4th Quarter 2018 Oct. Nov. Dec.

TEMPLE TIMES

AQuarterlyPublica/onof

SriMeenakshiTempleSociety17130McLeanRoad,Pearland,TX77584

VIVAAH.....AnEventtoRemember!VijayNathan

OnSaturday,September8th,2018,theMeenakshiTempleKalyanaMandapamwastransformedintoagrandvenuerichlydecoratedinred&gold.AfabulousstagewithextendedrunwaycenteredtheroomandguestswereabletotakepictureswithanelaboraFve,decoraFvebackdrop.Toemphasizethethemeof"wedding,"anornateseervarisaigraced theentrywayand includedauthenFcbakshanams like large sizemurukku, athirasam, paruppu thengai, fruits, nutsmuchmore. ThecompletedecortogiveanambienceofagrandweddinghallwascreaFvelydesignedbyNaliniKannan.

Alongwith thiswas a long line of numerous donated silent aucFon items ofsaris, framed art, silver Kalasam, jewelry, and a full set of kolu dolls. GuestsdressedingrandfesFvewearwerereceivedwithtradiFonalkumkum,chandan,and jasmineflowerswithanopportunity todecoratetheirhandswitharFsFcmehendi,whilebeingtreatedtouniquesnacks.

ThemainfocusofthenightwastointroduceanewiniFaFvebytheMTSBoardtowelcome youth donorswith a handmade Kalpakavriksham [Wishing] Tree.Donorswereable tohang their nameson thegold treeandwill behonoredwith their names onMTS Youth Wall upon the compleFon of the KalyanaMandapamRenovaFon.

Guests of Honor Congressman Pete Olson presented a CongressionalproclamaFon and spoke on the importance of insFlling family values andcommunityinouryouth.MayorTomReidpresentedacerFficateincelebraFonof the event and endorsed the need to renovate the KalyanaMandapam toconFnue to be a center of family, community, and religious gatherings inPearland. Consul Mr. Amit Khanna represented the Indian Consulate onHoustonandspokeoftheauthenFcityandwarmfeelingofvisiFngMeenakshiTemple.

Duringtheevening,guestswereentertainedtoSangeeth,amelodiousvocal&instrumental ensemble by youth co-ordinated by Mahalakshmi Krishnan ofSreekrithi School of Music. A light hearted comedy skit enFtled "Love isForever" by local talent scriptedbyDrVaduganathanwas enjoyedby all andtook us back in Fme. The grand finale was "Mangalayam Thadhunanena," ashowcaseoftradiFonalweddingou^itsfromeachregionofIndia,co-ordinated&narratedbyVidvathaSridhar.

TheeveningculminatedinamulF-course,wedding-stylegrandfeastcateredbyMadrasPavilionservedonbananaleavesbytemplestaff&smilingvolunteers.Guests le` the event with favor bagsfor ladies & beeda pan handmade byvolunteers.

Vivaahwasaneventtoremember,honoringthehistoriclegacyofourTemplebyrecognizingitshistoricpast,invigoraFngouracFveyouthinthepresent,andlookingaheadtothefuturewewillbuildtogether.

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DATE DAY TIME EVENT

4-Oct Thu 7:00PM GuruPeyarchi,NavagrahaAbhishekam

6-Oct Sat 10:00AM GuruPeyarchiCelebra/ons,108KalasaAbhishekamforDakshinamurthy

10-Oct Wed 7:00PM NavarathiriBegins1stDay12-Oct Fri 6:00PM NavarathiriSuvasiniPuja17-Oct Wed 7:00PM Navarathiri8thDayDurgashtami18-Oct Thu 7:00PM Navarathiri9thDaySaraswathiPuja

18-Oct Thu 7:00PM MadhavacharyaJayanthi19-Oct Fri 7:00PM Vijayadasami24-Oct Wed 7:00PM SanthabhishekamforSriMeenakshi

24-Oct Wed 7:00PM AnnabhishekamforSiva

October2018

November2018DATE DAY TIME EVENT3-Nov Sat AllDay DeepavaliBazaar6-Nov Tue 7:00PM DeepavaliKatchi8-Nov Thu 7:00PM SkandaShas/1stday13-Nov Tue 7:00PM SkandaShas/Homam17-Nov Sat 7:00PM AyyappaMandalaPujaBegins20-Nov Tue 7:00PM KaisikaDwadasi23-Nov Fri 7:00PM KarthigaiDeepam

DATE DAY TIME EVENT1-Dec Sat 10:00AM MahaSathyanarayanaPuja

10-Dec Mon 7:00PM 4thKarthigaiSomavaram108SankaAbhishekam

18-Dec Tue 10:30AM SriVaikuntaEkadasi

22-Dec Sat 10:30AM AyyappaMandalaGheeAbhishekam

23-Dec Sun 10:30AM ArudraDarshanamNatarajarAbhishekam

26-Dec Wed 7:00PM AyyappaKalabhaAbhishekam

27-Dec Thu 7:00PM AyyappaMandalaPushpaAbhishekam

1-Jan Tue 8:00AM NewYearPujas

December2018

MainEventsCalendarfor4thquarterbyMonth

SriMeenakshiTempleSociety17130McLeanRoad,Pearland,TX-77584

ThanthraSãsthraasRitualPrac/ceinHinduDharmaAspecialtradi/onprac/cedinHinduRituals

BalaN.AiyerThanthra Sãsthra, an ancient and powerful science with its unique

ritualsandbeliefs,fellvicFmtotheravagesofFmeandfadedoutfrommost

parts of India. It was o`en looked upon as an extension of black magic.

Thanthra worships Shakthi (emphasizes female power) and emphasizes the

idenFty of the absolute and the phenomenal world, which can be realized

throughasetofpracFces.

ThanthrahasauniquetradiFonofguru-shishya(teacherandstudent)relaFonship. Here, a strong bond and good understanding between the

teacher and the taught is imperaFve for ahaining knowledge. IniFaFon into

mantra is itsprincipletool,whichispracFcedbytheacolyteunderhisguru'sstrict surveillance. The guru iniFates the student and gives somemantras.Thesemantras evoke immensepower through repeatedchanFng, sensiFzing

thebody.

ThanthraisolderthantheVédas,accordingtosomeschools,asfaras

the wrihen texts are concerned. Here, everything has to be pracFced and

performedtocatertotheneedsofindividualandthesocietyinordertolead

themtosalvaFon.ThisistheulFmateaimofThanthraSãsthra.Thanthraisnotrestricted to the priestly class of scholars. The Thanthra School welcomes

anybodywho is interested in the science, irrespecFve of class, creed or sex.

Womencanalso learnThanthra, thoughvery fewhavecomeforwardto join

theschool.Infact,womenaregivenprominenceinThanthra.

