HINDU SAMAJ, Inc [A Non-profit Organization Under Section 501 of Internal Revenue Code I.D. # 223386668] 247 West Ramapo Ave., Mahwah, NJ 07430 Telephone No. (201) 529-0110 www.hindusamajmandir.org Vol. XIII NO. 6 November/December, 2008 Suresh Seth Special Prana Pratishtha Edition Please do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity Dear Friends, The moment of great joy and pride for our community has finally arrived. After 14 years of hard work and struggles, the building of 32,600 sq. ft. of our Temple of Unity and Community Center is complete. The celebratory dedication of the Temple to our Gods and the Community Center to serve our community is scheduled for November 7, 8 and 9, 2008. We cordially invite you to attend this, once in a life time event, with your family and friends. This architectural master piece sits on a six acre site in Mahwah, New Jersey. The Temple is built around a tranquil pond - our "Ganga Sagar" that was created millennia ago when a cosmic rock is believed to have collided with earth. Water from major rivers of India will be poured into this natural pond symbolizing our arrival to the United States of America. The nine Darbars - "Abodes of Gods" are complete with the most beautiful statues of Ganesh Ji, Ram Darbar, Vishnu and Laxmi Ji, Shiv Parivar, Durga Ma, Bala Ji, Hanuman Ji, Radha and Krishna Ji, and Saraswati Ma (Darbars for Bhagwan Jain and Sai Baba Ji will be completed by December, 2008). The Darbars rise 20 ft. high with gold domes surrounded by murals of snow clad mountains and the brilliant sky to create the most tranquil environment for prayers and meditation. The Community Center has been built to the best standards of world class facility. In addition, a Senior Citizen Center and a School dedicated to teaching music, dance, Indian culture and languages to our children have been built to meet the ever growing needs of our community. A Museum dedicated to Indians’ journey to United States will be housed in the adjoining 4,200 sq. ft., 152 year old home that has just received the recognition award as the best preserved historic home in New Jersey. The members of our community have contributed over 5 million dollars through their generous donations. In addition, we have borrowed 4.6 million dollars to complete this master piece work of art - a home for our community. The details of the dedication program on November 7, 8 and 9, 2008 are enclosed. Please join us in continuing the tradition of generous contribution to help this facility grow; come and become a Yajman in the Prana Prathistha ceremony; write a mannat (your special prayer) to Gods to be permanently placed under their feet; come and volunteer to help plant the garden; come and help us with the program for children and seniors; come help us cook prasad; come help us in extending a helping hand to others in the community; come with the dedication to do anything else that your heart desires. Please share this information with your family and friends and join us to celebrate this great moment in the life of our community. Please visit our website at www.hindusamajmandir.org for directions and more information. Sincerely, Sevaks, Trustees and Members of Hindu Samaj Mandir What is Pranaprathista The Hindu Temple is not a building. It is a conception of Divinity. The Glory of the lord is seen everywhere, and the temples play the role of lenses where the prayers by the devotees strengthens the community and enhances the presence of the lord. So the temple building and worship in the temple bring communities together and bring peace and prosperity. The role of Pranaprathista is to give divine power to the idols through various rituals as prescribed in Vedas and by sages and vedic scholars. Prana means breath or life. During the pranaprathista, the Pandits and devotees give Prana to the idols through prayers and rituals.These rituals are generally accomplished in a span of three to five days with several rites prescribed in Agama Sastra. The rites begin with Puja to MAHAGANAPATHI and include several preparatory rituals such as PUNYAHAVACHANAM(purification), RITVIK ACHARYA VARANAM(offering of special garments to pandits) , KALASA STAPANA(where divine power is invoked in water kept in pots), AGNI PRATHISTA(establishing fire for havans),ANKURAARPANAM(seeding the soil symbolize the growth and prosperity of the temple and community), VASTU PUJA,and NAYANONMEELANAM(opening the eyes of the murthis). In addition there is YANTRA STAPANA(specially designed silver plates are placed under the murthis with gem stones and gold coins). The above is a partial list of the rites that will be performed. During the whole ceremony the pundits will chant the moola mantra for each deity and perform Havans. Based on the design of the Temple, some temples will have KUMBHABHISHEKAM as the last step. Here in