Mandir Vani Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128 (Tax ID: 84-1301209) www.hindutempleofcolorado.org 303-948-9693 email:htcc@comcast.net The mission of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies (HTCC) is to provide a forum for religious worship and celebrations, and for cultural, religious, and spiritual development activities based on Hindu / Vedic / Sanatan - Dharma traditions. Editorial Board K. C. Upadhyay (Priest) Prabhakara Rao (Editor) Reva Nayar (President) Ground Breaking Ceremony New Temple Construction started on 1 March 2014 Please Donate Generously Volume 18 No. 1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 1
President s Page Dear Fellow Devotees, On behalf of Acharya ji, Pandit ji and the Board of Trustees, I wish you all a wonderful, healthy and prosperous 2014. May the blessings of Lord always be with all of us. It is my great pleasure and honor to write this message. With the grace of Lord, all the religious, spiritual, educational, and cultural activities of our temple are running smoothly. It is the selfless efforts, dedication, and services of our priests, devotees and volunteers that have made this possible. Our temple continues to provide opportunities for our children to discover the Hindu cultural heritage and traditions and develop pride in their Hindu identity. EVENTS: Our traditional New Year Puja s, one on January 1st (sponsored by Ram V. Nathan family) followed by Navgraha Pooja, (sponsored by Inder and Reva Nayar) on January 5th revealed an overwhelming show of true devotion and generosity. We had a large attendance of the devotees (approx. 300-350 on January 1st) who visited the temple and celebrated the New Year with Ganesh puja and despite the weather conditions about 200 participated in the Navgrah puja the following Sunday. These annual events, followed by Lunch Prasad have become the hallmark of our Temples operations. Upcoming events for the temple include Saraswati Puja and Ram Navami and we are counting on your continued cooperation in making this a success as well. This year we will continue efforts to make the temple a wonderful place to worship. We also greatly appreciate our Sunday sponsors who week after week, sponsor puja and Prasad for hundreds of devotees. My appreciation and gratitude goes to the Volunteers for their services and dedication which has been instrumental in day to day running of our temple and progress we have made for our Hindu community. NEW HINDU TEMPLE UPDATE: I am excited to report that we have achieved all the milestones that have led to the start of construction for the New Hindu Temple. The vision, commitment, and perseverance of the devotees led to this historic milestone I want to thank the construction Committee members for their tireless hard work in insuring that we get the construction for the new temple start in the best possible way. It is our great pleasure and honor to report the progress of the new temple project. With the grace of God and His divine blessings, the new temple project has been able to make a great progress. Volume 18 No.1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 2
On February, 11th of this year, HTCC signed a construction contract with a local builder, Golden Triangle construction. HTCC also secured a low-interest line of credit with a local bank. Selection of the Architect, Completion of the architectural design and drawings, Submission to city for approval and obtaining permits, Selection and awarding the contract to the contractor, Obtaining unanimous approval from the Board of Trustees of HTCC, and Issuing of the NTP (Notice To Proceed) are some of the major millstones accomplished.. I am also very pleased to report that we had our symbolic Ground Breaking at the New Temple site on March 01, 2014. The temperature was in the low 20's and snow flurries hit those who attended the celebration. However, our Priests and about 175 devotees were not deterred from their mission. It was very touching to see all those present, wrapped in jackets, scarves and gloves attending the Pooja and then having the Lunch Prasad provided by Taste of India. Thank you to all those who braved the weather and made this a very memorable Ground Breaking. Many pictures were taken with devotees digging with shovels and in front of heavy Earth moving equipment. We have now reached an important milestone in our journey and look forward to realizing our dream of having our own New Temple facility. However, our mission will not be complete with the construction of the temple facility. Actually, it will just be the beginning. Financial: Total Donations : $1.6 Million (Approx) Letter of Credits : $315,000 Pledged Amount: $200,000 Fund raising is an important part of running any non-profit organization. HTCC is able to sign the temple construction contract only because of fund raising efforts of all