Thanthra worship is seen commonly in Temples in Kerala State ofIndia and temples built following those tradiFons. Many people who were

tranined in Thanthraalsouse them inHomePrayers and rituals. Thanthra isalso pracFced in some temples of North India such as Kamakhya temple in

Assam, Jagannath temple in Puri and Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. ButpeoplearescaredtolearnThanthraduetovariousmisconcepFons.Thanthrais o`en mistaken as a black magic cult in many parts of India. It is also

explainedasasexualritualandferFlitycultinmanyWesternliteratures.Both

these aspects are not true to realThanthra pracFce, except in some limited

sense.

Thanthra does not believe in the hierarchy of gods; i.e., one god issupremeandalltheothersareinferiortohim/her.AccordingtoThanthra,God[ParamaPurusha] isbeyond formandname.Whenwe invokeor install it, it

becomes a Deity [Vishnu, Şiva, Durga, Ayyappa etc] showing some of the

aspectsofdivinepowers.ThiswilldependuponthenatureofthemantrasandhandgesturesofThanthrausedattheserviceandthe‘sankalpas’thepersonswhoperformedthemhadattheFmeofconsecraFon.

PrinciplesofThanthraworshipandThanthraYoga

Historians divide Thanthra Sãsthra into four secFons; 1. KashmeeriThanthra.2.TibetanTanthra,3.VangaThanthra.4.KeralaThanthra. Thefirstthree deals with individual salvaFon. The last one, Kerala Thanthra, isconcerned more about the salvaFon of the enFre society. Hence the

concentraFonofKeralaThanthra isontempleworshipandtheritualsrelated

toit.

Thefundamentalprincipleoftempleworshipisintheritualsystemof

prayerstotheSupremeGodwhoisworshippedindifferentformsandnames

asmanifestaFons andAvathãras.Thanthra declares in crystal-clear languagethat differentDeiFes are different vibratory fields of the same god. Through

the complex rituals ofPraIshta (InstallaFon ceremony) and silent prayers, a

powerfulandaparFcularfieldofGod’svibraFonsarecreated.

ThanthraconsidersthetempleasthemanifestaFonofDivinityinthe

graphicform.Likeallritualsystems,Thanthraisalsocombinedinitallthefour

yogas (Karma yoga, BhakI yoga, Rãja yoga and Jñãna yoga). Thanthraborrows its principles and pracFces chiefly from Hatha yoga parts of Rãjayoga.HindutradiFons, inRãjaYoga,dividehumanbodyhorizontally intofive

sheaths. 1: Annamaya kosa (Physical sheath), 2: Pranamaya kosa (Psychicsheath),3:Manomayakosa(Mentalsheath),4:VijñãnamayaKosa(Intellectualsheath),5:Anandamayakosa(Causalsheath).

In the temples of Kerala, we can find the “Pancha-prãkarams” torepresentthesefivesheathsofhumanbody. InRãjaYogathehumanbodyis

divided verFcally into six charkas or power centers. They are1:Mooladharachakra, 2: Swãdhishana chakra, 3:Manipoora chakra, 4: Anahata chakra, 5:Vishaddha chakra, 6: Agnja (Aum) chakra. Above these shad-chakras (sixpowercenters),istheSahasraraPadmamwhichistheseventhchakraknown

as:(7)SudharsanaorSahasraChakraatthetop.

AttheFmeofPraIshta(installaFonceremony),usingmantrasandritualsparFculartothatDeity,theThanthriinvokesGodinthatparFcularform.They

willbeusingdifferentsetsofThanthraritualsandsilentprayerManthrasforthevariousDeiFesthatincludehandgesturesand“Mudhras”likeinIndianclassicaldances.Thanthramethodofhandgesturesareusedinallformsof

Védicrituals.SomeaspectsofThanthraarepracFcedinourdailyhomerituals

likeSandhyavandhanamandSuryanamaskãrams.Thisisalsousedinmany

homepoojasasalsoinallTempleritualsandHomam[Havan]likefirerituals.

EVENTS FOR 4th QUARTER DATE DAY TIME EVENT

2-Oct Tue 7:00PM AshtamiBairavarAbhishekam

4-Oct Thu 7:00PM GuruPeyarchi,NavagrahaAbhishekam3-Oct Wed 7:00PM PunarvasuSriRamaAbhishekam

5-Oct Fri 7:00PM EkadasiSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

6-Oct Sat 10:00AMGuruPeyarchiCelebra/ons,108KalasaAbhishekamforSriDakshinamurthy

6-Oct Sat 10:30AM VenkateswaraAbhishekam

6-Oct Sat 7:00PMPradoshamNandi&SivaAbhishekam&

Procession

7-Oct Sun 10:30AM VenkateswaraAbhishekam

10-Oct Wed 7:00PM NavarathiriBegins1stDay12-Oct Fri 6:00PM NavarathiriSuvasiniPuja12-Oct Fri 7:00PM MahaGanapathyAbhishekam

13-Oct Sat 10:30AM VenkateswaraAbhishekam

14-Oct Sun 10:30AMSuklaSashFSriSubramanya

Abhishekam

14-Oct Sun 10:30AM MulamSriAnjaneyarAbhishekam

17-Oct Wed 7:00PM Navarathiri8thDayDurgashtami

18-Oct Thu 7:00PM Navarathiri9thDaySaraswathiPuja18-Oct Thu 7:00PM MadhavacharyaJayanthi18-Oct Thu 7:00PM SravanamSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

19-Oct Fri 7:00PM Vijayadasami

20-Oct Sat 10:30AM EkadasiSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

22-Oct Mon 7:00PMPradoshamNandi&SivaAbhishekam&

Procession

24-Oct Wed 7:00PM SanthabhishekamforSriMeenakshi24-Oct Wed 7:00PM AnnabhishekamforSiva

24-Oct Wed 7:00PM SathyanarayanaPuja

26-Oct Fri 7:00PM KrithikaiSriSubramanyaAbhishekam

27-Oct Sat 7:00PMSankataharaChathurthiGanapathi

Homam&Abhisheham

31-Oct Wed 7:00PM AshtamiBairavarAbhishekam

3-Nov Sat AllDay DeepavaliBazaar3-Nov Sat 10:30AM EkadasiSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

