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A u g u s t 2 6 t h – 3 0 t h , 2 0 1 9 HCS SUMMER CAMP 2019

2 0 1 9 UPDATED EVENTS CALENDAR

2 0 1 9 – Y e a r R o u n d TEMPLE SERVICES

ADDRESS

PHONE

WEBSITE

HCS FOCUS“IF GOD INTENDED FOR TODAY TO BE PERFECT, HE WOULD NOT HAVE MADE TOMORROW” - ANONYMOUS

Devalayam Day

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HCS SERVICES

TTemple Services

AAt the TTemple

AAt HHome

PPriest Services

AAt the TTemple AAt Home

AArchana $$5 -------- Annaprashan $$25 $$151 DDeva Dravya $$5 -------- Punyahavachanam -------- $$151

SSahasranama Archana $$11 -------- Special Puja for birthdays, Anniversaries $$51 $$151

DDaily Abhishek (Moola Murthy) $$21 -------- Vahana Puja $$25 -------- DDaily Abhishek (Utsav Murthy) $$11 -------- Mundan Ceremony $$51 $$151 SSatyanarayan Puja

PPurnima IIndividual

$$25 $$51

--------$$101

Seemantham / Baby Shower Blessings $$251 $$251

VVedic Havan & other Havans ** 11. Samuhik - Sundays &

SSpecial Days 22. IIndividual (any day)

$$25 $$101

-------- $$151

Thread Ceremony (Yagnyopaveet) $$251 $$251

KKalyana Utsavam 11. Samuhik 22. IIndividual (any day)

$$25 $$101

-------- $$151

Engagement / Sagai / Nischayatartha ceremony $$101 $$151

MMaata Chowki / MMaata Jagran 11. Samuhik (sponsors) 22. IIndividual (any day)

$$101 $$351

-------- --------

Shashtiabdha Poorthy ceremony $$251 $$251

Vivah (Wedding) $$501 $$501 Graha Pravesh -------- $$151 Hiranyaka Shraddha $$25 -------- Parvana Shraddha $$100 $$150

FFor Non--TTemple activities performed by Panditj::

SSannidhy RReligious Coordinator Phone Numbers LLord Ganesh, Sannidhii MMrs. Mala Nemi

MMrs. Usha Kamisetti 6633--77924 6688--44146

LLord Shiva Parivar Sannidhi MMr. Krishna Mani Devarajan MMr. Satya Ijjapureddy

6650--44249 7783--66574

MMata DDurga Sannidhi MMrs. Mona Lall MMr.Aswini Sood

4440--11977 8812--66650

LLord Ram Parivar Sannidhi MMrs. Sanjogta Rai DDr. Sudesh Kapur

8836--88198 6631--33895

LLord Venkateshwara Sannidhi DDr. Vijayraghavan CChakravarthy MMr. Sridhar Balasubramanian

6688--11635 8829--77296

LLord Radha Krishna Sannidhi MMr. Deepak Shastri MMrs.. AAsha Divan

6636--11104 8868--22050

LLord Mahavir & Parshvanath Sannidhi MMrs. Pramod Pahade MMrs. Usha Jain

6688--22907 6634--33015

NNavagraha Sannidhi MMrs Anita Chahal

7741--33638

VVedic Havan Mrs. Mrs.

SSatyanarayan Puja (Poornima) MMrs. Meena Shastri MMrs. Anju Gupta

6636--11104 6632--55878

LLord Dattatreya MMr. Manohar Wagle MMr.. RRavi Rajagopalan

6633--11596 9994--22898

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FFACILITY RENTAL Member Organization fee: $750.00

Security deposit: $250.00 is required at the time of reservation. This deposit is refundable on the terms that the hall is returned undamaged and clean.

The rental fee is discounted by 25% Monday to Thursday.

Chair Set-Up: (Additional charge): $50 (for big hall) or $30 (for small hall)

Please Note: Big Hall rental is not available on Sundays until 3:00PM.