this article, only a brief description of the prathista has been given. The information for this article was taken from a very detailed write up by Dr.S.Yeganasubramanian in the journal PARAMAARTHA TATTVAM. -: Puja Schedule :- Presiding Priest: Pt. Chandrashekar Sharmaji Participating Priests • Pt. Raj Gopal • Pt. Rajinder Joshi • Pt. Bhairva Moorthy • Pt. Ram Lal Sharma • Pt. Praveen Shastri Friday, November 7, 2008 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon • Ganesh Puja • Acharya Varanana (Invocation of presiding Priest and other priests) • Sankalpa by all Yajmans and Kalash Puja • Vasthu Puja • Aarti 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM • Sarvadevtha Raksha Bandhan • Ankurarpana (seeding of soil symbolize the growth and prosperity of the temple and community) • Havan • Sarvadevatha Moorti Puja • Aarti Saturday, November 8, 2008 8:30 AM to 12:00 Noon • Agni Pranayan • Sarvadevtha Havan • Kalash Puja (divine power is invoked in water kept in pots) • Moorti Puja • Aarti 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM • Mata Ki Chowki (See flyer attached) • Yantra Sthapna (sacred ancient mantras inscribed on gold, silver and copper plates with gem stones and gold coins are placed under the feet of Moorties) • Moorthi Sthapna of Ganesh Ji and Durga Ma 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM • Moorthi Sthapna of Bala Ji 7:45 PM • Shayan of Gods (sleeping of Gods) • Aarti • Prasad Sunday, November 9, 2008 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM (Moorthi Prana Prathisthapana Muhurat at 9:40 AM) • Ganesh Puja • Kalash Puja • Havan • Kumbaradhan, Kumbha Pradhikshna • Moorthi Prana Prathisthapana Muhurat at 9:40 AM The sacred ceremony of Pranaprathistha is to give divine power to the idols through various rituals as prescribed in Vedas and by sages. • Sringar • Aarti • Maha Prasad 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM • Cultural Program • Dinner Mata Ki Chowki Please note that we will have Mata Ki Chowki during the Pran Pratistha Ceremony on th November 8 Saturday, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Please see the flyer attached. Weekly Puja Schedule Of The Mandir As we embark on our New Phase with expanded facilities, we have also expanded our Puja schedule as well as services to the community. Following is our Puja Schedule. TEMPLE OPEN: 7:30 AM TO 10:00 AM 5:30 PM TO 8:30 PM Aarti 9:30 AM 7:30 PM Sunday to Saturday: Everyday: Puja & Aarti 1st Sunday Mata Ki Chowki 2nd Sunday Monthly Havan 3rd Sunday Ganesh Puja 4th Sunday Shiva Abhishek Monday Rudra Abhishek 9:00 AM 6:30 PM Tuesday Hanuman Chalisa 7:30 PM Wednesday Vishnu Sahasra Namam 6:30 PM Thursday Sundar Kand Path 6:30 PM Friday Lakshmi Puja 9:00 AM Durga Puja 6:00 PM Lalitha Sahsranama Saturday Balaji Suprabhatham 9:30 – 10:30 AM We celebrate all holidays with special Puja. Sunday afternoon Puja is sponsored by members to celebrate special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Our Priest is available to perform special Puja at your residence, place of business, or at our Temple. Please call (201) 529-0110 to make appointment. Community Activites Cultural Classes @ Hindu Samaj DANCE: The Bollywood/Kathak Dance runs in 12 sessions (each semester.) New session starting in January. Classes are $240.00 per semester, with a $30.00 registration charge (for a year,) conducted by: Ms. Radhika Sahu, Ms. Pratibha Goyal and Ms. Kamini Shukla. Classes are every Sunday. New session starts January 11th, 2009. Last day for registration is December 21st, 2008, so please sign up as soon as possible. If interested, please contact Radhika Sahu at (973) 818-0060 or email at [email protected]. “EHSAAS”: The Performing Group of Hindu Samaj Mandir, a highly motivated dance style. This group participates in various competitions (only for High School kids.) at 12:00 noon (every Sunday). Please note that there is a separate Registration Form (fee - $45.00) for Performing Group Dance Class. If interested, please contact Radhika Sahu at (973) 818-0060 or email at [email protected]. ODISSI: Starting soon at the community center, the traditional temple dance from Orissa, India. The classes will run in session of 12 at $240.00/per session with a $30.00 registration charge (for one year). It will be conducted by Ms. Nilanjana Banerjee at (973) 838-2927 VOCAL: The new session will be starting in beginning of January, registrations are available, open to all ages, runs in 12 session, each session is $300.00 (a $30.00 registration fee for a year) taught by Celebrity Bollywood-Singer, Sangeet Visharad, Ms. Sunita Kapur. Classes are every Saturday, from 10:00 to 11:00 am. Also if interested in Learning Light Music (just for Adults) For more information call Sandeep at 201-658-9220 or visit www.musicsunita.com Please download the form and give it to the teacher.