4-Nov Sun 10:30AM SriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

5-Nov Mon 7:00PMPradoshamNandi&SivaAbhishekam&

Procession

DATE DAY TIME EVENT

6-Nov Tue 7:00PM DeepavaliKatchi

8-Nov Thu 7:00PM SkandaShas/1stday

11-Nov Sun 10:30AM MahaGanapathyAbhishekam

11-Nov Sun 10:30AM MulamSriAnjaneyarAbhishekam

11-Nov Sun 11:00AM MeenakshiAbhishekam

13-Nov Tue 7:00PM SkandaShas/Homam

14-Nov Wed 7:00PMSravanamSriVenkateswara

Abhishekam

17-Nov Sat 7:00PM AyyappaMandalaPujaBegins

18-Nov Sun 10:30AM EkadasiSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

19-Nov Mon 7:00PM Krithigai1stSomavaraPuja

20-Nov Tue 7:00PMPradoshamNandi&SivaAbhishekam

&Procession

20-Nov Tue 7:00PM KaisikaDwadasi

22-Nov Thu 7:00PM SathyanarayanaPuja

23-Nov Fri 7:00PM KrithikaiSriSubramanyaAbhishekam

23-Nov Fri 7:00PM KarthigaiDeepam

26-Nov Mon 7:00PM Karthikai2ndSomavaraPuja

26-Nov Mon 7:00PM PunarvasuSriRamaAbhishekam

26-Nov Mon 7:00PMSankataharaChathurthiGanapathi

Homam&Abhisheham

30-Nov Fri 7:00PM AshtamiBairavarAbhishekam

1-Dec Sat 10:00AM MahaSathyanarayanaPuja

2-Dec Sun 10:30AM EkadasiSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

3-Dec Mon 7:00PM 3rdKarthigaiSomavaram

4-Dec Tue 7:00PMPradoshamNandi&SivaAbhishekam

&Procession

8-Dec Sat 10:30AM MulamSriAnjaneyarAbhishekam

9-Dec Sun 11:00AM MeenakshiAbhishekam

10-Dec Mon 7:00PM4thKarthigaiSomavaram108SankaAbhishekam

11-Dec Tue 7:00PM MahaGanapathyAbhishekam

11-Dec Tue 7:00PMSravanamSriVenkateswara

Abhishekam

13-Dec Thu 7:00PMSuklaSashFSriSubramanya

Abhishekam

18-Dec Tue 10:30AM SriVaikuntaEkadasi

REGULARLYSCHEDULEDWEEKLYABHISHEKAMSriGaneshaHomam&Abhishekam……………………………….……….Alldays7:00AM

SriSiva(Sundareswara)&SriMeenakshiAbhishekam……………Alldays9:00AM

SriSiva(Sundareswara)Abhishekam……………………….………Mondays7:00PM**

SriDurgaAbhishekam……………………………..……………………….…Tuesdays7:00PM

SriPadmavathyAbhishekam……………………………….…………………Fridays6:30PM

SriMeenakshiAbhishekam&LalithaSahasranamavali…….……Fridays7:00PM

LastFridayofthemonth–LalithaSahasranamavali&ShodasaUpacharam

SriNavagrahaAbhishekam……….……………….…………….….……Saturdays11:00AM

SriAyyappaAbhishekam………………………………………….……Saturdays10:00AM*

SriKanyakaParameswariAbhishekam…….LastSundayoftheMonth10:00AM

SriMeenakshiAbhishekam……….…SecondSundayoftheMonth11:00AM**

SriVenkateswaraAbhishekam.………….….FirstSundayoftheMonth10:30AM

*PleaseNote:FromNov.17toDec.27th…….AyyappaMandalaPujadaily

at9:00:AMAyyappa..Abhishekamand7:00PM:Specialalankaramand

sahasranamaarchana

**PleaseNote:FromDec.16thtoJan.14th…SriMeenakshiAbhishekam

andSriSivaAbhishekam6:00AMfollowedbyThituppavai,Thiruvembavai

DATE DAY TIME EVENT

18-Dec Tue 7:00PM EkadasiSriVenkateswaraAbhishekam

20-Dec Thu 7:00PMPradoshamNandi&SivaAbhishekam

&Procession

20-Dec Thu 7:00PM KrithikaiSriSubramanyaAbhishekam

22-Dec Sat 10:30AM AyyappaMandalaGheeAbhishekam

22-Dec Sat 7:00PM SathyanarayanaPuja

23-Dec Sun 10:30AMArudraDarshanamNatarajarAbhishekam

24-Dec Mon 7:00PM PunarvasuSriRamaAbhishekam

25-Dec Tue 7:00PMSankataharaChathurthiGanapathi

Homam&Abhisheham

26-Dec Wed 7:00PM AyyappaKalabhaAbhishekam

27-Dec Thu 7:00PMAyyappaMandalaPushpaAbhishekam

29-Dec Sat 11:00AM AshtamiBairavarAbhishekam

31-Dec Mon 11:55PMNewYearspecialPujawithMidnight

Aarathi

1-Jan Tue 8:00AM NewYearPujas

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SignificanceofMainEventsinfourthQuarterof2018

ByM.K.Sriram

Deepavali

Deepavali, the fesFval of Lights, (deep means "light" and avali "a row" tobecome"arowoflights.") isconsideredasoneofthemostimportantfesFvals

inourSanathanaDharma.ItsymbolizescelebraFonofthevictoryofgoodover

evil. ItisbelievedthatthedemonkingNarakasurawhocausedmanyhardship

topeople,especiallywomenwaskilledbyLordSriKrishnathisday.Itisadayof

fesFviFesthatreallytranscendsthebordersofreligion. InsouthIndia, people

take an oil bath earlymorning onDeepavali day andwear new clothes. It is

believedthatallthewatersturnintotheholywatersofGangaduringtheearly

morning Brahma muhurtham. Meenakshi temple is the shining jewel of

worship, so what beher place to enjoy this day other than Sri Meenakshi

Temple. Thehighlightof thereligiousevent isanelaborateLakshmiPujawith

sahasranama(1008names)archanaisperformedintheevening. SriLakshmiis

thentakenonaprocessionaroundthetemplewithgreatfanfareandpompina

mostbeauFfullydecoratedandshiningsilverRatham(chariot). Hundredsand

hundreds of devotees take part in pulling the chariot rope to the resounding

drumbeatofchendamelam(tradiFonaldrumsofKerala). Thehighlightofthe

fesFvalisthespectacularfireworksshow-Diwaliandfireworksaresynonymous

tomany.

Navarathri

Navarathriisanine-dayfesFvalthatoccurstwiceayear,onceinspringandthe

otherinfallcalledtheSaradaNavarathri. Thelaherismorewidelycelebrated,

which this year is fromOctober 10th Fll October 19th.Worshipping theDivine

Mother in Her three magnificent forms, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and

Mahasaraswathi is themain significanceofSaradaNavarathri. It isamaherof

greatpridethatourreligiongivessomuchimportancetothemotheraspectof

God because we believe that mother is the creaFve aspect of the absolute.

During these nine days, different aspects of the supreme Goddess are

celebrated.ThefirstthreedaysaredevotedtoSriDurga,whodestroysevil.For

thenextthreedays,SriLakshmiwhograntswealthandprosperityisworshipped

andduringthelastthreedays,SriSaraswathi,theGoddessofwisdomisrevered.

One of the tradiFons followed in Southern India is the display of dolls called

Golu. These include gods, goddesses, animals, birds and rural life all in a

miniature design. People set up their own creaFve themes in their homes.

Meenakshi Temple has also followed this tradiFon and the volunteers with

shilpissetupspectacularGolus.

