Significance of Sri Rama Navami !!!!!!Important dates in the month of April are listed.!Page 2

The Pregnant Deer A short story!

In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on all sides with negative thoughts and possibilities. Some thoughts are so powerful that they overcome us & overwhelm us. !

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Vedanshi

Mantras,Shlokas & Stotras!Sri Ram Mantra!Om Apa-damapa Hartaram Dataram Sarva Sampadam|!Loka Bhi Ramam Sri Ramam Bhuyo Bhuyo Namam-yaham||!

Meaning:!O healing potency, source of blessings, send Lord Rama’s and Sita’s energy right here to the Earth, To the Earth where it is needed.!

Mahalakshmi Stotram!Lakshmi Ksheera Samudra Raaja Tanaya!Sree Ranga Dhaameshvari |!Daasi Bhootha Samasata Deva Vanithaam!Lokaika Deepankuram |!Sreeman Manda Kataaksha Labdha Vibhava!Brahmendra Gangaadharam|!Tvaam Trailokya Kudumbineem!Sarasijam Vande Mukunda Priyaam|!

Meaning:!Goddess Lakshmi, who is the daughter of the king of the ocean of milk, whose abode is Srirangam

(with Lord Ranganatha), who is served by all the divine ladies in heaven, who is the guiding light for the world, who has obtained the sustained (continued, everlasting) glance (Grace) from Brahma, Indra and Shiva, whose abode is the three worlds (Bhu, Bhuva, Suvaha) – I offer my prostrations to Thee, the beloved of Lord Krishna (Mukunda).!

Sri Vishnu Shloka!Kaayena Vaacaa Manase[a-I]ndriyairvaa!Buddhy[i]-Aatmanaa Vaa Prakrteh Svabhaavaat |!Karomi Yad-Yat-Sakalam Parasmai!Naaraayannayeti Samarpayaami ||!

Meaning:!1: Whatever I do with the Body, Speech, Mind or the Sense Organs,!2: Either by discrimination of the Intellect, or by the deeper feelings of the Heart, or by the existing Tendencies of the Mind,!3: I Do them All (i.e. Whatever work is to be done) without Ownership,!4: And I Surrender them at the feet of Sri Narayana.!

Shiva-Parvati Shloka!Karpuura-Gauram Karunna-Avataaram!Samsaara-Saaram Bhujage[a-I]ndra-Haaram |!Sadaa-Vasantam Hrdaya-Aravinde!Bhavam Bhavaanii-Sahitam Namaami ||!

Meaning:!1: Pure White like Camphor, an Incarnation of Compassion,!2: The Essence of Worldly Existence, Whose Garland is the King of Serpents,!3: Always Dwelling inside the Lotus of the Heart.!4: I Bow to Shiva and Shakti Together.!

www:greenmesg.org

Those who have knowledge of Dharma say that Truth is the highest Dharma!2.14.3; Valmiki Ramayana

Eternal Friend

!Page 3

Sri Rama Navami Muhurta April 8th, 2014 !

Timings for Lafayette, Louisiana!

Puja Muhurta = !

11:54 to 14:25!Page 2

Letter from the board “With inspiration of God and Parents, a very generous donor has stepped forward to purchase the land for our Sanatan Temple in Lafayette. Contract is in place and negotiations has started for a nice piece of land south of Acadian Mall.”!Page 4

General Body Meeting April 26th, 2014!

1:30pm to 3.30pm!Lafayette Public Library!

6101, Johnston Street!

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A Monthly Newsletter Issue No 5: Apr 2014

The part of the sacred knowledge

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April Important Dates!

For more details please refer DrikPanchang.com!

Sanatan Hindu Sanskar Kendra!PO Box 80362, Lafayette, Louisiana - 70598!

Email: shskendra@gmail.com, Website: sanatanlft.org!Tax Id: 46-2580905

Durga Sita Ram Ganesh Krishna Shiva

Sri Rama Navami!Rama Navami is the day on which Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, incarnated in human form in the land of Ayodhya. He is the ardha ansh of Vishnu or has half the divinitive qualities of Lord Vishnu. The word “Rama” literally means one who is divinely blissful and who gives joy to others, and one in whom the sages rejoice.!

