APR-MAY-JUN-2006 Vol.19 No.2 PLEASE NOTE THE SCHEDULES DIRECTIONS From Freeway 580 in Livermore: Monday Through Thursday: 9 am to 12 noon Exit North Vasco Road, left on Scenic Ave, and 6 pm to 8 pm Left on Arrowhead Avenue F r i d a y, Weekends & Holidays: 9 am to 8 pm NEWS FROM THE HINDU COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL CENTER, LIVERMORE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT http://www.livermoretemple.org SHIVA-VISHNU TEMPLE OM NAMAH SHIVAYA TELEPHONE (925) 449-6255 FAX (925) 455-0404 OM NAMO NARAYA N AYA HCCC CH A I R M A N ’S CO L U M N Dear Devotees: Our organization has once again successfully completed the annual elections process to choose new board and executive members. On behalf of the HCCC and the board of directors, I would like to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for the services rendered by the outgoing board and the executive committee members. On behalf of the organization I would like to extend our welcome to the newly elected three board members and one EC member “welcome aboard”. I mentioned in my previous column that our present chief priest Sri. Rompicharla Srinivasacharlu will be retiring at the end of March 2006. A gala retirement party with Veda Pathanam and cultural program function is at our temple. Please participate in this function with your family and friends to show our appreciation to this priest for the services he rendered to the HCCC and the temple over the past two decades. Sri Rama Navami function is scheduled for April 6th and 9th, the details of which are given in this Pachima Vani. We are expecting a large number of devotees to attend Sri Rama Navami celebrations. Please participate in the function with your family by becoming a sponsor. By this time either by word of mouth or by virtue of reading a local Indian Newspaper, you may be aware that the Pachaka/Archaka (religious cook) Gopala Krishna Machar at our Temple has filed a lawsuit against the HCCC/ Temple with some allegations. It is unfortunate that he has chosen this path. Even after he has filed a lawsuit against the Temple, HCCC management has engaged members from the community and well wishers for both sides with a mandate to resolve this matter in a reasonable and compassionate manner that will be fair to both sides. Unfortunately these efforts were not successful. HCCC has no other choice than to follow the legal path in order to protect our Temple, which has been serving for more than 20 years, the religious, social and cultural needs of many thousands of devotees. How this matter unfolds in the future, we will keep you appraised. Om Namah Shivaya | Om Namo Venkatesaya || Jagannadham Akella Chairman, HCCC Board of Directors Board of Directors has elected Sri. Jagannadham Akella to serve as Chairman of HCCC for the second year. They have elected Sri. Ben Venkatash to serve as the President of Exec Committee and Sri. Krishna Chander as Corporate Secretary of HCCC. The status of other Management Team members is as follows: Management Te a m Board of Directors Status Shankar Narasimhan. Incoming Mohan Rao . Outgoing Amrit Duneja . Continuing Shiv Kumar Mehta . Outgoing Ram Nagulapalli. Outgoing Bala Mani. Continuing Suresh Upadhyayula . Continuing Shankar Bathwal . Incoming Ben Venkatash. Incoming Executive Committee Status Sreeram Madabhushi. Continuing Jagannadham Akella . Continuing Boda Rao . Outgoing Sridar Pootheri. Continuing Krishna Chander. Incoming Chittaranjan Mallipeddi . Outgoing Srinivas Lingutla . Outgoing Krishna Reddy . Outgoing Debasis Bagchi. Outgoing Srinivas Malladi . Continuing Lingagoud Memula . Continuing Dr. Kamala Shankar . Continuing Usha Ramaswamy . Continuing S Visweswaran . Outgoing Kesavan Srikumar . Outgoing Vidya Ananth . Outgoing Sambasiva Rao Gullapalli. Continuing Laxmikant Joshi . Outgoing Vinay Kallesh . Continuing 2 OM NAMAH SHIVAYA OM NAMO NARAYA N AYA PLANNED SPECIAL EVENTS YOGA VASISHTA D AT E /D AY E V E N T S T I M E A C T I V I T I E S (Excerpts from Swami Venkatesananda's 'The April 1st/Sat 1st Sat of the Month 11:00 AM Swarna Alamkaram for Shiva Supreme Yoga', A new translation of Yoga Vasishta) 12 Noon Balaji Vastra Samarpanam K r i t t i k a 6:30 PM Kartikeya Abhishekam and Archana Sage Vasishta continued to Lord Sri Rama: Apr 2nd/Sun Rohini 6:30 PM Sri Krishna Pooja I shall now describe the tree known as Samadhana Apr 3rd/Mon Shasti 6:30 PM Kartikeya Sahasranama Archana (equanimity) that grows in the forest known as the Apr 5th/We d Punarvasu 6:30 PM Sri Rama Abhishekam heart of the wise. Apr 6th/Thur Sri Rama Navami Detailed Program at the End