ThetempleismostbeauFfullydecoratedandspecialmorningandeveningpujas

areperformedtoGoddessMeenakshi.Sheisadornedwithexquisitevasthrams

andabharanams.LalithaSahasranamastotrasarerecitedeverydaybymany

devoteeswhichsetsuchadivinevibraFonthroughoutthetemple.Everyday,the

priestsdecoratetheutsavamurthysamazinglyandverycreaFvelyindifferent

mythologicalforms.TheAmbaldeiFes’alankaramsincludeSriRajarajeswari,Sri

Annapoorni,SriVisalakshi,OonjalSevai,etc.whileLordVenkateswara’sutsava

murthiwasdecoratedasVakuntaNathan,LakshmiNarayanan,Navaneetha

Krishnan,KalingaMarthanametc.

SkandaShas/

ThisisasixdayfesFvalcommemoratesthedestrucFonofevilbytheSupreme

CommanderLordSubramanya,orKarFkeya,thesonofLordShiva.

ThestoryofSkandaShasFisthestoryofthebirthofSkandaorKumaraandthe

fulfillmentof thepurposeofHisdivine incarnaFon. Tormentedby theasura

Tarakasura,thedevaswiththeirleaderIndrawenttoBrahmaforhelp.Brahma

in turn said thatonly the sparkof LordShiva canproduce theherowhowill

defeatthepowersofevil. DuetothepenanceofParvathiandthesacrificeof

Kama, Lord Shiva aroused from his deepmeditaFon threw a spark thatwas

nobodycouldbear.ItfinallycametoGangawhointurnthrewitintotheSara

Vana(forestofarrow likegrass), ThusSaravanabhavawasborn. Hedivided

himselfintosixbabiesandraisedbythesixmothersofthedivineconstellaFon

of Krithikai.When Parvathi came and gathered the babies, He becameOne,

calledShanmukha,theonewithsixfacesandonebody. Heisalsoknownas

Murugaandmade theSupremeCommander (DevaSenapathi). He received

from his mother Parasakthi, an all powerful Vel (spear), hence also called

SakthiVelan. He engaged the armies of Simhamukha, Surapadman and

Tarakasuraonasix-daybahleandvanquishedallofthemonthesixthday.The

asuraswere annihilated and thedevaswere liberated. The sixth dayof the

waxingmoon(Shukla)intheTamilmonthofAippasi(Oct/Nov)iscelebratedas

SkandaShasF.

The Tiruppugal, a popular religious book in Tamil, contains the inspiring

devoFonal songs of Arunagirinathar in praise of Lord Subramanya. Hymns

from Kavadichindu and the Skanda SashF Kavacham are also sung on this

occasion.

VaikuntaEkadasi

This isavery importantandauspicious fesFvaldedicatedtoSriMahaVishnu

and occurs on the eleventh day of thewaxingmoon (Shukla pakshe) in the

Tamilmonth ofMarghazhi (December/January). According to the Padma

Purana,LordVishnutooktheformoffemaleenergyEkadasitokillthedemon

Muran. The Lord then proclaimed thatwhoever observes the vratham and

worshipshimonthisdaywillahainhisheavenlyabodeVaikunta.Manydevout

bhaktasfastonthisdayandobservevigilallnight,meditaFngandperforming

pujafortheLord. Riceiscompletelyavoidedthisday,sinceitisbelievedthat

thedemonMuranfindsahidingplaceeveninagrainofrice.Itisbelievedthat

thegates toheaven (SwargaVaasal)opens thatday, so thedevoteesallover

theworldvisitMahaVishnutemplesandpassthroughthisgate. Hundredsof

devoteesthrongtheMeenakshiTempletoworshiptheLordandpartakeinthe

fesFvaleveryyear.

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MTSScholarships2018byBhargaviGolla

OneoftheprimaryobjecFvesoftheSriMeenakshiTempleistobeinvolvedin

religious, cultural, educaFonal, social and charitable acFviFes of the

community. In keeping with those objecFves, the Temple awarded 14

scholarshipstoHighSchoolgraduatesthisyear.Twoscholarshipsweregivento

PearlandHighSchools,oneatPearlandHighSchoolandoneatRobertTurner

High School. Twelve Scholarships were given at the the Annual Banquet on

September 8th, 2018 with one of those as special award in memory of Sri

Rajarathna Bhahar. On behalf of Sri MTS I wish them congratulaFons and

conFnuedsuccessintheyearsahead.

Bhargavi Golla

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Bhargavi Golla

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17130 McLean Road, Pearland, TX 77584 Invites you to celebrate

Ayyappa Mandala Puja (November 17th to December 27, 2018)

November 16, 2018 10:00 AM- Sapthasudhi Abishekam

Sponsorship $31 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 17th, 2018 to December 27th,2018

9:00AM-Abhishekam & Malar Nyvediyam; 9:45AM- Usha pooja; 11:00AM - Uccha pooja

6:00 PM- Deeparadhana; 7:00 PM- Sahasranama Archana;

8:30 PM-Harivarasanam. Sponsorship $51

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- December 16th 2018 – 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM

Akandanama Japam ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 22nd 2018 – 9:00 AM Ghee Abhishekam

Laksharchana followed by Procession. Sponsorship $31

December 26th 2018 – 10:00 AM Kalabha Abhishekam

Sponsorship $31 ------------------------------------------------ December 27th 2018 7:00 PM

Pushpabhishekam followed by Harivarasanam .

Mandala Puja Completion --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For further information, please call temple office at

281-489-0358 Extn 100 or 110. Or you may contact Sheila at sriramsheila@gmail.com, or

Dhani Kannan at dhanikannan@yahoo.com

LORDAYYAPPA&SACRED18STEPS

(SasidharanPillai)

TATVAMASI:Meansyouthat,thatwhatyoucameseekingisnoneotherthan

you.

Severalmythspersist regardingthesignificanceof thePathituthrippadikalor

the18holysteps,butalmostallofthemstresstheimportanceofthenumber

18.Accordingtoapopularbelief,thefirst5stepssignifythefiveindriyasorthe

senses (eyes,ears,nose,tongue and skin).the following 8 the Ragas -

(Tatwa,kama,krodha,moha, lobha,madha,matsraya and ahamakra),the next 3

the gunas (satwa,rajas and thamas) followed by vidya and avidya. Climbing

thesewouldtakethedevoteeclosertoself-realizaFon.Theactofcrossingthe

18 steps is so sacred that nobody canmount themwithout undertaking the

rigorous41day fast and carrying the Irumudi, It is alsowidelyassumed that

the pathinehu padikal symbolize the 18 Puranas: others believe that they

cannotethe18weaponswithwhichLordAyyappanobliteratedevil.

An Ayyappa devotee crosses the Pathinehampadi only twice during his

sojournonSabarimal-forenteringthetempleaogodownhill.Beforeascending

ordecendingthesteps,pilgrimsbreakcocnutasanofferingtothesteps.One

needstohavethesacredIrumudionheadwhilegoingupordownthe18steps

andwhiledescendingthestepsthedevoteesclimbdownbackwardsfacingthe

sanctumsanctorum.