RRental rates for Friday - SSunday MMember Rates NNon-

mmember RRates

YYouth center (big hall) $300 $450

SSmall hall $200 $350

CChanging rooms $50 $75

SSmall hall once a week for a year ((4 hours per use, non--profit oorganizations only)

N/A $2,000 per year

SSmall hall once a week (4 hours pper use, if an organization is rreserving for half year or a full yyear)

N/A $200 per month

AArangetram (practice session - wweekdays 3 hours per session)

$100 each session

$175 each session

KKitchen $150 $200

RRehearsals (3--hour session) First 3 free. $25/ session after 3

$50 each session

HHCS GIFT SHOP

Please visit the HCS Gift Shop to buy spiritual/ religious books, CDs, and beautiful religious showpieces of Lord Ganesh, Krishna, etc. We have a new shipment from India. FFor more information, please ccontact: Dr. Dilip Sinha: (716) 634-9729 Surabhi Kakati: (716) 689-7315

HCS Library Please visit the HCS Library. We are adding new books and magazines all the time! HCS will soon be stocked with an amazing selection of new books magazines and DVDs. More Yoga items to come.

FFor more information, please ccontact: Manjula Hathi

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FFor more informationpplease contact:

Mohan Natarajan: 206-4084

Panditji: 688-2460

Raj Bansal: 634-9231

22019 Executive Committee

PPresident Dr. Bindukumar Nair

716-400-4599

VVice PPresident Mr. Sibu Nair

716-242-1121

TTreasurer Mr. Dinesh Parekh

716-830-7260

GGeneral SSecretary

Mr. Rajinder Bansal

716-465-4153

SSecretary oof RReligious Affairs

Mr. Mohan Natarajan

716-206-4084

SSecretary oof EEducation & CCultural Affairs

Dr. Anil Bhargava

716-335-5043

SSecretary oof YYouth &Sports AActivities

Mrs. Shailaja Kokil

716-298-4203

SSecretary oof CCenter Facilities

Mr. Bhaskar Chatrath

716-807-8467

SSecretary oof PPlanning & BBuilding

Dr. Kishore Divan

716-689-2362

SSecretary oof FFaacilities RRental

Mr. Rakesh (Ricky) Verma

716-870-6213

MMembership Statistics Patron for Life 2

Patron 1

Booster for life 12

Booster 24

Family for Life 49

Family 15

Single 15

Student

Organizational

TTotal 22

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June, 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1Navagraha Abhishek 11.15am-12.00pm

2Vedic Havan 11.30am-12.15pm

Vat Savitri Vrat

3 4 5 6 7Shukla SashtiLord Murugan Abhishek Lord Murugan Skandasashti Kavacham 6.45pm -7.30pm

8HCS Family Fun Fair & Festival of Colors Devalayam Day Eve 11am-5.30pm

Jain Puja 11.30-12.00pm

9HCSDevalayam Day &Sri Gayatri Mahayagna ProgramBegins 9.30am Homam 11-12.00pm

10ShuklaDurgaAshtami

Utsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45pm

11 12 13 NirjalaShuklaEkadashiRam Parivar Utsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45pm

14Pradosh / Shiva Abhishek 6.45PM to 8.00PM

15Ashadh Sankranti Navagraha Abhishek 11.15am-12.00pm Sunderkand Paath 12.00-2.00pm

16Father’s Day 7.30-9.00pm Satyanarayana Puja

17 18 19 20 Sankatahara ChaturthiGanesh Abhishek 10AM-11.00AM Sahasranaama Archana 7.00-7.45PM

21Sravanam BalajiUtsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45PM

22

23 24 25 26 27 28 YoginiEkadashiRadha Krishna Utsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45PM

29

30Pradosh / Shiva Abhishek 6.45PM to 8.00PM

Shiva Abhishek 11.15AM-12.00PM (Every Monday)

Hanuman Chalisa & Maata Bhajan 7.45-8.45PM (Every Tuesday)

Dattatreya Abhishek 7.30PM-8.00PM (Every Thursday)