Ram Navami falls on the ninth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Chaitra (April/May) and coincides with Vasant Navratri or Chait Durga Puja. Therefore in some regions, the festival is spread over nine days. This day, marking the birthday of Lord Rama, is also observed as the marriage day of Rama and Sita and thus also referred to as Kalyanotsavam. !

The story of the Ramayan is a classic, eternal, universal message of Dharma versus adharma, of deva versus demon, of good versus evil, as represented in the battle between Rama and Ravana.!

Ravana was a brahmin; he was a great scholar who wrote numerous works on scriptural philosophy. He was powerful, dynamic, and beautiful in appearance. As the brilliant, handsome king of Lanka, he had everything one would need to be happy and peaceful. Yet, he was arrogant, egoistic, greedy and lustful. His insatiable desires led him to crave more and more power, more and more money, and more and more ladies to fulfill his every whim.!

There is one main difference: Bhagwan Rama’s heart overflowed with divinity, love, generosity, humility, and a sense of duty. Ravana’s heart, in contrast, was filled with avarice, hatred, and egoism. Under Bhagwan Rama’s divine touch, the animals became his devotees and his divine helpers. Under Ravana’s touch, even humans became animals.!

Through his noble and divine choices, he teaches the world to choose dharma over Artha (when he leaves for the forest rather than be coronated as King) and to choose Moksha over Kama (when he chooses his kingdom over his marriage).!

Bhagwan Rama teaches that : !

As a son!

Respectfully and lovingly obey your father’s orders. Sacrifice your own comfort for your father’s dignity. !

As a step-son!

Even when your step mother (or mother-in-law) is not kind to you, even when she clearly dis- criminates against you in favor of her own birth child, do not resent her, do not fight against her. Respect her and her wishes. !

As a brother!

Remain loyal to your brother. Care for him. !

As a husband!

Protect your wife. Fight for her protection and her purity. But there are times when one’s divine path must even take precedence over the path of householder. Do not keep the role of householder as the ultimate role. !

As a King!

Sacrifice everything for your people. Do not worry about your own comfort, your own convenience or your own pleasure. Be willing to put the kingdom ahead of your own needs. !

www.hindupedia.com

Based on Lafayette, Louisiana, US Time!

02 Wednesday! Gauri Puja/Gangaur!

05 Saturday! Yamuna Chhath!

08 Tuesday! Rama Navami!

10 Thursday! Kamada Ekadashi!

13 Sunday! Solar New Year!

14 Monday! Hanuman Jayanti, ! ! Chandra Grahan!

24 Thursday ! Varuthini Ekadashi!

25 Friday! Varuthini Ekadashi!

28 Monday! Somvati Amavas!

With Complements of

Mukund M. Hanumante, !CLU, CLTC, Ph.D!

Sri Rama Navami!April 8th, 2014 (Tuesday)!Timings for Lafayette, Louisiana!

Puja Muhurta = 11:54 to 14:25!Duration = 1 Hour 44 Mins!Madhyana Moment: 13:10!

For more details please refer DrikPanchang.com!

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First Annual General Body Meeting!

Short Story!The Pregnant Deer!In a forest, a pregnant deer is about to give birth. She finds a remote grass field near a strong-flowing river. This seems a safe place. Suddenly labour pains begin. At the same moment, dark clouds gather around above & lightning starts a forest fire. She looks to her left & sees a hunter with his bow extended pointing at her. To her right, she spots a hungry lion approaching her.!

What can the pregnant deer do? She is in labour!!

What will happen? Will the deer survive?!

Will she give birth to a fawn? Will the fawn survive?!

Or will everything be burnt by the forest fire?!

Will she perish to the hunters' arrow?!

Will she die a horrible death at the hands of the hungry lion approaching her?!

She is constrained by the fire on the one side & the flowing river on the other & boxed in by her natural predators. What does she do? She focuses on giving birth to a new life.!

The sequence of events that follows are:!

- Lightning strikes & blinds the hunter.!

- He releases the arrow which zips past the deer & strikes the hungry lion.!

- It starts to rain heavily, & the forest fire is slowly doused by the rain.!

- The deer gives birth to a healthy fawn.!