1.Ears: (sound) Listen only to good talks related to God (satsangs) avoidlisteningtogossipingthatstrengthenourEgooffindingfaultwithothersand

feelussuperior.

2.Eyes: (sight) See things that are good and create inner inspiraFon. Avoidsensual sights that trigger unwanted desires in us, like sexual content or

material possessions. But those things thatmeet our basic needs of life and

notthatfulfillsourwants(greed).

3.Skin:(Touch)SFmulaFngtouch(sex)istobeavoided.Enjoysenseoftouch

ofJapa-mala(rosarybeads)thathelpsinchanFngGod’sname.Feelthefeather

so`offlowersandfeelthatweshouldshowthatso`compassiontoothers.

4.Nose: (smell)AssociatesmellsofflowersandscentsrelatedtoLord’spuja.

PayahenFontoaddicFvesmelloffood.

5.Tongue:(taste)EatverysatwicfoodthatdoesnotcreateaddicFonandover-indulgence like sweets and spicy hot foods. Eat food that are healthy and

natural.Onecaneatnaturalsweetslikedates,rasinsandhoney.

6.Kama:(DesireorPossession)

7.Krodha:(angerwhendesiresdonotgetfulfilledorwhendesiredpossessionislost)

8.Lobha: (greedtofulfill thedesireornotallowinganyonepartake inones’spossession)

9.Moha:(InfatuaFonoftheobtainedresultorhavingthepossession)

10.Mada:(prideofgewngthedesirefulfilledorhavingapossession)

11.Matsarya:(Jealouslythatothersshouldnotgetwhatwehavefulfilledourdesireorwhenothershaveapossessionthatwehave)

12.Tamas:(TheInerFa(nottodoacFon)orlazyorsluggishawtudeisTamasic.

This is overcomebydoing gewngupearly inmorninghaving cold-water –

bathsdoingpujaorworship.Wedon’twanttodothesebe3causewearelazy

indoingthis.OnlybydoingtheseweovercomeTamasicnature.

13.Rajas:AcFonorientedwith the feelingof “I”.Byconstantmantra japaof

SaranamAyyappa,thisIdoingtheacFonfeelinggetdiminished.

14.SaivaGoodness:ThefeelingofIamgood,isalsoaegofeeling.Thatalso

shouldbetranscendedasKrishsaysinGita.Feeleveryonewhoaredoingbad

aredoingdueto ignorance.Weshouldnot ignorethem,bycompassionhelp

themtogrowoutofit.

15.Raga:Thestronglikesorahachmentsthatweuseinmakingdecisions.This

ispossibleonlybydevelopingBhakthitoAyyappa.Thismeanstosurrenderall

likestoLordAyyappaforthecommongood.

16.Dvesha:Sameway the strongdislikes also shouldbe givenup inmaking

decisions. Also through surrender awtude (Bhakthi) we can transcend this

awtude.

17. Avidya: The knowledge about physical material things alone is Avidya.

VidyaistheknowledgeofTruth.ByahendingsatsangsofGurualonewillhelp

togainthehighestknowledge.

18.Ahamkara:(IdenFty)Alltheahachmentsissummarizedasthisonefactor;

theidenFtyfeelingof“I”.This isthefinalstepsorblock inreachingAyyappa.

Wearing black clothes and addressing ourselves and others as “Swami

Ayyappa”dissolvesthisidenFtylikeasaltdollpluningintoasalyocean.

All theseexercisesare included in theAyyappa41daysVratham.Onlydoing

thesepracFcesonemakestheIrumudi-KehuandgoestoAyyappa.Thisiswhy

the18stepsareallowedtosteponlythosewhohavetheIrumudi-Kehu,which

meanstheyhaveHavepracFcedthe18stepstorealizetheLord.Alltheabove

18aspectsofEgoshrinkstoidenFtytoameremortalbodysubjectedtobirth

and death. But doing the 18 exercises one transcends these 18 blocks and

ahainsSelf-realizaFon.

SWAMIYESARANAMAYYAPPA

AhamBrahmasmi-TatTvamAsi

Bhargavi Golla

23

Bhargavi Golla

24

Bhargavi Golla

25

SANATHANADHARMA–THEPRACTICALWAY(Part3)

MEANINGFULTEMPLEWORSHIP

ByM.K.Sriram

HariOm!OmGurubhyoNamaha.HaraHaraShankara,JayaJayaShankara.

One of our prime duFes as human beings is to avail ourselves of every

opportunity todogood toothers.Doingunselfishservice tohelpothersand

for the common good of theworld, either by one’s own physical effort and

withone’sownhandsormonetarilywithinone’smeans,isconsideredtobean

unparalleledservicetoGod.

WeworshiptheSupremeGodorBrahmaninmanyforms,ofwhicheachform

magnifiesadivineaspect.GodrealizaFonisaprocesswhereinwemosto`en

realizeoverFme,thatweareallpartoftheWholeandthatWholeresidesin

eachoneofus.ThisistheessenceofAdvaita,whichliterallymeans“NoTwo”,

and is clearly an unambiguous way of saying “One”. Each of us is thus a

Temple.TheextensionoftheTempleinourselvesisthePujaorprayerroomin

ourhome.AfurtherextensionisatemplelikeourownSriMeenakshiTemple.

Thisisaveryfundamentalconceptthatweneedtoreflectonandabsorb.

Wewant our temple to be clean and immaculate, beauFfully decorated and

haveanambienceofutmostpurityanddivinity.Weshouldtreatandkeepour

ownbodyandmindthesamewaywedoourtemple,sothattheelementof

God inusstayswithusalways. WewillneverwanttherouFneNithyapujas

(daily pujas) at the temple to be interrupted or missed, the same way we

shouldstrivetodoourdailyprescribedpujasathomewithoutfail. Banishall

impure and negaFve thoughts from your mind. PracFce Ahimsa or non-

violence. Rememberthatit includesacFonsaswellasthoughts. Neverhurt

another being even by thought. Build a strong foundaFon of Guru bhakF

whichwill helpbuildourdedicaFonanddevoFon toDeivaBhakF. Theone

cure for all human ills is thepower to endure themwith faith inGuru’s and

God’sgrace.BhakIalonecangivethatpowerofendurance.Templesarethe

agenciesfortheculFvaFonofbhakI.

Wewillbeguiltyofgross ingraFtudeifwedonotofferfirsttoGod,whatwe

eatorwear.OnlythebestandthechoicestshouldbeofferedtoGod.Itisnot

everyone that can dopooja at home andmake these offerings to God. It is

here that temples come into the picture. Offerings aremade to God in the

templesonbehalfoftheenFrecommunity.Whatisthesignificanceofmaking

offerings to the idols installed in temples? This is done as an expression of

graFtudetothePowerthatcreatedall things.Man,byhimselfcannotcreate

evenabladeofgrass.

Wewillbeguiltyofgross ingraFtudeifwedonotofferfirsttoGod,whatwe

eatorwear.OnlythebestandthechoicestshouldbeofferedtoGod.Itisnot

everyonethatcandopujaathomeandmaketheseofferingstoGod.Itishere

thattemplescomeintothepicture.OfferingsaremadetoGodinthetemples

onbehalfoftheenFrecommunity.