Navagraha Abhishek 11.15AM-12.00PM (1st and 3rd

Saturdays)

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July, 2019 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6 Navagraha Abhishek 11.15AM-12.00PM

7Shukla Sashti Lord Ganesh & Murugan Abhishek 9.15am-10am LordMurugan Skandasashti Kavacham 6.45pm -7.30pm

8 9 Ashtami

Utsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45pm

10 11 12 ShuklaEkadashiRam Parivar Utsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45pm

13SaniPradosham 11.30am-12.00pm Lord Shiva Abhishekham 6.45pm-8.00pm

14 15 16Guru PurnimaDattatreya Puja 6.15pm-7.15p Satyanarayana Puja 7.30pm-9.00pm

17 18 Sravanam 7-7.45PMBalajiUtsavamurthy Abhishek

19 20Navagraha Abhishek 11.15am-12.00pm Sunderkand Paath 12.00-2.00pm Sankatahara ChaturthiGanesh Abhishek 6.15pm-7.00pm 7.00-7.45pm Sahasranaama Archana

21 22Shravan Somvrat Begins

23 24 25 26 27

28EkadashiRadha Krishna Utsavamurthy Abhishek 7.00-7.45PM

29Pradosh / Shiva Abhishek 7.30PM to 9.00PM

30 31

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The Ramayana in Your Heart

Mohan Natarajan on Behalf of the Executive Committee 2019 Rama, whose birthday, Ram Navami we are celebrating this month was the exponent of the means of saving the Self in this perilous journey from birth to birthlessness. Rama is the embodiment of dharma; that is why he was able to re-establish dharma. Ram Navami is sacred because you get the chance to recapitulate the Glory of God and His relationship with Humanity. As a matter of fact, if you go deeper into the Ramayana, you will find that Rama is the universal Atma, the Atma in every being.Rama did not come down to kill the demon ruler Ravana; he is not the son of Dasaratha or of Kausalya; nor is He the husband of Sita, weeping for her loss and gladdened by reunion. On the day when Rama was crowned Emperor at Ayodhya, every personage got some present or other before leaving the city. Hanuman alone refused any material gift. He asked Rama to explain to him the mystery of His Life, which he had failed to understand in spite of the length and loyalty of his service. Rama then asked Sita to slake the thirst of Hanuman and reveal to him the secret of their careers. Sita announced that she was primal nature (mula prakriti), the Energy that agitates in all matter (the Maya sakthi), that transforms and transmutes it into all this variety that binds and blinds. The Ramayana, she said, was nothing but the play she designed. Rama, the Spirit (Purusha), accepts nature (prakriti), Sita, and enacts the play, Ramayana. Sita is Consciousness, for nature or illusion (Maya) activates the Pure Existence of Brahman. Now see what happens! Knowledge of Supreme Reality is lost, and Rama wanders about in the jungle, wailing for her. Of course, Lakshmana or mind is always with Him, for the mind is the instrument with which liberation has to be achieved. Vali (a monkey king) is the spirit of despair, and he has to be overcome with the help of discriminatory wisdom, viz., Sugriva, who is Vali’s brother You see, it is discrimination that sends emissaries to the various corners to discover where Knowledge of Supreme Reality is available. Hanuman is Courage. Courage won through unflinching faith — that alone can penetrate the darkness and bring the good news of the dawn. Then Rama crosses the sea of illusion; He destroys the demon of passions (rajoguna), namely Ravana, and the demon of inertia (thamoguna), namely Kumbhakarna (Ravana’s brother), and installs goodness (sathwaguna), Vibhishana (Ravana’s brother), on the throne. After this, Rama meets and receives Sita, who has now become Knowledge derived from experience (Anubhav jnana), not merely Knowledge of Supreme Reality (Brahma jnana). That is represented by the coronation. The Ramayana is therefore not a story that had an end. In each person’s life, a Ramayana is being gone through: in the three qualities (gunas), the senses, the search, and the spiritual practices. Take as your ideals these great characters depicted in the Ramayana. You will see how your life is filled with peace and joy if only you dwell with these ideals. The Ramayana in the heart is to be experienced, not investigated as a mental phenomenon. As you go on reading and ruminating, the inner meaning will flash on you when the mind is cleansed by the elevating ideas therein. Do not exaggerate the importance of things that have but material utility; they fade even while you grasp them by the hand. Search for that which suffers no change. Search for the state of consciousness, which is unaffected by gusts of passion, which is pure, which is free from egoism or the desire to possess. Only then can you experience the light and illumine the path for others. Search for bliss (Ananda), the bliss that emanates from love with no blemish of attachment. Be like the Humming Bird hovering on the flower of the glory of the Lord, drawing the sweet nectar of grace, silently and joyfully.