the volunteers and the generosity of the devotees combined with a line of credit from the bank. Our strength and support is from our devotees. One way to show this support is to make sure that every devotee has committed to contributing and providing in some form of a financial support in the temple. This is an excellent way of honoring the memory of your loved ones. AN APPEAL: As we approach closer to the fulfilling our dream of building a New Hindu Temple, your continuous support of funds is greatly appreciated. This is our Gods Temple, where we will house many Deities. You can donate in various ways, namely Sponsorship of Deity of your choice, sponsorship of any facility inside or outside of the Temple; donate any building materials, any systems (Electrical, Plumbing or Heating), any decorative floor or wall coverings. You can donate in name of living members of your family or in the memory of your dear ones, who may not be with you anymore. You will be recognized for your donations, if you so desire. As we are getting into our construction phase now our need for additional funds will be more acute. Please become part of this History. Please donate generously. We assure you that God will re- Volume 18 No. 1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 3
ward you in many ways. Health, Wealth and Happiness are abundant in His control. Share your fortunes with Him and He will not disappoint you. Your contribution in the New temple project is paramount to the success of building new temple this year. Please do contact us at HTCC@comcast.net with any suggestions and anyways to improve our temple. This is your temple and anything we do for our temple is a SERVICE. As our temple continues to fulfill the religious, spiritual, cultural, educational, and humanitarian needs of our community, we will try our best to serve and accomplish our temple s mission and objectives. Sincerely, Reva Nayar, President **************************** Treasurer s Report (Jan to Dec 2013) - Satish Kumar, Treasurer Month Income Expense Major Celebrations Jan 22,808.99 20,016.90 New Year Ganesha Puja Feb 7,856.46 14,078.23 Mar 11,643.31 12,214.78 Maha Shivaratri Apr 16,488.95 14,813.57 Sri Rama Navami May 18,665.30 12,413.05 Jun 16,361.24 17,164.31 Graduation Puja Jul 16,173.29 17,436.58 Aug 24,790.30 16,613.45 Krishna Janmastami Sep 19,969.36 18,894.50 Ganesh Chauturthi Oct 17,940.39 14,994.11 Maha Chandi Havan & Diwali Nov 18,147.32 14,994.11 Diwali Celebration Dec 39,935.11 31,066.65 Total $230,770.02 $204,700.24 Current Temple Fund $ 58,132.62 New Temple Fund $1,056,837.75 Total $1,114,970.37 ********************************************** Hindu Temple Contact Numbers 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd, Littleton, CO 80128 Hindu Temple Office 303-948-9693 Acharya ji Kailash Chandra Upadhyay 720-344-1448 (H) 720-984-5108 (C ) Pandit ji Raghavendra Iyyer 303-954-9274 (H) 720-308-8804 (C ) Reva Nayar (President) 303-690-4347 (H) 303-507-3355 (C ) C. P. Mishra (Temple Operations) 303-973-7765 (H) 303-522-1063 (C ) Satish Kumar Agarwal (Treasurer) 303-973-4635 (H) 720-232-8287 (C ) Prabhakara Rao (Mandir Vani Editor) 303-979-4193 (H) 303-918-7373 (C ) Madhu Mahajan (Website) 303-278-9860 (H) 303-519-3616 (C ) Volume 18 No.1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 4
HINDU TEMPLE AND CULTURAL CENTER OF THE ROCKIES 8375 S. WADSWORTH BLVD. LITTLETON, CO 80128, TEL: (303) 948-9693 2014 Festivals Celebration Calendar (April to September) Festival Date Day Time April Durga Ashtami 07 Monday 7:00 pm Shri Ram Navami 08 Tuesday Akhand Ram Charit Manasa Paath begins Saturday 12 April at 10:30 am & ends Sunday 13 April at 11 am Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 15 Tuesday 6:45 pm Shri Hanuman Jayanthi 15 Tuesday May Akshaya Triteeya/ Parashruram Jayanti 01 Thursday Aadi Shankaracharya Jayanthi 03 Saturday Nrisimha Jayanthi 14 Wednesday Poornima/Satyanarayana Pooja 14 Wednesday 6:45 pm June Graduation Pooja 01 Sunday 11 am Ganga Dashami 08 Sunday Nirjala Ekadashi 09 Monday Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 12 Thursday 6:45 pm July Devashayini Ekadashi 08 Tuesday Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 12 Saturday 6:45 pm Shravan Month begins 13 Sunday Naaga Panchami 16 Wednesday August Vara-Lakshmi Vrat 08 Friday Upaa-karma/Rakshaa Bandhan 10 Sunday Poornima/Satyanarayana Katha 10 Sunday 6:45 pm Shri Krishna Janmashtami 16 Saturday Starting at 6:00 pm Hari Taalika Teej Vrat 28 Thursday Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration 29 Friday 7:00 pm Volume 18 No. 1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 5