Whenwestandbeforeapictureor idolofadeity in theprayer room inour

home and worship, we are really invoking the power of the deity into

ourselves, with single mindedness, into our body and mind, into our own

temple,andprayingtothedivinity. Now,whenwevisitthetemple,wearein

the company of other devotees, someFmes in the hundreds, worshipping

together. The deiFes in the temple have been installed and consecrated by

learnedpriestsaccordingtothe Agamasastras,whichgivethemthesancFty

anddivinitythatwecannotachieveatourhome. So,justimaginethepower

andholinessthereisatthetemplewhenhundredsofdevoteessimultaneously

invokeforinstanceSriMeenakshiintotheirhearts,andcollecFvelysayprayers

andworshipHer. Mostofusmayknowafewslokaswhichwerecitesincerely

to Her, but then at the temple, we have the priests offering various Vedic

mantras, slokas, hymns and composiFons by saints. We now have the

extraordinaryprivilegeoftheseprayersbeingofferedtoSriMeenakshiinvoked

inourownbodyandmind. Weourselvesprobablymaynoteverrise tothe

levelofscholarshipofthetrainedpriests,norhavethecapacityorresourcesto

perform on our own, big yagnas like the Chandi Homam, Maha Sudarsana

HomamorMahaRudram,but itdoesnot reallymaher somuch. Whenwe

sponsortheeventandmakethesankalpamandparFcipate,thenalltherituals

performed andmantrams chantedwill certainly reach the deity in ourselves

andwewillgetthefullbenefitbyjuststayingfocusedduringthepuja,chanFng

inourmindOmNamoNarayanaorOmNamaShivaya.Whenthepriestsoffer

flowersduringanarchana,itislikeeachflowerisplacedatthelotusfeetofSri

Ambal inourhearts. When theydoabhishekam to LordVenkateswara, it is

actuallyanabhishekamtotheVenkateswarawhoisinvokedinyourheart.You

cannowfeeltheLordinsideyou,andenjoytheexperienceinaverypersonal

way.IfyouremembertoapplythisthoughteachFmeyouvisitandworshipat

the temple, without a quesFon, your level of personal engagement will

significantlyrise,andyourexperiencewillbeextremelyfulfillingandsublime.

Wakeuptomorrowtobeabeherpersonthantoday.

YathirajaVaibhavamVIDr.K.P.Sarathy

IISrimatheRamanujayanama:IISriBhashyam Thiswork took shape in thewrihen form (palm leaves) a`er Ramanuja

taught his students in mulFple sessions in Srirangam. This starts with a

mangalaslokam:

AkhilabhuvanajanmasthemabhangaadhileelevinathavividhabhoothavraatharakshaikadheeksheISruthisirasividheeptheBrahmaniSrinivasebhavathumamaparasminsemusheebhakthirupaaII

Lord creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Lord Srinivasa shown by

Vedanthas is determined to protect those following the path established by

Him.TomeditateonsuchaBrahmaninbhakthirupamIprayLordSrinivasan.

Srivaishnavas have the tradiFon of starFng any work with mangala slokam,

prayingtotheLordtosuccessfullycompletetheworkandalso invokingtheir

achaaryars’ blessings to provide the knowledge to achieve the goal without

anyblemish.

Sribhashyam has four parts. In the first part Ramanuja establishes using the

Brahma Sutras that Sriman Narayanan is the cause for the creaFon of the

universe.InthesecondpartheremovestheobjecFonsofotherphilosophers

tothis.Inthethirdpartheshowstheupaayam(themeans)toreachHimand

in thefinal part hediscusses thebenefits of following theupaayam,namely

reaching SriVaikuntam to be in service of the Lord forever. The term

VisishtaadvaithamwasintroducedbylaterAchaaryarsprobablybyNadaadoor

Ammal, the grandson of Nadaadoor Azhwaan – a student of Ramanuja. The

concept of NirViseshaadvaitham (God with no ahributes) is denied and the

SaVisheshaadvaitham, Sriman Narayanan with infinite kalyaana gunaas was

established in this work. Our scriptures have Abeda SruFs (those verses

showingtheonenessofBrahmanandallcreaFons)andalsohaveBedaSruFs

(showingthedifferences).Differentphilosophershavepreferredoneoverthe

otherwhileRamanujaconsideredallversestobeequallyimportantandusing

Ghataka sruFs, a third category in scriptures, proved that SriVaishnava

siddaanthamwastheintenFonofourscriptures. Thoughthisworkwasdone

in Srirangam Ramanuja prays to Srinivasan, Thirupathi Venkateswara. In the

earlierwork inThirupathiheaddressed the Lordas Seshasaayee referring to

Srirangam Ranganathan It looks like wherever he was he was missing the

other place. It is customary to learnVedaartha Saarambefore ahempFng to

learnSriBhaasyam.

VedaanthaDeepamandVedaanthaSaaramVedanthadeepamenlightenswhatiscontainedinBrahmasutras.Vedaantha

Saaram is a short condensed form of SriBhashyam. These two works are

recommended for those who find SriBhashyam to be too elaborate. Later

AchaaryarshadcommentedontheseworkswhicharelearntwithSriBhasyam.

GitaBhaashyam RamanujabasedhiscommentaryonBhaghavathGitaontheearlierwork,

GithaArthaSangraham, by Swamy Alavandaar who was the head of

SriVaishnavaasbeforeRamanuja.SwamyAlavandaarcondensedtheessenceof

Gita in 32 slokas bringing out the fundamentals of SriVaishnava philosophy

(now known as Visishtaadvaitham). TradiFonally the 18 chapters of Gita is

categorizedunder3groupsof6chapterseach,called3shadgams.Inthefirst

shadgamSriKrishnadoesupadesamtoArjunaabouttheimportanceofgaining

theknowledgeaboutAthma(individualsoul)–Athmaswarupam.Togainthis

thejeevan(theindividual)hastopracFceKarmaYogamwhichleadstoGyaana

yogam which results in the realizaFon of Athma. As per SriVaishnava

siddaanthamwithoutengaginginkarmasprescribedinourscripturesthisgoal

cannot be reached. In the middle shadgam SriKrishna teaches about the

knowledge of Paramaathma swarupam, which can be realized by Bhakthi

yogam. In the final shadgam the results of observing Karma, Gyaana and

Bhakthiyogamsare explained.Suchayogi reachesthepermanentabodeof

Bhagavaan, SriVaikuntam engaging in the service of Lord, Sriman Narayana,

with no scope for rebirth. Ramanuja clearly establishes that Karma and

GyaanayogasareprerequisiteforBhakthiYogaandtheyarenotindependent

meanstoachieveMokshamwhichisthestatewheretheindividualenjoysthe

companyofthelordinSriVaikuntamwithnochanceforrebirthduetokarmas.

