1 Purtha Dharma or Philanthropy By Pujyasri. Chandrashekarendra Saraswati “With educa- tion we purify our intelli- gence, with meditation we cleanse our mind, with sloka or poetry we clarify our speech. How do we purify our body? By exert- ing ourselves in the service of others. As we keep serving others, we will attain inward purity. These services are called “Purtha Dharma” and include digging ponds and wells for public, watering plants, laying out gardens, constructing temples etc. It is more meritorious to water existing plants than plant new ones. More meritorious it is to work in temple gardens than in one’s own. More important than water welling up in ponds is some moisture welling up in our hearts. No outward show is needed in social service. All people in a locality must join together in such work without distinction of poor and rich, high and low, work involving physical effort. It will incidentally contribute to greater social harmony. We must try to please the lord with the very hands and legs He has given us,- we must do so by serving others and by looking upon all as Himself.” * Reproduced (slightly abridged) from discourses by Pujyasri. Chandrashekarendra Saraswati compiled in “Hindu Dharma:The universal way of life” by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Treasurer’s report: Financials for the 4 th quarter of 2009 There was a surplus from the operations about $26,252 for the fourth quarter. Dona- tions towards Rajagopuram project totaled $8,169. There were $4,200.00 expenditures for the fourth quarter. If you require additional information about the Temple’s financials, send a note to [email protected]. In clude “Question for the Treasurer” in the subject line. Thai Poosam was celebrated on a grand scale at the temple on January 30th. Thai Poosam January 30th 2010 The Murugan Temple of North America cele- brated the festival on a magnificent scale on January 30th, 2010. The festival was marked by devotees carrying kavadi and paal kudams and therottam (procession of the utsava- morrthy in a palanquin around the temple). Special abhishekams were performed to lord Ganesha and lord Muruga. The devotees also rendered bhajans after which deeparadhanai was performed to lord Muruga. Devotees from different parts of the USA thronged the temple to receive the blessings of lord Mu- ruga. The celebrations were modeled along the lines of the festivities at the Batu caves in Malaysia. Year-end Tax Reports will now be distributed only on line In an effort to cut costs, the tax report and individual receipts will no longer be mailed. The reports can be downloaded from the se- cure area of the Murugan Temple Website. (Continued on page 2) Maha Sivarathri at MTNA: February 11 th 2010 The historic snowstorm that brought life to a standstill in Maryland departed recit- ing “Siva, Siva” on Maha Sivarathri*. Maha Sivarathri which falls on the 12 th night and 1st day of the Tamil month of Maasi was celebrated at the Murugan Temple of North America on February 11 th night and February 12 th early morning. The celebrations, initiated with Ganapa- thi and Kalasa Puja at 7.00 PM on February 11 th were performed in 4 Jama-s (Jama is a measure of time). All Jama Pujas included abhishekams to the deity (Shiva Linga) with honey, milk, yoghurt, Vibhuti (sacred ash), sandal paste and fruit juice for the rendering of Rudram and chamakam. In the first jama, which started at 8 PM, after abhishekam, Vibhuti alankaram was performed to the deity. Thirumurai and Lin- gashtakam were rendered by the devotees. In the second Jama which began at 11 PM, after the abhishekam, sandal paste alankaram was performed and the devotees rendered Sivapu- ranam and Lingashtakam. The third Jama was performed at 1 AM on February 12 th . Following abhishekam, the priest performed (Continued on page 2) See page 3 for April—June Calendar of events
Transcript
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Purtha Dharma or
Philanthropy By Pujyasri. Chandrashekarendra Saraswati
“With educa-tion we purify our intelli-gence, with meditation we cleanse our mind, with sloka or poetry we clarify our speech. How do we purify our body? By exert-ing ourselves in the service of others. As we
keep serving others, we will attain inward purity. These services are called “Purtha Dharma” and include digging ponds and wells for public, watering plants, laying out gardens, constructing temples etc. It is more meritorious to water existing plants than plant new ones. More meritorious it is to work in temple gardens than in one’s own. More important than water welling up in ponds is some moisture welling up in our hearts. No outward show is needed in social service. All people in a locality must join together in such work without distinction of poor and rich, high and low, work involving physical effort. It will incidentally contribute to greater social harmony. We must try to please the lord with the very hands and legs He has given us,- we must do so by serving others and by looking upon all as Himself.” * Reproduced (slightly abridged) from discourses by Pujyasri. Chandrashekarendra Saraswati compiled in “Hindu Dharma:The universal way of life” by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
Treasurer’s report: Financials for the 4th quarter of 2009
There was a surplus from the operations about $26,252 for the fourth quarter. Dona-tions towards Rajagopuram project totaled $8,169. There were $4,200.00 expenditures for the fourth quarter. If you require additional information about the Temple’s financials, send a note to i n f o @ m u r u g a n t e m p l e . o r g . I n clude “Question for the Treasurer” in the subject line.