In our life too, there are moments of choice when we are confronted on all sides with negative thoughts and possibilities. Some thoughts are so powerful that they overcome us & overwhelm us. Maybe we can learn from the deer. The priority of the deer, in that given moment, was simply to give birth to a baby. The rest was not in her hands & any action or reaction that changed her focus would have likely resulted in death or disaster.!

Ask yourself, Where is your focus? Where is your faith and hope? In the midst of any storm, do keep it on God always. He will never ever disappoint you. NEVER.!

Bhalchandra Jaykumar Swadia

Eternal Friend!SHRI SWAMI SAMARTH MAHARAJ OF AKKALKOT

Supreme Consciousness periodically manifests into human body. These incarnations play specific roles and merge back into the formless Infinity. Many incarnations remain obscure even though they have played a pivotal role in uplifting humanity. śhrī Swāmī Samarth is one such embodiment who has been silently spearheading human evolution for the last eight centuries. !

He emerged from the earth as a young lad of eight years in response of the urgings of His child devotee, Vijaysingh to come and play a game of marbles. This was Chaitra śhuddha 2 (second day of

Hindu New Year) about 878 years back. This majestic manifestation happened at Cheli Khedā near Hastināpur in Uttar Pradeśh, India (Mukund M. Hanumante, 1999,2010). For several centuries, He carried out His mission under different names in various locations. He came to Akkalkoṭ (Mahārāṣhṭra State) in 1856 and stayed there till 1878. During His stay here, He healed, rescued and fulfilled wishes of innumerable human beings by showering unfathomable and limitless grace on those who approached Him. His fame spread throughout India and the name Swāmī Samarth Mahārāj of Akkalkoṭ became associated with Him. From the historical perspective, He left the physical body in 1878 AD; however, His blessings, grace, guidance and Darśhan (Holy Sight) has been accessible even today to the select devotees throughout the world.!

In Sanskrit (the ancient most language) the word ‘Friend’ has three different synonyms. ‘Mitra ‘ can be a casual acquaintance; ‘Suhṛud ‘ is a close friend whom you can open up and pour your heart and innermost secrets; ‘Sakhā ‘ is the closest and dearest friend who without your sharing, telling or asking knows what is happening in your life and grants whatever is in your best interest. Who else but the Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent Universal Consciousness can be our Sakhā?

Whenever, one experiences rare moments of unconditional friendship, these are the gifts from our Sakhā, the Infinite. In the world of forms and shapes, only enlightened sages, Yogīs, siddhās, teachers come closest to this level of friendship. In human terms ‘A true friend never comes in your way except when you are going down’, is an apt way of appreciating this Sakhyatva (friendship).!

Sakhā is a companion in life after life and in between. The Sakhā never looks at the material or spiritual net worth of His friends but yearns for the beloved. ‘Sa ’ means accompanying and ‘khā ’

means senses; therefore, Sakhā is the one who is one with your senses. One gets knowledge through senses. Sakhā is a companion who stands by you in both sukha or pleasant and dukha or painful experiences. Sakhā is constantly leading you back to your Self, the eternal spring of Joy. Senselessness causes us to lament as we lose sight of our center, the eternal Self (Sakhā), the inexhaustible, undying fountain of Serenity and Joy.!

Today mankind is facing tumultuous challenges like thought pollution, stress, strife, tension, bioterrorism, violence, wars, calamities, uncertainty, insecurity, global health care and financial crisis, breakdown of family values, etc. In spite of tremendous technological advances and comfort, peace of mind is eluding majority of us. Daily life has become a mini battle for a lot of us. Both seekers of mighty dollars and the Almighty are searching for the navigator to win this war of our lifetimes. Majority of mankind out of ignorance is not turning the searchlight within. Omniscient charioteer is the indwelling Light in each one of us. That Light, the Eternal Friend is ready to shower benedictions of stainless Love, Peace, Joy and Knowledge.!

The book, A Glimpse of Divinity http://akkalkotswamisamarth-usa.org brought to limelight how Infinite incarnated as a human embodiment of śhrī Swāmi Samarth to shower benedictions and ceaseless joy on deserving devotees. This book, Eternal Friend highlights śhrī Swāmī Samarth as a perennial Charioteer, Companion and Sakhā of His surrendered devotees.!

