this great festival. During that time organizing a Path-Sanchalan on mass level is not an easy task, not only for the swayamsevak, but also for the general public and the administration. And that's why do PathSanchalan on any other day than actual VijayDashmi. Similarly, we must do GuruDakshina once in a year and the month really doesn't matter.

This was my first offshore GuruDakshina and it was very special for me. It was special not only because I was participating in Shri GuruDakshina some 10000 miles away from my original place, but also as this was my first family GuruDakshina. Its a really very good experience when you see that your immediate family members are also with you and they are also doing same kind of offering with similar sentiment. I must say that I was not alone there with family, but this was something unique and new for me as we normally don't have similar kind of arrangments in Bharat.

The sentiment of a swayamsevak is also very different and unique when s/he does the GuruDakshina. Take an example of a person going to a temple. In most of the cases, we know that a person goes to a temple with some desire in his mind. Some wants a good job, some wants a house, some has desire for a son or daughter etc. The person will go to the temple, will do all pooja, path etc and with that desire in the mind he will do his offering.

"I'll do a Bhandara/Langar if I get a job".
"I will offer 100 gm (or may be KGs) of gold in Tirupati Balaji, if I get another new big house".
"I will do ...., if I get ....".

These are all some example. The desire and offering keeps on changing as per the need of the Bhakt, but the basic structure of the sentence will remain same and the most important part is the if condition. What if Tirupati Balaji dont' see another big house for that Bhakt? will he not get offered 100 gm/kg of gold from that Bhakt? Absolutely not, as the Bhakt had put that if condition. So he will offer the gold only after the house. So if no house then no Gold. Now god has to think. :)

Our swayamsevak is not like that bhakt. S/he may be like that but may be in temple only, not in Shakha and specially not while doing Shri GuruDakshina. We know that every swayamsevak goes to the Param Pavitra Bhagava Dhwaj and do the GuruDakshina as per his/her devotion but never demands anything. That swayamsevak never has that if condition. All s/he knows that s/he has to do the GuruDakshina and that's why s/he is doing. If you donate some money to a temple or any other organization, they may put your name on the donation board. Everyone visiting to that temple or organization will come to know about your name at least. Every time when I visit Shri Krishna JanmBhoomi mandir in Mathura, I can clearly read the name of many people on the donation board who helped to re-build such a great temple. Our swayamsevak is again different and incomparable here. A swayamsevak never ask for any receipt and s/he never ask that where his name will be displayed? And, after this when our swayamsevak goes to a temple and do some offering, I am sure that even god also think themselves lucky by accepting offering from such a great Bhakt.

So, this year also I saw real Bhakt doing Shri GuruDakshina with family. I think close to 35 or 40 families participated in the Karyakram.

Please enjoy the photos and videos of this karyakram here :
1. http://picasaweb.google.com/rss.dhananjay/ShriGuruDakshina2009?feat=directlink
2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/goelajay/sets/72157622950953950/
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYvdR_cXxKc
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKYEAStOqS8

Vijay Dashmi Utsav celebrted by New England Vibhag (HSSUS)

Today New England Vibhag celebrated Vijay Dashmi Utsav in Billerica, MA. More than 150 Swayamsevak from all five shakha participated in the program. As usual the program was very good and all Swayamsevak who participated in different activities, performed really very well.
The utsav started at sharp 3 PM with Dhwajarohan (flag hoisting) first. Ghosh vadak played Dhwajaropanam on Vamshi (flute). It was, then, a series of different Sharirik pradarshan. First Baal Swayamsevak performed Surya Namaskar. They did all 13 Surya Namaskar with mantra. It was actually a competition between all shakha. Then Geet, NihYuddha, Bhoomi-Vandan, Ghosh, Rachna, Samta etc. different pradarshan.
Ghosh vadak also performed very well. They played different rachna and Pratyekshik. It was very impressing. Ghosh is in early childhood here, despite of that it was a terrific performance. During my last visit (in 2007) I saw only few vamshi vadak here. After two years when I attended Sambhag Ghosh varg (April 2009) I didn't saw any of those vadak but I observed new vadakas. I was a bit disappointed that Ghosh is not rising, but I think I was wrong. I can say that Ghosh is in a good shape in New England vibhag. In fact all of the vadak, who performed today, were from a single shakha. That means we have one shakha which can be considered as Ghosh Shakha. We can start a Ghosh Kendra from there.
At the end of the karyakram we got a chance to listen Shri Yello Ji. The bauddhik was also very good and right for the attendees of this karyakram.
... and no doubt the Halwa(shira), Idlee, Upma was very delicious.

Don't forgot to see the photos and the videos of this karyakram.

VijayaDashami

Today is VijayaDashami.
So here's the question why we celebrate VijayaDashami?
Most people give you two reason :
1. Victory of Lord Rama.
2. Victory of Durga Mata

A swayamsevak will give you a third reason :
3. Foundation day of RSS.

When I searched the net today, I found two more reasons :
4. End of Agantwas of Pandvas, and
5. Kaut's Gurudakshina.

Both stories are also very interesting. The last one is a good example of Guru and Shishya.

Happy VijayaDashami!!

Varsh Pratipada 2066

This Varsh Pratipada day was unique to me. I got a chance to attend HSS New England Vibhag karyakram, held at Framingham on 28-Mar-09.

People across the entire New England area attended the function. I don't have the exact number of attendees, but the auditorium was well packed. Though most of them were swayamsevakas, I also noticed some new comers as well.

I got a chance to meet swayamsevakas of Franklin shakha after some two years again. It was really good to see Vinayak ji, Dhananjay ji and many other again.

The program was well organized. There was diffeent food stall and I saw the people were really enjoying the delicious home made food.

There were several activities for children as well, like Carom, Blind Folded painting, bow-arrow, basketball, Kanche etc.

The main program started at 4 PM inside the auditorium. All swayamsevakas performed the AadyaSarsanghChalakPranam first and then Dhwajarohan happened. Some swayamsevikas also played Dhwajarohan on flute.

After that, it was all a series of different cultural program by bala swayamsevakas which includes dance, skid, song, Sanskrit Sambhasanam, Kuchipudi etc. All balas did amazing job and they performed well.

The program lasted till 6 PM. Every moment of the program was catching and fun-filled.

Following are some videos of this program.

Click here to enjoy the videos of this great karyakram.