Its seed is a turning away from 'the world', whether Apr 8th/Sat 2nd Sat of the Month 10:00 AM Balaji Sahasra kalasa Abhishekam 11:00 AM Muttangi Alamkaram for Shiva this is caused naturally or otherwise by the experience Ekadasi 6:30 PM Balaji Bhoga Murthy Abhishekam of sorrow. Mind is a field. It is ploughed by right action, Apr 9th/Sun Sri Rama Navami Weekend Function Detailed Program at the End the right feeling waters it day and night, and the prac- Apr 10th/Mon Pradosham 6:30 PM Shiva Abhishekam tice of Pranayama nourishes it. On this field known as Apr 11th/Tue Panguni Uttiram 6:30 PM Mahalakshmi Sahasranama Archana and Utsavam the mind, the seed known as Samadhi (turning away 7:30 PM Gadya Traya Parayanam, Satumurai & Sethe seva from the world) falls of its own accord when one is 8:30 PM Ekanta Seva Apr 12th/Wed Poornima 6:30 PM Sri Lalita Sahasranama Parayanam alone in the forest known as wisdom. The wise man Apr 13th/Thur Tamil New Year Bhisaki ,Vi s h u 6:30 PM Panchanga Sravanam in Tamil should endeavor constantly to keep this seed of medita- Apr 14th/Fri Swathi 6:30 PM Sri Narasimha Swamy Abhishekam tion watered and nourished by intelligent methods. Apr 15th/Sat 3rd Sat of the Month 11:00 AM Rajatha Alamkaram for Shiva One should seek the company of the wise who are 11:00 AM Tiruppavadai Seva for Balaji one's own real well-wishers and who are pure and Apr 16th/Sun 3rd Sun of the Month 11:00 AM Bilwa Dala Archana for Shiva Sankatahara Chathurthi 6:30 PM Ganesha Abhishekam f r i e n d l y. Then one should water the seed of Samadhi or Apr 21st/Fri Sravana 6:30 PM Balaji Sahasranama Archana meditation by means of hearing, reflecting on and con- Apr 22nd/Sat 4th Sat of the Month 12 Noon Pushpa Seva for Balaji templating the scriptures, which bring about total Apr 23rd/Sun Ekadasi 6:30 PM Balaji Bhoga Murthy Abhishekam inner emptiness and which are full of wisdom, pure Apr 25th/Tue Pradosham & Masa Shivaratri 6:30 PM 108 Kalasha Abhishekam for Shiva and cool like nectar. Being aware of the precious seed Apr 29th/Sat Akshaya Tritiya 6:30 PM Chandana Abhisheka for Narasimha Swamy of meditation or Samadhi that has fallen in the field of K r i t t i k a 6:30 PM Kartikeya Abhisheka and Archana Basava Jayanthi one's mind, the wise man should carefully cherish and Apr 30th/Sun Last Sun of the Month 4:30 PM Kala Bhairava Abhishekam nourish it by means of austerities, charity, etc. Rohini 6:30 PM Sri Krishna Pooja When this seed begins to sprout, it should be further May 1st/Mon Sri Adi Shankara Jayanthi 6:30 PM Sri Adi Shankara Pooja protected by peace and contentment. At the same time, May 2nd/Tue Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi 6:30 PM Sri Ramanuja Satmura one should guard it against the birds of desire, attach- Shasti 6:30 PM Kartikeya Sahasranama Archana May 3rd/Wed Punarvasu 6:30 PM Sri Rama Abhisheka ment to family, pride, greed, etc., with the help of con- May 6th/Sat 1st Sat of the Month 11:00 AM Swarna Alamkaram for Shiva tentment. With the broom of right and loving action 12 Noon Balaji Vastra Samarpana the dirt of Rajasic restlessness must be swept away, May 7th/Sun Vasavi Jayanthi 11:00 AM Sri Vasavi Kanyakaparameshwari Pooja whereas the darkness of Tamasic ignorance must be May 8th/Mon Ekadasi 6:30 PM Balaji Bhoga Murthy Abhishekam driven away by the light of right understanding. The May 10th/We d Pradosham 6:30 PM Shiva Abhishekam lightning known as pride of wealth and the thunder- May 12th/Fri Sri Narasimha Jayanthi Detailed Program at the End Poornima 6:30 PM Sri Lalita Sahasranama Parayanam storm known as pursuit of pleasure strike the field and May 13th/Sat 2nd Sat of the Month 10:00 AM Balaji Sahasra kalasa Abhishekam devastate it. These should be prevented with the trident 11:00 AM Muttangi Alamkaram for Shiva of magnanimity, compassion, Japa, austerity, self-con- Annamacharya Jayanthi trol and contemplation upon the significance of the May 14th/Sun Meenakshi Kalyanam 2:00 PM Lord Meenakshi Sundareshwara Swamy Kalyanam Pranava (OM). May 16th/Tu e Sankatahara Chathurthi 6:30 PM Ganesha Abhishekam May 18th/Thur Sravana 6:30 PM Balaji Sahasranama Archana If it is thus protected, this seed grows into wisdom. May 20th/Sat 3rd Sat of the Month 11:00 AM Rajatha Alamkaram for Shiva With it the entire field of the mind shines beautifully. 11:00 AM Tiruppavadai Seva for Balaji The sprout grows two leaves. One is known as study of M a y 21st/ Sun Hanuman Jayanthi Detailed Program at the End scriptures and the other is Satsanga (company of the May 23rd/Tu e Ekadasi 6:30 PM Balaji Bhoga Murthy Abhishekam men of wisdom).