Even, Lord Śhrī Kṛiṣhṇa has assured to Arjuna, “I manifest in a human body simply to savor the friendship of those who have unalloyed love for me. It is not surprising that these devotees are my very dear friends; I cherish even those who simply listen to my devotees’ biographies.” (Sulabh Śhrī Dnyāneshwarī: Marāṭhī version of Bhagwad Gītā: Śhrī Dñyāneśhwar, commentary by Mr. Vasant G. Joshī, 2006, 12:150-151).!

All Divine incarnations are the eternal friends to their respective devotees. The grandeur and uniqueness of Shri Swami Samarth’s incarnation is that the Divine manifested merely to behold, uphold and honor the intense call for pure friendship (sakhyatva) from His child devotee, Vijay Singh. The Infinite adorned the finite human garment of an eight year young boy (Shri Swami Samarth) that was most appropriate form to His prime role at that time to play friendship games of marbles. Naturally, for sincere seekers, access to the Divine is easier through this form of Infinite who incarnated as the champion and eternal emblem of devotional friendship. Sakhyatva us His breath, pulse, and heartbeat. Sakhyatva is His special characteristics. Sakhyatva is His signature. !(The article is based on the book: Eternal Friend: Shrī Swāmī Samarth Mahārāj of Akkalkot: Mukund M. Hanumante, 2010)!

April 26th, 2014 (Saturday)!1:30pm to 3:30pm!

Lafayette Public Library!at South Regional Branch!

6101 Johnston Street, Lafayette, LA 70503!

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L E T T E R F R O M T H E B O A R D !Hari...O...M...!

Our journey has started. SHSK has made a good progress so far. With inspiration of God and Parents, a very generous donor has stepped forward to purchase the land for our Sanatan Temple in Lafayette. Contract is in place and negotiations has started for a nice piece of land south of Acadian Mall.!

We will give you complete updates of our progress at our first SHSK Annual General Body Meeting on Saturday April 26th at 1:30 pm at Lafayette Public Library at South Regional Branch, 6101 Johnston St., Lafayette, LA 70503, Please mark your calendar and make your plan to attend this meeting. You will be supporting this project and its cause by attending this meeting. This will also give a moral boost to the currently voluntarily working committees behind the scene.!

VEDANSHI, our SHSK monthly Newsletter has also been a good success and has been liked by many readers in the community. One of the reader away from Lafayette liked it so much that she wrote "Hi Jaybhai and Srinivasan, I have shared your newsletter with our community here. You should have many more subscribers soon. I liked this month's issue the most. I will mail you a check for

my donation. Thanks again for the wonderful newsletter, it's very enlightening!!!!! Good Luck! ". Many folks behind the scene has helped with the newsletter publication. Our sincere thanks to all of them - my sadar pranam to you all sevaks.!

As our project kicks-in to a high gear, we will be actively seeking help from many volunteers with your multiple talents. Feel free to email or call or text us to sign-in. Your participation is very valuable and important for the growth of this organization.!

Our team has been busy in learning from other new Temple Projects in the area. Our group recently visited newly built Beaumont Temple and had a good Satsang with Swamiji (Chinmaya mission) there. This visit was organized by our dedicated devotee Kala Jaikishen. Our thanks to Kalaji.!

Beautiful Architectural plans of our Sanatan Hindu Sanskar Kendra Temple have been prepared in details. Traditional Hindu Mandir Architect with tall Gopuram and a large Ghummat really looks good with the originality of our Sanatan Hindu Dharma. We will share these with you at the AGB meeting.!

With humble pranam and Ja i Shree Krushna….from....!!Jayprakash Patel  

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We would like to get your comments, feedback or suggestions on SHSK activities. Please email us or talk to us when we meet together next time.!

Thank you for your support and blessings.!Srinivasan Ambatipati!

Editor

Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy Shrine at Bhadrachalam, Andhra Pradesh!The Temple was constructed in 17th Century by the local Tahsildar, Kancharla Gopanna, popularly known as Bhakta Ramadas, a fervent devotee of Lord Sri Rama

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