Quarterly newsletter www.chinmayaorlando.org A GOD-CENTERED LIFE While cultivating the spiritual beauties in their personalities, Blessed Self, unintentionally some people find themselves empty, exhausted, sunk back again unto their crude animal urges. Such falls happen Adorations! God's Glory is beyond to the mind when it loses its firm hold on His feet and conse- the human intellect. One more year quently gets dragged into the swirl of . of precious Balavihar has come to an end, yet another is just waiting to start. Glorious Summer is ap- Hence sage Narada, the immortal preacher of devotion advises us proaching and Shree Surya Naraya- in the following verse by giving us the entire essence of all : na is shining his bright light upon us all as a sweet blessing of God. Chil- dren's Camp with the theme of “Always, free from all mental anxiety, the Lord alone is to Gayatri Mantra appears to be the be invoked and sought after, with all factors of our person- most appropriate theme for Sum- ality” (Narada Bhakti Sutra VIII 2:79) mer. Let us pray and offer our Love and Always, at all times, in all conditions, in all places, with all our Pranaams to God, thank Him every hearts, in perfect devotion, let the Lord be worshipped quietly, moment for His sweet divine gifts of Sun, Moon, Stars, Love, and Joy upon us limitlessly. Remember ev- ery moment is ever new and a blessing. My Love to all. ● ● Glory to God. Glory to Gurudev. ● ● With love, ● Acharya Shailaja Nadkarni President, Chinmaya Mission Orlando 1 A GOD-CENTERED LIFE by Swami Chinmayananda serenely and with a composed mind by those who have given up all worries and anxieties. This is Shri Narada’s advice to seekers. With all your heart, go in full surrender unto Him. Invoke Him, but remem- ber there are four conditions to be scrupulously practiced in seeking the Lord: (1) at all times, (2) in all conditions, (3) in calmness and serenity and (4) as the sole source of your seeking. Many of us pray, but it is often only a prayer of the ego - “I, I, I” - which is a worship of the perceiver- feeler-thinker “I”; so naturally, instead of becoming calmer in mind, we are ever in agitation, continuous- ly persecuted by our own minds with their endless hungers and demands. The seeker who understands this agitation of the mind will not say that these four conditions of spiritual practice ( ) are very difficult, for he will only have to redirect his present preoccupation that keeps his mind distracted in a thousand channels, agitations, worries and sorrows. From the attitude of con- stant adoration of the body and the ego, the seeker must take on a spirit of surrender to and worship of the Lord. This capacity to invoke is already in each one of us, but we are misusing it. We unintelligently employ it for achieving the wrong ends in the lower fields of sense pleasures. Rightly used and properly employed, the powers of invocation can us to the Higher and we can thereby reach the Infinite Truth, the Lord. Prayer or invocation should be from all levels of our personalities. It must be an outpouring of all our fac- ulties in glorifying Him who dwells in us. At the physical, mental and intellectual levels, we must be able to put forth all the best in us at all times in the service of all around us, as an offering unto Him. Let our actions sing His glory. Let our feelings waft the fragrance of His eternal purity. Let our thoughts gurgle out, expressing His dynamism and divine will. Such a total God-centered life itself is a true hymn in praise of the Lord. Let our lives be devotional songs, sung in praise of Him who is ever in our hearts. CHINMAYA MISSION ORLANDO SUMMER CAMP 2017 Children will learn the importance of Gayatri mantra and worship of Sun god as prescribed in our scriptures, Vedic chanting, Surya Namaskara, values for right living, theme based arts and crafts, bhajans, fun in the sun, games and puzzles to sharpen our intellect, sports and solar experiments. 