Thai Poosam was celebrated on a grand scale at the temple on January 30th.
Thai Poosam January 30th 2010
The Murugan Temple of North America cele-brated the festival on a magnificent scale on January 30th, 2010. The festival was marked by devotees carrying kavadi and paal kudams and therottam (procession of the utsava-morrthy in a palanquin around the temple). Special abhishekams were performed to lord Ganesha and lord Muruga. The devotees also rendered bhajans after which deeparadhanai was performed to lord Muruga. Devotees from different parts of the USA thronged the temple to receive the blessings of lord Mu-ruga. The celebrations were modeled along the lines of the festivities at the Batu caves in Malaysia.
Year-end Tax Reports will now be distributed only on line
In an effort to cut costs, the tax report and individual receipts will no longer be mailed. The reports can be downloaded from the se-cure area of the Murugan Temple Website.
(Continued on page 2)
Maha Sivarathri at MTNA: February 11th 2010
The historic snowstorm that brought life to a standstill in Maryland departed recit-ing “Siva, Siva” on Maha Sivarathri*. Maha Sivarathri which falls on the 12th night and 1st day of the Tamil month of Maasi was celebrated at the Murugan Temple of North America on February 11th night and February 12th early morning.
The celebrations, initiated with Ganapa-thi and Kalasa Puja at 7.00 PM on February 11th were performed in 4 Jama-s (Jama is a measure of time). All Jama Pujas included abhishekams to the deity (Shiva Linga) with honey, milk, yoghurt, Vibhuti (sacred ash), sandal paste and fruit juice for the rendering of Rudram and chamakam.
In the first jama, which started at 8 PM, after abhishekam, Vibhuti alankaram was performed to the deity. Thirumurai and Lin-gashtakam were rendered by the devotees. In the second Jama which began at 11 PM, after the abhishekam, sandal paste alankaram was performed and the devotees rendered Sivapu-ranam and Lingashtakam. The third Jama was performed at 1 AM on February 12th. Following abhishekam, the priest performed
(Continued on page 2) See page 3 for April—June Calendar of events
Pushpa alankaram to the deity. It was such a beautiful sight that filled all the devotees with exalted delight. Thiruneetru Pathikam and Lingashtakam were sung by the devotees. The fourth and final jama puja started at 3 AM on February 12th. After the abhishekam, special Alankaram using a med-ley of flowers, fruits, ash and sandal paste was performed to the deity, subtly signifying that everything has indeed given by Him and we shall partake in them only after offering them to Him. Devotees rendered Thiru
Kolaru Pathikam after this puja. After the alankaram for each jama, devotees also rendered devo-
tional songs. These lilting melodies were suffused with not only musi-cal brilliance but also spiritual fervor. After every jama puja, prasa-dams were offered to the deities after Nivedhyam to the deity. It is said that the devotee who observes Upavasa or fasting during this day and worships Lord Shiva by performing abhishekam or attending the ritual where it is performed is conferred with all the worldly joys and also Kailasa Padavi. Garuda Purana, one of the 18 Maha puranas of Hindu literature, prescribes the observance of Maha Sivarathri even to people who do not desire any benefits.
Maha Sivarathri is a particularly auspicious occasion to take upadesa (a spiritual instruction from a realized guru to a deserving student) in Panchakshara mantra (the sacred 5 lettered hymn that is considered the distilled essence of Rudram). It was indeed a coura-geous effort by the MTNA management and priests to arrange for the Maha Sivarathri celebrations in spite of harsh weather. With snow all around, priest Sri. K. Ganesan Bhattar Sivachariar, jovially remarked that we had the great fortune of celebrating Maha Sivarathri in Kailasa itself. How true!
* See page 1 of “Hindu Dharma: The universal way of life”.
(Continued from page 1)
The hand that worships Lord Shiva is superior to Him, so says the Sri. Rudram. Devotees receiving Vibhuti prasadam from the hands of the priest during the occasion.
