Sun Three of a 5 day phase. The aadheenam is quiet. With only 26 days before Innersearch everyone is starting to “buckle” up for the trip, both the group of six monks who will be on the journey and the 14 of us who will be left to cover all the duties of the Aadheenam, temple vigils, kulam duties and Iraivan construction activities.

Today the Pillaiyar Kulam gave their news. Yogi Jivanandanatha and Sadhaka Nilakantha are giving out honey bears to our friends around the island in the spirit of Lord Ganesha’s second and third shaktis. It is always a joyful moment, stopping by the neighbor’s homes and going to visit those we do business with in the spirit of love and friendship. We do this over a period of several days, so we start early.

DECEMBER 21, YELLOW

The family sadhana for the first day of Pancha Ganapati is to create a vibration of love and harmony among immediate family members. The day begins early, and the entire family works together to design and decorate the shrine with traditional symbols, rangoli, lamps and more. Then a grand puja is performed invoking the spirit of Pancha Ganapati in the home. The sadhana of the day now begins. The family sits together for the purpose of easing any strained relationships that have arisen during the year. They make amends one with another for misdeeds performed, insults given, mental pain and injuries caused and suffered. When forgiveness is offered to all by one and all, they speak of each other’s good qualities and resolve that in the days ahead they will remember the futility of trying to change others and the practicality of changing oneself to be the silent example for all to witness. Gifts are then exchanged and placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati. As family harmony is important to all Hindus, this sadhana must be taken very seriously.

DECEMBER 22, BLUE

The family sadhana for the second day of Pancha Ganapati is to create a vibration of love and harmony among neighbors, relatives and close friends and presenting them with heartfelt. The sadhana of the day is to offer apologies and clear up any misunderstandings that exist. Relatives and friends in far-off places are written to or called, forgiveness is sought, apologies made and tensions released. Gifts received are placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati.

DECEMBER 23, RED

The family sadhana for the third day is to create a vibration of love and harmony among business associates, the casual merchant and the public at large. This is the day for presenting gifts to merchants and customers and to honor employers and employees with gifts and appreciation. The sadhana today is the settling of all debts and disputes. Gifts received are placed unopened before the Deity.

This is Ved Chaudhary, General Secretary for the Dharma Summit. He is a selfless sevak and one of America’s Hindu leaders who works tirelessly in the cause of Dharma.

Here he is opening the Hindu Collective Initiative, Dharma Summit 2007 in Florida which Paramacharya Palaniswami and Sannyasin Arumugaswami attended. He is also one of the chief members of the Hindu International Council Against Defamation

Lavina Melwani interviewed him for Hinduism Today in 2004:

By Lavina Melwani, New York

Those attending the speeches of Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893 had never heard Hinduism presented in such an enlightened manner. One was heard to remark, “That man a heathen? And we send missionaries to his people? It would be more fitting that they should send missionaries to us.” Well, that day has come, and there are Hindu missionaries by the millions across the Western world potential missionaries, at least. “The problem, ” according to Ved Chaudhary, “is that our religion is like a closet religion. Indians are everywhere, in hospitals, universities. They are doctors, lawyers, accountants. Americans say they know a lot of Indian people, but ask them if they know any Hindus, and they say ‘no.’ This is because we don’t identify ourselves as Hindus, we only identify ourselves as Indians.”

“The result,” he continued, “is that many interfaith dialogues have Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh participation, but no Hindu representation. We have to be assertive and take time and interest. Otherwise, we can complain, but we’ll be ignored, and we’ll not become part of the community as Hindu-Americans. And the same thing will be true with our children, who are growing up here.”

Meet the missionaries

Ved Chaudhary, hails from the district of Itawa, 150 miles southeast of Delhi, India. He came to the US in 1965 as a graduate student at Rutgers University. He worked as an engineer with Bell Labs and its subsidiaries, until he retired last year. He received his training in Hinduism from his father, a teacher, who made sure his son knew all about the faith. He laughs, “My name is Ved [ “knowledge “], after all!”

He has participated in interfaith activities in churches, schools and colleges. As part of his effort to educate non-Hindus, he started the Hindu International Council Against Defamation, on the lines of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, to take action against any misinformation or defamation of Hindu Gods and rituals. HICAD (www.hicad.org) keeps a vigilant eye on how Hinduism is portrayed in the mainstream and takes offending organizations to task. Last year, after the Global Dharma Conference in New Jersey, Chaudhary, along with other participants, helped initiate an organization which would be able to correct inaccuracies –the Educators’ Society for the Heritage of India (ESHI) –where various professors can get together and network about an accurate presentation of Hinduism to the mainstream. Their website, www.eshi.org, is still under construction, but contains a short statement of purpose.

There is a lot of misinformation out there about Hinduism, Chaudhary says, and it starts right in school. Sixth graders have a course called World Cultures, which still contains wrong information about Hinduism. “If there are ten pages about Hinduism, several pages may be devoted to the caste system, as if that is the defining characteristic of Hinduism. It is very hard to fight this situation; in New Jersey alone there are 600 school districts I would have to go to each one to convince them to use or not use certain books.”

On the way home Palaniswami and Arumugaswami met in California with Dr. Bhagawandas P. Lathi and his wife (center) Dr. Pandey (right) and Ashok Gupta (left) to discuss how to get the information in Hinduism Today out to a broader audience.

Kulapati Easan Katir is helping to facilitate the discussions. Ashok Gupta publishes a popular magazine called the “Siliconeer” which targets the South Asian community in California. The meeting was to discuss possible ways we can collaborate.

Back at home today, visiting relatives of Sannyasin Arumugaswami: Jim and Patricia Bloch

Meeting with the Ganapati Kulam.

Sri Subramuniya Kottam Celebrates
Gurudeva’s Mahasamadi Day

On November 8th, the Sri Subramuniya Kottam celebrated Gurudeva’s Mahasamadhi with a puja at the Kottam’s Thiruvadi Temple.

The Thiruvadi Temple enshrines a pair of traditional sandals that Gurudeva had worn during his visit to Kopay, Sri Lanka in 1982.

After the Mahasamadi Puja, lunch (Annadanam) was served to all the Kottam devotees in attendance.

Over the years, hundreds of families have worshipped here, drawing strength and inspiration from Gurudeva’s spiritual presence at this small temple which was miraculously spared from the ravages of war that surround this community.

The Thiruvadi shrine, here, presides over all the activities of the Kottam as a symbol of Gurudeva’s everlasting benevolence and blessings to the Tamil community of Jaffna.

A space is still open for our 2008 Asian Odyssey for 1 person (a male to share a double occupancy room with another male). Here’s your chance to join Bodhinatha on this exotic adventure. A journey through ancient temples in Cambodia, mystical classes on meditation in Langkawi and Kerala, a devotionally drenched Thaipusam festival that is out of this world and a journey through south India to some of the most sacred temples in the world, joining in some of their grand sacred pujas.

If you are ready to go, please email Sadhaka Dandapani (danda@hindu.org) or call him on 808-822-3012, Ext 239. It’s on a first come first serve basis so don’t hesitate.

Please see our Innersearch website for more info.