The Universal Prayer –Gayathri Mantra – It’s Meaning, Significance & Benefits

Mohan Natarajan on Behalf of the Executive Committee 2019

Om Bhur Bhuvaḥ Swaḥ Tat-savitur Vareñyaṃ Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi Dhiyo Yonaḥ Prachodayāt

Meaning: We meditate on that most adored Supreme Lord, the creator, whose effulgence (divine light) illumines all realms (physical, mental and spiritual). May this divine light illumine our intellect.

The Gayatri is a universal prayer enshrined in the Vedas. It is addressed to the Immanent and Transcendent Divine which has been given the name 'Savita,' meaning 'that from which all this is born.' The Gayatri may be considered as having three parts - (i) Adoration (ii) Meditation (iii) Prayer. First the Divine is praised, then it is meditated upon in reverence and finally an appeal is made to the Divine to awaken and strengthen the intellect, the discriminating faculty of man. The Gayatri is considered as the essence of the Vedas. Veda means knowledge, and this prayer fosters and sharpens the knowledge-yielding faculty. As a matter of fact the four core-declarations enshrined in the four Vedas are implied in this Gayatri mantra. The Gayatri Mantra is a sacred chant that demonstrates the unity that underlies manifoldness in creation. It is through the recognition of this unity that we can understand the multiplicity. Clay is one and the same thing, though pots of different shapes and sizes can be made from it. Gold is one, though gold ornaments can be multifarious. The Atma is one, though the embodied forms in which it resides may be many. Gayatri is the Mother of all scriptures (Vedas) (Gayatri Chandhasam maata). She is present, wherever her name is chanted. She is very powerful. The One who nourishes the individual being is Gayatri. She bestows pure thoughts on anyone who worships Her. Gayatri has five faces, they are the five life principles. Thus Gayatri is a complete prayer for protection, nourishment and finally, liberation. Gayatri, however, has three names: Gayatri, Savitri, and Saraswathi.Gayatri represents the senses; it is the master of the senses. Savitri is the master of Prana (Life Force). Many Indians are familiar with the story of Savitri, who brought back to life her dead husband, Sathyavan. Savitri signifies truth. Saraswathi is the presiding deity of speech (vaak). The three represent purity in thought, word, and deed (thrikarana shuddhi). Ancient seekers found that the Sun was the most important factor in determining the daily life of man and providing the basic requirements for living. Life would be impossible without the Sun for man, beast, bird or plant. The Sun was regarded as the source of all energy and responsible for birth, growth and destruction of all things in creation. It was for this reason that Sage Viswamitra glorified the Sun God (Savitr) in the Gayatri mantra as the visible proof (of a transcendental power). “Dhiyo yonah Prachodayāt” - May the Sun illumine our intellects in the same way he showers his effulgence. This is the prayer addressed to the Sun in the Gayatri mantra. If the Gayatri is adhered to, its pious repetition will clarify the passions and promote love. Gayatri is the protector of the five prāñas in man. “Gāyantaṃ trāyate iti Gayatri” -- Because it protects the one who recites it, it is called Gayatri. When Gayatri acts as protector of the life-forces, she is known as Savitri. Savitri is the presiding deity of the five prāñas. She protects those who lead a life of Truth. This is the inner meaning. Because of the protective roles of Savithri, Saraswati and Gayatri, in relation to life, speech and the intellect, Gayatri is described as "Sarva-devatā-swarūpiñi"--Chanting of the Gayatri Mantra purifies the mind and confers devotion, detachment and wisdom.