make a mistake but you should learn from it and not repeat it. 3) Difficult projects. Sometimes when we face difficult projects, you know things that really stretch our abilities to accomplish, we kind of feel overwhelmed by them. We don't see the value. What's the benefit of doing all of this? So, the benefit is that it creates concentration, willpower and steadfastness. Qualities that work on our inner life as well. There're not just qualities that we acquire that help us do things in the outer world, they also help us do things within ourselves. They help us advance spiritually because we have better concentration, bet-ter willpower and we're more steadfast. We keep doing something once we started. So those qualities which you can cultivate in children when they're going to school, and how they handle their schoolwork, and when we go to work in a profession, those same qualities are im-portant to cultivate. So it shows how our abilities in the outer world to do things also help us inwardly. 4) Disturbed emotions: We get upset. We get emotional. So, lots of things upset us in daily life and do we let them upset us? Do we re-main upset all day? How do we respond when we get upset? So, the spiritual approach to getting upset is we want to increase our control over our emotions. Lots of people are controlled by their emotions, they get upset. But, spiritual person, if he gets upset, tries to pull him or herself out of the upset condition as quickly as possible. That's the spiritual response. OK, we got upset, let's get un-upset and to work with ourselves and learn how to do that. And eventually, once we've learned how to do that, we'll be good enough at it that we won't get
upset in the first place. But we have to start by pulling ourselves out of the upset mood as quickly as possible, that's the start. We have to master that first and then we can get it to the point where we just don't get upset any-more. Very hard to meditate when you're disturbed. 5) Misunderstandings: Misunder-standings come up and how we handle them determines our spiritual pro-gress. Do we resolve them or don't we resolve them. Get a lot of misunder-
standings that are unresolved with other people, it's a real barrier to spiritual progress. So lots of people, when misunderstandings come up, hard feelings come up, they don't resolve them. They hold on to them forever, because they don't have the philosophy about of resolv-ing things. They have the philosophy that someone mistreats you, you should just shun them forever and you never resolve it. So, if a misun-derstanding comes up, resolve it. Don't hold grudges and don't let things go undiscussed. 6) Group gossip and criticism. So this is a constant problem. People like to gossip. And gossiping is unkind speech. So Gurudeva teaches us to speak only that which is true, kind, helpful and necessary. So gossiping, speaking about others in a negative way, you know when they're not around, is not something we should participate in.
(reproduced from Bodhinatha’s discourses “Inspired Talks” with permission of Himalayan Academy)
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Bodhinatha speaks—Spiritualizing Daily Life: Six challenges in Life.
Life's challenges will come to us. What is going to happen is going to happen. But where the focus should be is how we respond to it, because that is where we have a choice. That is where we have free will. We have choices. It's how we face the challenges in life that come to us that makes the difference. We can face them and just react emotionally to them without thinking much about spiritual principles. We can also choose to control these emotional reactions that we might have. That is what makes a difference.
Here is a list of six common challenges we face in life that pro-vide us with good opportunities for spiritual progress if we can re-spond in a wise manner with self-control. 1) Mistreatment by others: People are always mistreating us, right? So, how we react to mistreatment. You can forgive the person, realiz-ing that he doesn't know better. Forgiveness is based on realizing that that's all the person knows; he doesn't know how to do it another way. If he did he would. Return, return injury with kindness and forget both. 2) We make a mistake. So, you may know someone who makes mis-takes. You can pass this on to them. The goal is to learn from our mis-takes and not repeat them. So, mistakes are wonderful when we learn from them and you know it's one of the things parents can teach chil-dren, grandparents can teach grandchildren is: You know it's OK to
You must first register by clicking the ‘My Donations’ button at www.murugantemple.org or by directly visiting www.murugantemple.us. You will need the DevoteeID and address printed on this newsletter mailing label in order to register. Devotee ID is highlighted in the sample label shown above.
(Continued from page 1) ONLINE ACCESS TO YOUR TEMPLE CONTRIBU-TIONS, YEAR-END TAX REPORT AND PROFILE
Event APRIL MAY JUNESPECIAL EVENTS
Saiva SaintsGuru Puja Day
Sun, 4 Apr, 11:30−1:00 pmReciting Panniru Thirumurai by
Children and Adults,Talk on SaivaSaints followed by Lunch
"It takes a lot of inner strength to remember Siva all of the time, to keep the love for Siva flowing. We forget.
We get involved in ourselves and others."Madurai MeenakshiAmman Celebrations
Sat, 24 Apr10:00 AM Sri. Meenakshi Amman
special Abhishekam
Vaishaka VishakamWed, 26 May
9:00 AM Subramanya Homam9:30 AM Kavadi and Pal Kudam10:00 AM Murugan Abhishekam
Sponsor Temple Operations Full day of temple operations ...................................... $750 Full month: Garlands (all deities) ............................... $900 Full month: Abhishekam and Omam provisions ........ $450 Full month: Milk ........................................................ $250 A full week of Garlands (all deities)............................ $125 One day: Simple garland for a deity........ ..................... $ 15
Choice of Deity for garland :_______________ Sub Total Operations ..........................................$________ Please indicate desired dates _________________
MTNA Newsletter Printing and Mailing .................$__________ Kavasam for Peedam in silver for Murugan, Valli, Theivayanai....................................................$__________
Thiruvasi for Sivan ..................................................................$__________ Kavasam for Peedam in Silver for Amman.............................$__________
Name Address City State _________ ZIP ___________________ Phone ____________E–Mail ________________________________ Family Gothiram _________________________________________ Birth Star (el:rj;jpuk;) _____ Name of Family Member
Please use separate sheet for additional family members Mail: The Murugan Temple of North America, 6300 Princess Garden Parkway,Lanham, MD 20706 – Please address checks to MTNA.
