Volume 39, issue 1, Page 1 - Hindu Temple Society of Augusta · Volume 39, issue 1, Page 1 The HTS executive com-mittee welcomes the Au-gusta Hindu Community into the Gregorian calen-dar

Volume 39, issue 1, Page 1

The HTS executive com-mittee welcomes the Au-gusta Hindu Community into the Gregorian calen-dar year 2017. We wish everyone a peaceful, healthy and prosperous new year. The EC and the BoT would like to thank each and every one for being active participants and volunteers at our tem-ple. On Jan1st we will perform Shree Ganesh puja, Arya samaj havan followed by mahaprasad sponsored by the Gulatis. Lord Ven-kateshwara Kalyanotsav will be celebrated on Jan-uary 14-15. Newly started the Kite festival will take place at the temple gar-

den on the 8th of January.

From this year onward the members of HTS will re-ceive a colorful calendar by mail that will display month-ly pooja schedules. After this newsletter the EC committee plans to go pa-perless. For those who pre-fer paper copies, few print-ed copies of the newsletter will be available at the tem-ple. The EC urges all the HTS members to fill out the membership form that in-cludes ‘gotra’ and ‘nakshatra’ information of all family members. This infor-mation is very essential and useful for the sponsored poojas and havans.

W E L C O M E T O A N E W Y E A R

E V E N T S O F T H E M O N T H

G A N E S H A P O O J A J A N 1

K I T E F E S T I V A L J A N 8

K A L Y A N O S T A V J A N 1 4 - 1 5

S H I V R A T R I F E B 2 4

H O L I P O O J A M A R 1 0

H O L I C O L O R S M A R 1 2

C A R N A T I C

M U S I C

C O N C E R T

J A N 2 1

CULTURAL PROGRAMS

We are going

Paperless

The Puja committee has

designed a new temple cal-

endar that will be available

for pickup to all members

from January 1st onwards.

The calendar will provide all

the monthly puja infor-

mation. All other communi-

ty, spiritual and cultural

events will be posted in the

newsletter. As usual stay

engaged and participate in

HTS events. We look for-

ward to hear from you es-

pecially your creative com-

ments and suggestions that

help us focus in serving our

community.

Please update your

contact information

including email id.


Makar Sankranti is the festival of

the new year and is observed on

Jan,14th according to the interna-

tional calendar. The name “Makar

Sankranti” is derived from the

from the celestial event of north-

ward migration of sun from the

tropic of Capricorn (Makar).

Sankranti is celebrated in its own

way through out India in a very

culturally diverse way. The states

of Gujrat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pra-

desh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar it is

called as Uttara Yana and Sankranti ,

the usual celebration is by taking dip

in a holy river and kite flying.

In Punjab it is celebrated as Lohri,

with food and dances all through the

day. In Tamilnadu it is a 4 day cele-

bration of Pongal with each day devot-

ed to worship of a deity

Kite Festival is organized every year

by the Gujrati community of CSRA

Kite Festival hosted by Hiren Patel on Jan 8th 2017

K I T E F E S T I V A L J A N 8

C A R N A T I C M U S I C C O N C E R T B Y S R I .

S A L E M S R I R A M J A N 2 1 S T 4 P M

The Hindu Temple is sponsoring the

Karnatic Vocalist Salem Sriram on Jan-

uary 21st 2017. Sri Salem’s entourage

incudes Lakshminarayanan (violinist)

and Dr. Sriram (mridangam). Sri. Sa-

lem is a prime disciples of Sri K. S.

Krishnamurti from Calcutta. H. Rama-

krishnan describes Sri Salem’s musi-

cal prowess to possess a resonating

voice voice with deep command on

modulation. The Hindu has described

Sri. Salem as prince of aesthetics who

is committed to good music with an

emphasis on enlightenment rather

than on entertainment. The Venue is

Cultural Center in HTS Campus, admis-

sion is free to members. Sri. Salem Sriram. Photo: Hindu.com

area, for details contact Youth committee

and Hiren Patel at 803-292-6356. Bring

your own kite and kites will also available

on the spot for sale.

F E A T H E R I N T H E C A P

D R . T H I Y A G A R A J A N S E L E C T E D

F O R T E A C H E R S A D V I S O R Y C O U N C I L

teachers commit to two years term,

during which they meet to develop

and implement strategies for effec-

tive learning in their schools and

districts.

Dr. T as he is affectionately called by

his students, is also hopnored in

2017 as ‘Teacher of the Year’ for

Glenn Hills High. Apart from his

teaching Dr. Thiyagarajan is a very

active member of the HTS and is

involved with education programs of HTS

and Pooja committee. Previously he has

been nominated for Presidential award by

the Twigs county school. We the Augusta

Indian Community is honored to have him

among us and wishes him success in his

endeavors.