Benefits of chanting Gayatri Mantra Through meditation on the Gayatri, one can become aware of the inner motivating principle of the five elements, the five vital airs in the human body and the five sheaths which encase the Atma. Just as there are three basic energies that govern man---the physical, the metaphysical and the psychical, the ādhi-bhoutik, the ādhi-daivik and the ādhi-atmic, when it is recited with the correct accent as laid down in the Vedas, the atmosphere around becomes visibly illumined. So Brahma-prakāsha, the Divine Effulgence, will descend on you and illumine your intellect and light your path when this mantra is chanted. Also repeating shanti thrice at the end, will give shanti or peace to three entities in you --body, mind, and soul. It is essential to recite the Gayatri mantra at least three times during morning, noon, and evening. This will serve to reduce the effects of the wrong acts one does every day. It is like buying goods for cash, instead of getting them on credit. There is no accumulation of karmic (result of action) debt, since each day's karma (action) is atoned for that day itself by reciting the Gayatri mantra."Sarva roga nivaarini Gayatri" (Gayatri is the reliever of all diseases). "Sarva dhukha parivaarini Gayatri" (Gayatri wards off all misery). "Sarva vaancha phalashri Gayatri" (Gayatri is the fulfiller of all desires). Time, like man, has three qualities: satva, rajas, and tamas (qualities of purity or serenity, passion, and inaction). The day is divided into three parts: When the sātvic hours of the morning are used for engaging oneself in good actions like worship, virtuous deeds, and keeping good company, one is sure to raise oneself from the human to the Divine level. It is during the sātvic period that the Gayatri mantra should be recited.

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Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York Invites you and family to

Maata Chowki At

1595 N French Rd, Getzville, NY 14068

Friday, April 5th 2019

Program Dinner 6.30PM

Pooja for Sponsors 7.00PM Chowki Prarambh 7.30PM

Aarti 11.00PM

Hindu Cultural Society of Western New York Invites you & family to

Sri Gayathri Mahayagna on

DDevalayam Day At

1595 N French Rd, Getzville, NY 14068

Sunday, June 9th 2019 Program Begins 9.30am

Homam: 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

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An Appeal Letter from the HCS Executive Committee

Dear Devotees and Friends:

We welcome our community members, who joined us as HCS members in the 1st Quarter of 2019. Inaddition, we are immensely grateful to those devotees who have been donating generously to ourtemple throughout the years.

For a non profit organization such as the HCS, memberships and donations are our lifeblood and arenecessary for its successful operation. Most of our membership and donation revenues that we receivego toward utilities, priest salaries, repairs/maintenance and insurance. Unfortunately, these expensesincrease every year. At the end of the 1st Quarter, we did not achieve our goal of making 500 members.Currently, HCS has around 300 members.

This is where we need your help. If you are not currently a member, then we urge you to pleasebecome a member. In addition, please spread the word and encourage your friends and acquaintancesto join the HCS today.

Our Devalayam opened its doors on December 8, 1995. On this auspicious occasion, we receivednumerous congratulatory letters from dignitaries around the country. A beautifully written letter camefrom Swami Chidanada of the Chinmaya Mission in San Jose, California. He wrote, “A temple is agymnasium for our minds, to strengthen its muscles of purity, devotion and all other noble values oflife”. This quote is a meaningful reminder of how important the HCS institution is for our communityand our people.

Today we live in a health conscious society and many of us spend $10 $50 per month for a GymMembership. We join gyms to strengthen our physical body. We appeal to each one of you to pleaseconsider joining HCS and a minimum donation of $10 $20 per month to our Devalayam – “thegymnasium for our minds.” Your small donation will be a priceless legacy to leave for you, your familyand our community.

Please make your donations or join today by clicking on this link: https://hcswny.net/donate/

WarmWishes,HCS Executive Committee