Ramanujahasanalyzedeach leher ineachwordofGitaasper saasthraas to

showusthatBhagavaanSriKrishnaisendowedwithlimitlesskalyaanagunaas

andoutofcompassionforustakesvariousavathaaraastobereachablebyus.

ThenatureoftheindividualsoulsandofGod,therelaFonshipbetweenthem

and the means and the meaning of liberaFon are explained in his Gita

Bhashyam.Inchapter2,slokam12

Nathvevaahamjaatunaasamnathvamnemejanaadhipaa:INachaevanabhavishyaama:sarvevayamatha:paramII

SriKrishnasays that therewasnoFmewhenyoudidnotexist, therewasno

FmeIorallthesemahersceased

toexist.AllofuswillconFnuetoexistforever.Thevisishtaadviathaprinciples

areclearlyestablishedhere.Thescripturesstatementsthatthereisnosecond

to God should be understood as God with all creaFons as His body has no

second.Inchapter2,slokam21SriKrishnaadvisesthatthesoulbeunderstood

ashavingnobeginningorendandindestrucFble:

VedaavinaasinamnithyamyaenamajamavyayamIKathamsapurusha:PaarthakamghaathayathihanthikamIIInthesamechapterslokam47establishesthatkarmayogamshouldnotbe

abandoned.

KarmanyevaadhikaarasthemaaphaleshukadaachanaIMaaphalahethurbhuurmaathesangosthavakarmaniII

KrishnasaysthatyouhavetherighttoengageinacFons(karmaasallowedby

the scriptures) but not for the results of such acFons. Do not act for selfish

reasonsnorbeinacFve.

BhokthaaramyagnyathapasaamsarvalokaMaheswaramISuhrudamsarvabhoothaanaamgnyaathvaamaamsaanthimrucchathi II Ch5slokam29

KrishnasaysintheaboveslokamthatHeistheLordofalltheworldsandHeis

theobjectofallausteriFesandfiresacrificesobservedbywisemen.Heisdear

toallandwhoeverrealizesthesewillliveinpeace.

InGita chapter7, slokam7SriKrishna says that there isnoonegreater than

HimindicaFngHisparathathvam.

MaththaparatharamnaanyakinchidasthiDhananjayaIMayisarvamidamprothamsoothremaniganaaivaII7.7In chapter 9 slokam 17 Krishna declares that He is the father, mother,

grandfather,thesustainerofall livesandthegoaltobereachedbythevedic

knowledge. In the very next slokam He says that He is the nourisher and

creatorofall,supremewell-wisherandrefugeforall.Inchapter9,slokams20

and 21 the results of performing sacrificial acFons as shown in the karma

kaanda of vedaas are explained. Thesewill lead to temperory enjoyment as

desired by individuals but finallywill push themback to samsaaram (wordly

life).

Kaamyaanaamkarmanaamnyaasamsanyaasamkavayovidu:ISarvakarmaphalathyaagampraahusthyaagamvichakshanaa:II18.2Thyaajyamdoshavadithyekekarmapraahurmaneeshin:IYagnyadaanathapa:karmanathyaajyamithichaapareII18.3YethaanyapithukarmaanisangamthyakthvaaphalaanichaIKarthavyaaneethimePaarthanischithammathamuththamamII18.6Some define sanyaasam as the state where the acFons yielding results are

abandoned. Some experts advocate that all acFons should be given up like

renouncing greed. Yet others insist that the acFons like thapas, daanamand

yaagam should never be given up. Sri Krishna says, Arjunaa, these holy acts

shouldalwaysbeobservedsincetheyaremycommands.Thesekarmasshould

beperformedwithoutanyahachmenttotheresultsofsuchacFons.Sinceitis

relaFvely easier to follow Bhaghavath gita compared to Vedaantham

Ramanuja’s work on Gita is elaborated here. From these sample slokas Sri

Vaishnava siddaantam that SriKrishna is the absolute Lord, we are different

fromHimandourgoalistoreachHim,isfirmlyestablished.

The individual without any break observing all karmas prescribed for him

obtainstheknowledgeaboutthenatureofthesoulwhichtakeshimtobhakthi

maargam to surrender (saranaagathi) to SriKrishna. This bhakthimaargam is

differentfromthetermhistoriansusetoimplyloveforGodandisverydifficult

to pracFce.We probably cannot think of anyone engaged in Bhakthi yogam

today. SriKrishna gives an easy soluFon to this in the concluding part of the

Gita.

SarvadarmaanparityajyaMaamekamsaranamvrajaIAhamthvaasarvapaapebhyomoksha-yishyaamimaasucha:IICh18slokam66

If youareunable toengage in theseyogaasand if you surrender to

me andme alone as a sole refuge I will remove all your sins and give you

Mokshamwithoutanydoubt.……….tobecon/nued

Some criteria, MTS membership Rules and Guidelines: 1. Membership of MTS shall be open to anyone who follows the Hindu religious faith and Culture and believe in the objectives of MTS and meets the MTS By-laws requirements.(Article II: Section 1) 2. Applicant of 20 years of age or older shall become a Primary member after the Membership committee’s review and approval by the Board of Directors. Such Primary members will be in “Provisional” status for one year until they have satisfactorily demonstrated their support for MTS goals and objectives as in the By-laws. At that time, the member’s status will be converted to “Active” subject to review by the Membership committee and approval by the Board. (Article II: Section 3 & 4)

o Provisional members, shall not have privileges to vote or to hold elected offices on the Board. They may attend General Body meetings as nonvoting members.

3. Both husband and wife must apply individually for their respective membership (Article II: Section 8) 4. Primary members who file their membership forms annually and pay the annual dues, if any, shall be “Active” in status. Such members shall constitute the General Body of MTS. (Article II: Section 9) 5. Youth members are children of Active Primary and Senior members between ages 13 and 19. Membership and renewal forms for Youth members shall be signed by their parents or guardians. (Article II: Section 11) 6. Persons employed as Staff members or gainfully employed on contract by MTS, shall not be accepted as Primary members. (Article II: Section 14) 7. An active member shall become a “life” member upon payment of the necessary dues during the calendar year and applying for the same within 90 days following the end of the calendar year. (Article VII: Section 8)

8. All members must renew their membership every year, by January 1, by completing and filing the annual membership renewal form and paying the annual dues. (Article V: Section 1) 9. Extended renewal time or grace period is 1st January to 31st March. (Article V: Section 1) 10. Any member who has not filed the renewal form and/or paid the annual dues past 31st March, shall automatically become “Inactive” in status and shall lose his/her Membership rights and privileges. (Article IV: Section 4)

o An Inactive member shall be made Active again when the renewal forms are filed and necessary dues, if any, for the current year are paid.

11. The following do not pay annual fees for MTS membership: i) Life Members, ii) Inactive members and iii) Honorary or youth members or Temple devotees.

12. Email, Telephone and address corrections of members must be made through this form and by sending it to the membership committee coordinator. Such changes made to at the MTS devotee database (www.meenakshi.org) are not automatically used to update the membership information.