Dr. Srinivasan Thiyagarajan from

Augusta has been selected as one

of the two teachers from Georgia to

the Teachers Advisory Council of Bill

and Gates Malinda Foundation. The

goal of the TAC is to prepare high

school students to succeed in col-

lege. According to the Foundation

press release, the TAC consist of 50

talented individuals selected from

across United States. Selected


When Idols Became Alive For a Bhakta or a sage, there is no such thing as Jada or insentient matter. Everything is Vaasudeva or Chaitanya —Vaasudevah Sarvam Iti. The devotee beholds the Lord in the idol. Saint Narsi Mehta of Guja-rat was put to the test by a king. The king said: “O Nar-si, if you are a sincere devo-tee of Lord Krishna, if as you say the idol is Lord Krishna Himself, let this idol move”. According to the prayer of Narsi Mehta, the idol moved. The sacred bull Nandi before Shiva’s idol took the food offered by Tulsidas. The Murti of Krish-na played with Meera Bai. It was full of life and Chaitanya for her.

Kanaka dasa was a great devotee of Lord Krishna in Udupi, in the district of South Kanara, in South In-dia. He was not allowed to enter the temple on account of his low birth. Kanaka Da-sa went around the temple and saw a small window at the back of the temple. He seated himself in front of the window. He was soon lost in singing songs in praise of Lord Krishna. Many people gathered around him. They were very much attracted by the sweet melody of his mu-sic and the depth of his de-votion. Lord Krishna turned around to enable Kanaka dasa to get His darshan. The priests were struck with wonder. Even today, pilgrims are shown the window and the place

where Kanakadasa sat and sang.

The Murti is the same as the Lord, for it is the ve-hicle of the expression of the Mantra-Chaitanya which is the Devata. The same attitude should the devotee have in regard to the Murti in the temple, which he would evince if the Lord would appear be-fore him in person and speak to him in articulate sound. Vedanta And Idol-

Worship

Only a pseudo-vedantin (philosopher) feels ashamed to bow or prostrate before an idol in the temple. He feels that his advaita will evaporate if he prostrates. Study the lives of the reputed Tamil saints, Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar, etc. They had the highest advaitic reali-zation. They saw Lord Shi-va everywhere and yet they visited all temples of Shiva, prostrated before the idol and sang hymns which are on record now. Many of the sixty-three naayanaar saints of Tamil Shaivism practiced only charya (bhakti yoga) and kriya (karma yoga) and attained God-realization thereby. They swept the floor of the tem-ple, collected flowers, made garlands for the Lord and put on lights in the temple. Many of them were illiterate, but attained the highest realization. They

W H E N I D O L S B E C A M E A L I V E

G u e s t C o n t r i b u t o r D h a r m a T h i r u v a i y a r u The following is an excerpt from Swami Sivananda’s “All About Hinduism” (pg. 116-119,

Ch. 7) were practical Yogis and their hearts were saturated with pure devotion. They were embodiments of Kar-ma Yoga. All practiced the Yoga of Synthesis. The idol in the temple was all Chaitanya or Conscious-ness for them. It was not a mere block of stone. Madhu Sudana Swami, who had advaitic realization and beheld oneness of the Self was intensely attached to the form of Lord Krishna with flute in His hands.

Saint Tulsidas had realized the all-pervading essence. He had cosmic conscious-ness. He communed with the all-pervading, formless Lord. And yet, his passion for Lord Rama with bow in His hand did not vanish. When he had been to Vrindavana and saw the Murti of Lord Krishna with flute in His hands, he said: “I will not bow my head to this form.” At once Lord Krish-na’s form assumed the form of Lord Rama. Then only he bowed his head. Tukaram also had the same cosmic experience as that of Tulsidas. He sings in his Abhanga: “I see my Lord all-pervading, just as sweetness pervades the sugar-cane;” and yet, he always speaks of his Lord Vitthala of Pandarpur with His hands on the hips. Saint Meera Bai also realized her identity with the all-pervading Krishna, and yet she was not tired of repeat-ing Contd on pg 4..

C A R N A T I C

M U S I C

C O N C E R T

B Y S A L E M

S R I R A M

Image bu BAPS.org

Image by http://virtual-babaji-

vishwananda.blogspot.com/


1421 Lukes road, Augusta GA30909

Phone: 707-880-3864

Email: [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/hindutemplesociety

We are going paperless

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR EMAIL ID SO YOU DO NOT

MISS THE ISSUE OF NEWSLETTER.

A two bedroom,two bath,full kitchen-sleeps 8.

Dates available: Dec 18 to 20 for 3 nights

Location : MARRIOTT Barney Resort at Hilton Head

reservation for 3 nights.

Cost: donate money to temple.

Contact by email only : [email protected]

Include full information, name, how many people,

name and age of each person going and your contact

information

adult.