HINDU TEMPLE and CULTURAL CENTER of the ROCKIES INVITES YOU TO JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION of Sri Ram Navami Saturday, April 12 Sunday, April 13 Saturday, April 12 to Sunday, April 13, 2014 Program Ram Poojaa 10:00 AM Akhand Paath of Ram Charit Maanas begins 11:00 AM Akhand Paath of Ram Charit Maanas ends 11:00 AM Bhajanas, Pravachan etc. 11:00 Noon Sri Ram Birthday Celebrations 12:00-12:15 Stotra Reading 12:15-12:45 Announcements, Update on New Temple Project 12:45-12:50 Arati and Prasad 12:50 1:30 If you are interested in participating in Akhand Ramayan Paath, please call Manohar Arora at 303-568-0746 (H) or 720-877-1047 (Cell). For further details, please call Acharya ji or Pandit ji at (303) 948-9693. Direction: From C-470 & Wadsworth Blvd. north on Wadsworth Blvd., west on Chatfield Ave (first light), make a U turn on Yukan Street, right on Wadsworth court (second street), first left to the Temple Parking area. Volume 18 No.1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 6
Purpose of life by Harish Subraya While we are here on this earth due to our parents and due to our own past karma (thoughts and actions), what is the purpose that we are here? This question has itched the brains of many over so many generations and there are some who had gone deep in understanding the purpose. As a result of their pursuit and experience and through scriptures, we already have some answers. Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha are the chaturvidha ( four types of ) purushartha s (human objectives) for which we strive in our lives as per sanatana dharma or eternal principles which is the basis of Hindu religion. Whenever we perform rituals, we make a sankalpa (determination) that we are doing it for these purposes. What are these four purushartha s? Dharma: Dharma means righteousness or living as per the Divine principles or principles of nature. It also refers to our duty as human beings as part of this nature or creation which is a manifestation of ultimate God Himself as hinted in Purusha sukta. Dharma helps in making this creation hold together and provides a fair right to everyone. Artha (wealth) is required for our comfortable living and to help others in the society as well. Greed is not what is suggested here, but to earn money through proper means to support yourself, your family and society is a valid objective. Thinking artha or earning money itself as the sole objective of life is an aberration we see these days. Kama or fulfillment of our desires to the required extent is also an objective we have in life. Extremity of desires due to external influences of media etc. is an aberration in this regard. We should be content and happy with what is given to us by God. As we can see, artha and kama within the framework of dharma to live a comfortable happy life on earth is considered to be one of the objectives of life. Moksha, salvation or liberation is something that is rarely sought by many as it is hardly understood. Attainment of liberation and beyond being the real goal of human life, this needs to be understood properly. Freedom from bondages (created by our own desires and actions) and the cycle of rebirths is a rare concept to understand unless one endeavors to seek the real purpose of life. We are immersed in our daily lives and enjoy it so much that we forget our true nature. Realizing our true nature that is Divine and through that understanding getting liberated from all externalities is an objective worth striving for. But the paradox of spirituality is such that to understand spirituality one has to be spiritual. To be spiritual, one needs to study and understand the subject and follow the spiritual practices like meditation. When you come across a person whom you believe is moving in the right path and trust worthy with no selfish motives, taking his/her suggestion in this regard ( apta vachana ) and giving it a try would be beneficial. Although some have renounced family life to attain moksha taking it as sole purpose of life, one may attain the same in family life by maintaining moderation in artha and kama, delivering one s duties with faith, while at the same time practicing spiritual path. These are some hints regarding the purpose of life. Words would not be of much service unless one gets the true understanding oneself. Knowledge is not understanding. Anubhava or practical experience is only true knowledge. Volume 18 No. 1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 7
