Arise ! Awake ! Stop not, till the goal is reached.

April - May - June, 2016

Om Namo Narayanaya

Badarikashrama Diary

On New Year ’s Day, Badarikashrama hosted its annual Sri Ganesha Homa. Swami Omkaranandaji led the havan in deep prayer, invoking the presence of Sri Ganesha. He offered varieties of home made lad-dus. It was a large gathering of devotees who all had a chance to par-ticipate in repeating mantras and offering havan samagree. After the havan, Janak Patak with family and friends lovingly sang a variety of Ganesh bhajans. The program concluded with aarti and mahaprasad. The very next day was the beginning of a two day Sri Akhanda Ramaya-na program. On January 2nd and 3rd, devotees chanted the entire Ramayana with great devotion. This 28-hour sadhana was graciously led by Ram Saxena and Bharati Bhakta. They sang with great feeling and melody. It was a joyful experience for many. The next Satsang was dedicated to the teachings of the Mahabhara-ta. Suman Shah gave a poignant talk on ‘Vidura Neethi’ which high-lighted the teachings king Dhritaraashtra received from his wise coun-sel, Vidura, on how to be a good leader. If you get any good fortune you should share with everyone. If you have an important task to do, do not give it to someone else, rather take care of it yourself. Take care of your health. Lastly, be kind to everyone. It was a simple mes-sage for a happy life. On the 14th of January we celebrated Makara Sankranti with a Sri Rudra Abhisheka. On the 17th we celebrated Swa-mi Vivekananda Jayanti with an excellent talk by Swami Vedanandaji Maharaj, Vedanta Society of San Francisco. Bhajans of Sri Ramakrish-na, Swami Vivekananda and Sri Sarada Devi were sung by “Sri Rama-krishna Sarada Bhajan Mandali” led by Smt. Natana Valiveti. They of-fered an outstanding set of bhajans. Next Sunday, devotees gathered in the Mandir to worship with a Sri Satyanarayana puja led by Swami Vishnumayanandaji. The last Sunday of the month marked Haridasa Day Celebration. Artists performed Kannada songs in memory of the Sri Haridasa movement which took shape in South India between the 13th & 14th century. There were great performance by Shakuntala Murthy’s students, Jayashree Varadarajan’s students, Divya Ramesh and students, Vidya Badami & students, Susheela Narasimhan & stu-dents, and Padmaja Kishore & students.

On life's journey

Faith is nourishment,

Virtuous deeds are a shelter,

Wisdom is the light by day and

Right mindfulness is the protection by night.

If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him;

If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.

As human beings we all want to be happy and

free from misery. We have learned that the

key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest

obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emo-

tions such as anger and attachment, fear and

suspicion, while love and compassion, a sense

of universal responsibil ity are the sources of

peace and happiness.

~Lord Buddha

Na Me Bhakta Pranashyati My Devotee Never Perishes

Sandesha

Sri Akhanda Ramayana

Rita Sahai and students offered peaceful and meditative ragas. After arati and mahaprasad, the music continued with heart ren-dering bhajans by Ram Saxena. Last to perform, Suman and Sar-gam Shah put all in a deeply devotional mood through their kirtan and stories. At 12 Midnight the program concluded with a Shiva puja. Sri Ramakrishna Jayanti celebration was held on Sunday the 13th with music and talk. Susheel Narasimhan, a top Carnatic vio-linist and teacher gave an outstanding performance accompanied by his son Raghav, with Sudarshan Gopalakrishnan on mridangam. They performed many devotional compositions of Purandaradasa. Many of his students concluded the program with a violin perfor-mance of Jana Gana Mana, the Indian national anthem. Srimat Swami Tattwamayanandaji, President of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco enlightened his audience of many children and par-ents with inspiring teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. On the 20th a Sri Satyanarayana puja and katha was performed. To conclude the month, a joyful Holi celebration was held with a havan, music led by Ram Saxena and colors flying through the air.

News from Badarikashrama, Madihalli

Swami Vivekananda Jayanti and Yuvajennajagratee Samavesha (Youth Day) was organized on, January 23rd & 24th. Swami Omka-ranandaji opened the function. This was followed by bhajans by the Vidyashala (school) teachers. Present were the 9th standard (Grade) students who had entered the Vivekananda Essay Contest Competition held in December last year. Sri Palakshiah from Ban-galore Educational Department, gave a workshop on how parents can help their children succeed in school and life. After lunch, Sri-mat Swami Tyageshwaranandaji led bhajans and mantras with the children. Visiting Swami Nandeshwaranandaji Maharaj gave stir-ring heartfelt bhajans on the Divine Mother and Ramakrishna. Srimat Swami Ganganandaji Maharaj from Belur Math, Calcutta, gave a talk on loving India. Srimat Swami Tattwaroopanandaji, President of Ramakrishna Math, Halasoor, Bangaluru, gave an in-sightful talk on the young Nachiketa's search for the Truth and his visit with the God Yama. Smt. Leela Appaji, retired principal, talked at length on behavior of students, and the importance of attention for development.

On Sunday the 24th, festivities were inaugurated by a lively pro-cession around the ashrama grounds. After introductions, Vidwan Dattatreya Velankar with his students treated everyone to compositions by Basavanna, Purandaradasa and others in his melodic compelling voice.