13. In December of every year, the membership committee will send out a membership renewal notice and all changes to membership can also be made through the letter.

14. To vote in the elections and to sponsor candidates, a member must be in Active status as of July 1, of an election year. (Article XXI: Section 1).

Sri Meenakshi Temple Society 17130McLeanRoad,Pearland,TX77584(281)-489-0358

Webaddress:hhp://www.meenakshi.org

NEW MEMBER REGISTRATION FORM

Year MembershipNo.

Assignedbythecommihee(PleasePrint)

Note:Incompleteand/orincorrectformwilldelaytheprocessingofthemembershipapplica/on.FullyfilledformwithpaymentcanbedroppedintheofficeormailedtoMTS,ahenFonofMembership

Commihee Coord inator. P lease send an emai l to the membersh ip coord inator

(mtsmembership@gmail.com) a`er submiwng the applicaFon form.We expect to process it within

threemonths.Pleasecontactusbyemailifyouhavenotheardfromus.

FOROFFICEUSEONLY:

FormRcvd.on:_________by:______CheckRcvd.on:_______by:_______

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Comments:________________________________________________________

IfollowtheHinduReligiousfaithandCultureandbelieveintheobjecFvesofMTS.Iamresiding

intheUnitedStatesofAmericaandamwillingtovolunteerinthetemplerelatedacFviFes.Iam

atleast20yearsofage.

____________________________________________________________

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Asasponsorofthenewmemberlistedabove,I,tothebestofmyknowledge,statethatIam,asofthedate

signed,anacFvememberofMTSandhavenotsponsoredmorethanfournewmembersthisyear.

REGISTRATIONDUES*permemberREGULAR

below65years$50/year

65yrs&above$25/year

full-Fmestudents$25/year

LIFE $1,000

check#__________Date:_______

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Amount:$__________(CheckpayabletoMTS)

IaminterestedinparFcipaFng/volunteeringinthefollowingareas:

1._________________2.___________________

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CITY:_______________STATE:______________ZIP:_________

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Formoreinforma/onpleasecontacttheTempleOfficeat281-489-0358ext.100,110

Ifyouhaveanyques/ons,commentsorneedmoreinforma/onpleasedonothesitatetocontact

SheilaSriramatsriramsheila@gmail.comorDhaniKannanatdhanikannan@yahoo.com

FOROFFICEUSEONLY

Abhishekam_______x306=____

Qty

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Qty

TotalAmount:$____________PaymentMethod:CASHCHECK#____________

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SYSTEMENTRY:

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CheckthePujasThatYouWishtoSponsor

Abhishekam-OnceaMonth-$306SriAnjaneyaOnMoolaNakshatram

SriRamaPunarvasuNakshatram

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SriGaneshaChathurthiSankataharaShukla

SriVenkateswaraEKADASIShuklaKrishnaSriVenkateswaraFirstSundaysSravanam

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SriDurgaTuesdays-1st2nd3rd4thSriMeenakshiFridays-1st2nd3rd4thSriNavagrahaSaturdays-1st2nd3rd4thSriPadmavathiFridays-1st2nd3rd4thSriShivaMondays-1st2nd3rd4thSriAyyappaSaturdays-1st2nd3rd4th

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Please update your family membersB I R T H S T A R , N A M E , a n dRELATIONASHIP in your temple USERPROFILE. Thesenameswillbeaddedtothepujayouaresponsoring.

Sri Meenakshi Temple Society 17130 McLean Road, Pearland, TX 77584

Phone: 281-489-0358 Ext. 100 (or) 110

ANNUAL PUJA SPONSORSHIP FORM

Kalyana Mandapam (KM), Youth Center (YC),

and Visitors Center (VC) at MTS • BothKMandYCarespaciousfaciliFesforeventslike

Engagements,Weddings,RecepFons,etc.

• Eachfacilitycanaccommodatemorethan400people

• VCcanaccommodateupto125peopleforsmallevents

• Haveover1200chairs,50roundtables,andmorethan30

rectangular(6’x2’)tables

• UsetheMTSfaciliFes(KM,YCandtheVisitorsCenter)for

allofyourneedsthroughouttheyear

• Recommendtoyourfriendsandcolleaguesaboutthe

faciliFesandsupportourTemple

ForReserva/onsContact:Mr.Venkatachalamat

832-725-1805orvenkatk2005@yahoo.com

Alterna/vely:Sende-mailtotemple@meenakshi.orgormurugan_selvan@hotmail.com(MuruganSelvan)and

wewillgetbacktoyouwithin24hours

MTSFacilityRentalQuery:hips:///nyurl.com/y9xlbcao

Kalyana Mandapam Youth Center Banquet Hall

TempleHoursMondaythroughThursday:

8:30AMto12Noonand5:00PMto8:30PMFriday:

8:30AMto12Noonand5:00PMto9:00PMWeekendsandNa<onalHolidays:

8:30AMto8:30PMListentoMTSRadio

ListentoMTSRadioeverySunday1110AMSTATIONinHouston

BroadcastEverySundayat1:00PMTuneontolinkhJp://sanatanhinducenter.org/radio/

www.emeenakshi.org

TempleTimesPublishedbyMTSPublicRela/onsandPublicity

RAHUKALAM DAY YAMAGANDAM4:30PM–6:00PM Sunday 12NOON–1:30PM

7:30AM–9:00AM Monday 10:30AM–12NOON

3:00PM–4:30PM Tuesday 9:00AM–10:30AM

12NOON–1:30PM Wednesday 7:30AM–9:00AM

1:30PM–3:00PM Thursday 6:00AM–7:30AM

10:30AM–12NOON Friday 3:00PM–4:30PM

9:00AM–10:30AM Saturday 1:30PM–3:00PM

SriMeenakshiTempleTelephoneNumbersMainTemple…………………………281-489-0358(Best<metocall:9AMto12Noonand5PMto8PM)MainTemple………………………………………………………………100,110GaneshTempleFacilityCenter………………………………………..…115Library(DuringLibraryhours)……………………………………………125KalyanaMandapam……………………………………………………….…112TempleKitchen…………………………………………………………….……227MTSFax……………………………………………………………281-489-3540STAFFSriVatsaKumar(Administrator)………………..…….832-689-6448SriK.Venkatachalam(Administrator)……………..832-725-1805SriManickasundaramBhaear(Priest)……………..281-489-8633SriKalyanaSundaram(Priest)………………………….281-692-9815SriR.K.E.Parameswaran(Priest)……………………..281-489-0575SriSreedharanRaghavan(Priest)…………….………713-518-1810SriPawankumarSriBhashyam(Priest)………….…281-819-7842SriSrimannarayanaCharyuluRompicherla(Priest)..281-965-9780SriBalajiSethuraman(Priest)…………………..……..832-486-7083SriSivakarthickKannan(Priest)……………..………..206-458-9454SriSathishDevanathan(Priest)………..………..…..614-330-6228

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