Published by HINDU TEMPLE SOCIETY

H O L I M A R 1 0 / 1 2

Find us on

www.augustahts.org

A V A I L A B L E F O R R E N T

When Idols Become Alive

Contd. from 3

again and again: “My Gi-ridhar naagar.” From the above facts, we can clearly infer that one can realize God through worship of Murti or idol; that the worship of the Lord in Saguna form is a great aid for the realization of the Lord in His all-pervading, formless aspect also; that the worship of the Murti is very essential for the pur-pose of concentration and meditation in the beginning and that such a worship is not in any way a hindrance to the attainment of God-consciousness. Those who vehemently attack Murti Puja are groping in ex-treme darkness and igno-rance, and they have no real knowledge of Puja and worship. They enter into unnecessary and vain de-bates and discussions against Murti Puja. The whole world worships symbols and Murti’s in some form or the other. The mind is disciplined in the beginning by fixing it on a concrete object or sym-bol. When it is rendered

steady and subtle, it can be fixed later on an abstract idea such as ‘Aham Brah-maasmi.’ When one advanc-es in meditation, the form melts into the formless and he becomes one with the formless essence. Image worship is not contrary to the view of Vedanta. It is rather a help. The whole world worships symbols and Murti’s in some form or the other. The mind is disciplined in the begin-ning by fixing it on a con-crete object or symbol. When it is rendered steady and subtle, it can be fixed later on an abstract idea such as ‘Aham Brahmaami.’ When one advances in meditation, the form melts into the formless and he becomes one with the form-less essence. Image wor-ship is not contrary to the view of Vedanta. It is rather a help.


Monday 7 pm Shiva Pooja

Tuesday 7 pm Hanuman Chalisa

Wednesday 7 pm Krishna Archana

Thursday Temple Closed Priest Day off

1st Friday 7 pm Devi Pooja

Friday’s 6:15 pm Krishna Chanting

1st Saturday 9 am Karthikeya Pooja

2nd Saturday 9 am Venketashwara Pooja

3rd Sunday 10 am Monthly Pooja

2nd and 4th Sunday 2 pm Jain Pooja

T E M P L E S C H E D U L E

T E M P L E H O U R S : 8 - 1 0 A M A N D 6 - 8 P M

T E M P L E I S C L O S E D O N E V E R Y T H U R S D A Y A N D L A S T S U N D A Y O F T H E M O N T H

Balaji Pooja Program

Jan 14, 2017

Udaya- asthmana Nitya Seva

7:00 AM Suprabhata Seva

8:00 AM Nithyaaradhana and Homam

Followed by Abhishekam

Archana

Mahaprasad

4.00PM Vasantotsavam

- 8 PM Unjal Seva

Deepa-alankaranaSeva

Shayanotsavam – Ekantha Seva

Jan 15, 2017

8.00 A.M Suprabhatham

-12 NOON Mahakalyanotsavam

Mahaprasad

8 Spots available for Special sponsors @ $250 each

General Sponsorship open to all for $25.00

Tithi/Festivals/dates of Importance

Jan 8 Vaikuntha Ekadashi

Jan 14 Makar Sankranti, Uttrayan

Jan 15 MLK Jr Day

Jan 26 Republic Day (India)

Feb 1 Vasanth Panchmi

Mar 5 Ramkrishna Jayanti

Mar 10 Holi Dahan

Mar 12 Dhulendi

Mar 28 Ugadhi, Gudi Padwa


◄ December January 2017 February ►

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Pausa 10 a.m. Ganesh Pooja Havan

2 7 P.M Shiva Puja

3 6.45 P.M. Hanuman Chalisa

4 6.45 P.M Krishna Archana

5

6 6.15 P.M. Krishna Chanting 7.00 P.M Devi Pooja

7 8.00 A.M Subrabhatham

9.00 A.M Karthikeya Pooja

8 8.00 A.M. Vaikunda Ekadhasi 11.00 A.M Kite Festival 2.00 Jain Puja

9 7 P.M Shiva Puja


11 6.15 P.M Krishna Archana Full Moon 7.00 PM. Sathyanarayana Pooja

12

13 6.15 P.M. Krishna Chanting

14 7.00 A.M. Subrabhat-ham 8.00 A.M. Venkateswara Pooja MAKARA SANKARAN-THI

15 8.00 A.M. Srinivasa Kalyana Utsavam 7.00 P.M. Sankashta-hara Chathurthi

16 7 P.M Shiva Puja



19

20 6.15 P.M. Krishna Chanting

21 Magha 8.00 A.M Subrabhatham Carnatic Music Con-cert

22 2.00 P.M, Jain Puja

23 7 P.M Shiva Puja



26

27

6.15 P.M. Krishna Chanting

28 8.00 A.M Subrabhatham

29

30 7 P.M Shiva Puja


Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit # 426

Augusta, GA.

The Hindu Temple Society

P.O. Box 204264

Augusta, GA. 30907

WE ARE SOLICITING ARTI-

CLES OF RELIGIOUS AND

GENERAL INTEREST

PL SUBMIT BY

Jan 30th.

PLEASE SEND YOUR IN-

PUT TO: [email protected]

Please Renew Your membership.

Also stop by our office and com-plete and update your contact in-

formation or you can do it by email as well.

BE A PERPETUAL DONOR

DONATE GENEROUSLY

TO YOUR TEMPLE

http://www.wincalendar.com/Holiday-Calendar/December-2016

http://www.wincalendar.com/Holiday-Calendar/February-2017

Documents

Volume 39, issue 1, Page 1 - Hindu Temple Society of Augusta · Volume 39, issue 1, Page 1 The HTS executive com-mittee welcomes the Au-gusta Hindu Community into the Gregorian calen-dar