You can now make contributions and fill-out your donation forms on-line at www.murugantemple.org
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TEMPLE SERVICES: Please call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 to make prior arrangements for ceremonies at the Temple or in your home. Also, ask for information about local hotels. TEMPLE HOURS: Monday – Friday 9 am – 12 noon & 5 pm - 9 pm; Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays 9 am – 9 pm AUDITORIUM: The Temple’s auditorium capable of seating about 200 people in the basement is available for rent by Devotees. The Temple has also ample parking space. Call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 for reservations. DIRECTIONS TO MURUGAN TEMPLE: From I-95 (also 495, Capital Beltway), take exit 20-A, Lanham (Rte 450 East), then follow the signs to Princess Garden Parkway. Turn right on Princess Garden Parkway. “Murugan Temple” is on your left within half a mile (6300 Princess Garden Parkway) From Baltimore-Washington Parkway take Exit to Rt. 193 East Greenbelt Road. Turn left on Greenbelt Road. Turn right on Hanover Parkway, which becomes Princess Garden Parkway. Drive about 2.5 miles. The temple will be on your right.
Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID So. MD
Permit No. 3958
Murugan Temple of North America 6300 Princess Garden Parkway Lanham, MD 20706, USA
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
FridayFridayDai ly A bishe kam s
9:00 am G anesh a9:30 am Siva
10:00 am Mu rug an7:00 p m G anesh a
Su nd aySundayDa ily A bishekams9:0 0 am Gan esh a9:3 0 am Siva11: 00 am Muru gan5:0 0 p m Durgai
Abish ekamRah u Kala Pu ja
Saturd aySatu rdayDaily Abishe kams9:00 am Ganesh a9:30 am Siva9:30 am N ava grah a11:00 am M urug an
FridayFridayDai ly A bishe kam s
9:00 am G anesh a9:30 am Siva
10:00 am Mu rug an7:00 p m G anesh a
Su nd aySundayDa ily A bishekams9:0 0 am Gan esh a9:3 0 am Siva11: 00 am Muru gan5:0 0 p m Durgai
Abish ekamRah u Kala Pu ja
Saturd aySatu rdayDaily Abishe kams9:00 am Ganesh a9:30 am Siva9:30 am N ava grah a11:00 am M urug an
We dne sdayWednesdayDaily A bishe kams
9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva
10:00 am Murugan
TuesdayTuesdayDa ily Abishek ams
9:00 am Ga nesha9:30 am Siva
1 0:00 am Mur uga nThirusathi
7:0 0 pm Mee nakshi
ThursdayThursdayDai lyA bisheka ms9:0 0 am Ganesha9:3 0 am Siva10:00 am Murugan
7:00 pm Palani Aandavar7:30 pm Dakshinamurthi
MondayMondayDa ily Abishek ams
9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva
10 :00 a m Murugan7:00 pm Siva
We dne sdayWednesdayDaily A bishe kams
9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva
10:00 am Murugan
TuesdayTuesdayDa ily Abishek ams
9:00 am Ga nesha9:30 am Siva
1 0:00 am Mur uga nThirusathi
7:0 0 pm Mee nakshi
ThursdayThursdayDai lyA bisheka ms9:0 0 am Ganesha9:3 0 am Siva10:00 am Murugan
7:00 pm Palani Aandavar7:30 pm Dakshinamurthi
MondayMondayDa ily Abishek ams
9:00 am Ganesha9:30 am Siva
10 :00 a m Murugan7:00 pm Siva
The Murugan Temple of North America is a Traditional Saivite Hindu Temple. It has a floor area of 7000 square feet, with main
Sannidhi for Murugan (Karttikeya) and four smaller Sannidhis for Vinayaka (Ganesha), Siva (Sivalingham), Meenakshi, and Palani
Aandavar. We also have an auditorium that is available for community use.
IMPORTANT YEAR END TAX REPORT INFORMATION – SEE FRONT PAGE
The Temple needs volunteers in a variety of positions, from staffing the front desk, to caring for the garden, to serving on MTNA’s
committees. If you are interested in learning about MTNA’s volunteer opportunities, please contact the temple manager, Mr. Raghavan at
301-552-4879 or Mr. Vignarajah at 410-788-7251 or email [email protected].