Upcoming Events: Madhu Mahajan Shri Rama Navami Celebration (April 12 and 13, 2014) We invite you to join us in our annual celebration of Shri Rama Navami on April 12 and 13; the program will begin on Saturday (April 12) at 10 AM with the Akhand Paath (continuous recital) of Sri Rama Charit Maanas and conclude on the next day (Sunday, April 13) at 11 AM, followed by Bhajans and Sri Rama s birthday celebrations. If you would like to read the Ramayana or participate in the Bhajan program, please contact Dr. Manohar Arora at 303-568-0746 or 720-877-1047 (C ). Shri Rama Navami celebration started at the Hindu Temple 18 years ago, first organized by Dr. Manohar Arora. Since then, Dr. Arora has been playing a key role in this event; we send our sincere appreciation to the Arora family. Another heart-felt gratitude goes to the best acclaimed restaurant of Colorado, The India s. The India s restaurant has been providing heavenly lunch Prasad for more than 15 years. More than 500 people have been attending this event, and each time there is a plenty of mouth-watering food for each devotee. We truly appreciate The India s continued support and generosity. For more details, please see the attached flyer. Recent Celebrations at HTCC Several major holidays were celebrated in the months of January thru March. The New Year celebration started with Ganapati Pooja, once again Ram Vaithianathan and family sponsored the pooja. On first Sunday of the year (January 5 th ) the Nava Graha pooja was performed, sponsored by Reva and Inder Nayar. Both events have become a great tradition at the Hindu Temple. Maha Shiv Ratri was celebrated on February 27, Thursday; several poojas and archanas to Lord Shiva were performed during the day and in the evening. Maha Mrityunjaya Havan was performed at 11am and Rudra Ashtaadhyaay was recited from 10 PM till midnight. Thanks to all the sponsors, participants and volunteers who support the Hindu Temple and make each event successful and memorable. The dream is about to become a reality! The groundbreaking ceremony to launch the construction of the New Hindu Temple was held on March 1 st. Despite the extreme cold weather, a substantial number of supporters attended the event. After the ceremony, the boxed lunch was given to the attendees. For more information on the updates of the construction schedule, please stay tuned. *************************** New Hindu Temple Renderings Volume 18 No.1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 8
Suggested Donations for Temple Services The HTCC Board of Trustees adopted a standard policy regarding performance of various religious and cultural ceremonies by either of the priests at the request of the Yajmans (sponsors). It is requested that the sponsors (Yajmans) donate the amount indicated below, or more, for specific ceremonies. Please pay the amount by a check made to Hindu Temple and give it to the priest who performed the ceremony. Additional charges may apply for Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and areas beyond 50 miles radius from the Hindu temple (See Notes below). Ceremony Performed At Temple Off Site** :: PUJAS Archana (108 names) of any one deity $21 Archana of any 5 Deities $51 Arathi of any one deity $21 Arathi of any 5 deities $101 Sankata Haran Chaturthi $31 Pradosh - Shiva Abhishekam $101 Sunday Puja with Yajman providing Prasad $108 Sunday Puja Prasad arranged by the Temple (additional charge) $300 Puja of any deity, Satya Narayana Katha, Havan $151 $211 Chandeepath (Durga Saptshatee) during Navaratri, one day $201 $251 Birthday Puja $151 $211 Punyahvachan $151 $211 :: SAMSKARAS Namakaran or Annaprashan (Naming baby/first Solid Food) $151 $211 Vidyaarambh (Schooling initiation) $101 $211 Choodakaran (Mundan) $151 $211 Yagyopaveet (Janaeu) - Thread Ceremony $251 $311 Vivah (Wedding) $401 $501 Seemantham $201 $251 Last Rite (performed at cremation) $211 Shraadh and Pinda Dan (at home) $211 :: OTHER CEREMONIES Bhoomi Puja/Shilanyasa (for new building) $251 Grahapravesh/Vastu Puja (House warming) $251 Vaahan Aashirvaadam (blessing New Car) $31 ** Please note that part of this money goes to Temple and part to Priests. Yajaman may provide additional Dhakshina to priest, but not required. Priests are instructed not to request any additional Dhakshina for services. You can sent an e-mail about your satisfaction of the services or any suggestion for improvement to Reva Nayar at amn116@hotmail.com. Note: 1. Additional travel charges $50 (Boulder), $75 (Longmont), $100 (Fort Collins & Colo. Springs) 2. Additional $50/hour charge for any pooja lasting more than 4 hours. 3. $50/hour for Temple basement private use ($100 cleaning deposit required) Volume 18 No. 1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 9
Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd. Littleton, CO 80128 303-948-9693 Non Profit Organization US Postage Paid Permit No 237 Littleton, CO Address Service Requested Donation Appeal Please continue to show your support by making generous donations at the Temple or by mail (cut and enclose the coupon printed below) to : 8375 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80128. The contributions are tax deductible. The Tax ID Number for the Hindu Temple and Cultural Center is 84-1301209 Enclosed is a check for $, my/our contribution for the New Hindu Temple and Cultural Center of the Rockies. Name:, Spouse Name: Address: City, State, Zip: Phone:, E-mail: Volume 18 No.1 1 April 2014 Mandir Vani Page 10