2 In the interest of transparency, we would like to share the details about our finances with all members. Please feel free to contact Kiran Patel or Harmohan Suri if you would like more information. The following is for the time period February 2017 through April 2017. Balavihar 2,001 Balavihar 600 Bookstore 2,075 Bookstore 2,965 Donations/Rentals 13,481 Food, Maintenance & Other 17,787 Mahashivaratri 22,879 Utility & Upkeep 9,553 Mahashivaratri & Holi 3,400 Mortgage + addl. principal 19,838 Total Income 40,436 Total Expenses 54,143 Beginning Bank Balance (February 1 2017): $ 78,982 Ending Bank Balance (April 30 2017): $ 65,275 Outstanding Loan Balance: $ 199,080 2017 SUMMER SCHEDULE Balavihar classes may be done but that doesn’t mean there will no activity at the ashram. Acharya Shailaja Nadkarni will be conducting discourses for adults every Sunday this summer, beginning on June 4th . The expected schedule is as follows: 9:00 to 9:30 AM Prayers 9:30 to 10:30 AM Discourse 1 (Tapovan Shatakam) 10:30 to 10:45 AM Break 10:45 to 11:30 AM Discourse 2 (Ramcharitamanas) Note: All details including start date, timings and topics for the discourses are subject to change. Please look for our email for up-to-date information 3 NEWS IN BRIEF MAHASHIVARATRI was observed on Friday, February 24th 2017 and as is the case every year, was well attended by hundreds of devo- tees. Since our ashram has a temple where Lord Shiva has been duly consecrated, this is one of the most important festivals for us and is celebrated on a grand scale. The day was packed with various and rituals commencing with at 6 AM and culminating with a well past midnight. was conducted in the morning while the evening hours featured chanting of the Vedic hymns Rudram and Cha- makam eleven times. A continuous of the was conducted by devotees while the chanting was in progress. Just before midnight, the curtains were drawn shut and an elaborate decoration of the and main idol of Lord Shiva was undertaken by the presiding priests. The curtains were finally opened with the hall enveloped in darkness and only the altar area bathed in light. Devotees were mesmerized at the wonderful sight and the divine presence and grace of the Lord was felt by all. HOLI The colorful festival of Holi was celebrated on Sunday, March 12th 2017. This is one of the highlights of the year for every- one at Chinmaya Mission Orlan- do, particularly the children. This celebration even attracts those who are not members of the mission. This year there were well over a hundred people frol- icking on the lush lawn adjacent to the ashram buildings while music appropriate to the occa- sion played on the loudspeakers. Food stalls had been setup sell- ing various delicacies for a nomi- nal charge, so everyone enjoyed a tasty meal before the merrymaking began. When it was all over, most faces had been rendered unrecognizable underneath a rainbow of colors. 4 NEWS IN BRIEF Geeta chanting Our annual Geeta chant- ing competi- tion was held on Sunday, April 23rd 2017. This year’s con- test was based on Chapter 10 which declares the various glorious manifestations of the Lord. Almost 100 children had signed up for the contest and 90 of them chanted during the event. The youngest chanter was just over two years old!! Too young to officially participate in the contest but easily capturing the hearts of the audience that had packed the hall! All these children chanting the Lord’s verses while standing next to His idol in the temple hall were just yet another aspect of His glory. The judges had a hard time with the scoring resulting in several ties in each age group. While the outstanding performers in each age group received trophies, all participants received a medal since everyone who chanted is really a winner. GURU JAYANTI The 101st birth anniversary of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinma- yananda was observed on Mon- day, May 8th 2017. The occasion was celebrated by performing Paduka Puja and chanting of various hymns in praise of the Guru. This was followed by vari- ous devotees sharing their thoughts about how Pujya Gu- rudev had influenced them in their lives either directly or through the mission. A small vid- eo show was presented showcasing some vignettes from his life. The evening conclud- ed with some bhajans sung by the adult Swaranjali group. 5 Guruji’s wisdom DEVOTION AND GOD In his , Sage In , there is a description of the Narada describes devotion as beautiful dwelling places of such devotion. Lord Ra- peace ( ) and bliss ma approaches Sage Valmiki with the question, ( ). In “Please tell me, where can I build my hut in this for- , Lord Rama himself tells Laksh- est?” At this request, Sage Valimiki wonders, “Oh mana that “the thought and Lord! First show me where you are not present! Still, feeling ( ) behind any ac- since you ask for a reason, I will tell you the fourteen tion that touches and melts the abodes where you can dwell (to match the fourteen Lord’s heart becomes devotion years of your exile).” The fourteen places are the 5 ( ).” Yet devotion cannot be organs of perception, 5 organs of action and the limited by time and space and so is not just the act mind ( ), intellect ( ), ego ( ) and itself.