Saraswathi Puja - Guru Jyothi Rout

Sri Ramakrishna Jayanthi - Susheel Narsimhan & accompaniment

Vivekananda Jayanthi~Ramakrishna Mahatmas & Devotees

February began with Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas. The divine melodies and deep devo-tion melted the hearts of all. The next day was Sri Rama-nama Sankirtana with readings from “The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.” The sweetness of the Sankirtana and the inspiring teachings of Sri Ramakrishna sparked a feeling of peace and tranquility. On the 14th, a Sri Saraswathi puja was conducted by Swami Vishnumayandaji. The alter was full of children who participated by offering their books, instruments, ghungaroos, etc. This annual puja is orga-nized by Sima Chakraborty and her Nataraj School of Dance. After the puja, Guru Jyoti Rout and students from Jyoti Kala Mandir offered a mesmerizing Odissi dance per-formance. The following Sunday, the ashram conducted a Sri Satyanarayana puja and katha. The last Sunday service of February was Sri Ramanama Sankritana. March began with Sri Sundarkanda Ramayana of Gos-wami Tulsidas. On Sunday the 6th, as part of Maha Shiva-ratri, devotees chanted the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra for three hours led by Ram Saxena. The heart rendering melo-dies and power of the mantra filled the hall with divine vibrations. After chanting, Mrityunjaya Havan was per-formed. There were more than 100 devotees surrounding the Havan Kund. It was a powerful sight to see. The next night for Maha Shivaratri, the evening service began at 6pm with a 108-Kalasha Rudra Abhisheka. All those who sponsored were given a Kalash to offer to Lord Siva which had Ganga Jal, milk, flowers and chandan inside. Everyone was given milk to offer as well. Following the Abhisheka puja, Ilora Jha accompanied on tabla, sang bhajans. Her beautiful voice and melodies were deeply enjoyed by all.

Next a talk was given by Dr. Wooday Krishna, secretary of Sheshad-iripuram Educational Trust, Bengaluru. He spoke on the meaning of Swami Vivekananda's name and Swamiji's message that success can be had in life through commitment and confidence. Professor Shivanna, continued the discussion remarking on the positive quali-ties of Indian students recognized by US President Barack Obama. A number of other important devotees were present at the function including Dr. Prakash, Dayananda Sagar and family, sponsors of the prizes and certificates for the winners in the competition. Srimat Swami Tattwaroopanandaji Maharaj gave an inspiring discourse stressing what students need is intellect, power, absence of jealousy, helping others, self-reliance, not taking short cuts, and so on. Books were given to the students from Mysore. Swami Omkaranandaji closed with stories on Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya. On the Sunday the 26th, Republic Day of India was celebrated, featuring many events by the students of the ashrama's thriving Vidyashala. Different groups of students sang patriotic songs, talked in Hindi, Kannada and English on the history of India, and other patri-otic and nationalistic themes. The function was concluded by a tre-mendous yoga demonstration. Geeta Kamat, Manglananda, and Vasundara addressed the gathering and Swami Omkarananda closed

the function with blessings and leading all in Om. It was so beautiful to see the development of all the students up to 7th standard, their poise and grace, enthusiasm and desire to succeed and progress. Badarikashrama Vidyashala’s 8th Annual School Day was held on February 6th. Swami Omkaranandaji, teachers and 7th grade female students gathered around the photos of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vi-vekananda, and Sri Sarada Devi to offer prayers, puja, and flowers. The LKG students offered songs and dances. The children enthusiasti-cally performed many numbers dressed in elegant costumes that had taken the teachers several weeks to prepare for the day. The chief guests Dr. Aarati Shetty, Principal of Lalita Sri B.Ed. College, Manga-lore gave a rousing talk. The Honorable Judge Vijeet from Turuvekere continued the discussions about the work of the school in our Taluk. Head Mistress Smt. Vasundara gave the annual report of all the activ-ities and guests for the year. She noted the growth of the school from 2008 of 66 students to the current enrollment of over 700 stu-dents. She also told of the impressive list of students who had se-cured many prizes in taluk level, district level and state competitions. Closing the program were a number of pieces focusing on Bharata (India) and Karnataka with flags, songs, and dramas. The last piece, the undoubted hit of the whole evening was Jago Bharat ending in the singing of Vande Mataram. Ibrahim Pasha narrated the musical drama which was written by Sulibelli Chakraborty.

On March 1st, the 10th standard students of the renowned school at Ramakrishna Math, Mysore, visited our ashrama along with their principal, Sri Balaji. On March 7th, Mahasivaratri was observed in the mandir by our hostel students and the teachers and students of our vidyashala. Students were arrayed in the costumes of Shiva, Parvati, Sati and others. Male students per-formed a rousing dance number with trishulas to Hara Hara Ma-hadev, and the girls performed an excellent dance number. The major focus of March was the celebration of Sri Rama-krishna Jayanti on March 12th & 13th. Saturday began with observances in the Vidyashala with dramas, bhajans and talks on Ramakrishna by students and teachers. Swamis and devo-tees from the Ramakrishna Math, Halasuru, Ooty, came to the ashrama for a retreat. The atmosphere under the Banyan Tree reverberated with the soulful bhajans of Tattwaroopanandaji. Sunday, began with all the mahatmas, ashrama trustees, and students, inaugurating the newly built gates that are part of the recently constructed foundation wall surrounding the ashrama facilities. The main gate with the name of Badarikashrama in Kannada, English and Hindi was blessed with puja, flowers, kumkuma and aarati, by the Swamis, along with students, trus-tees and devotees. Vivekananda Gate leading to the vidyashala, Ramakrishna Gate (the central gate), and Sri Sarada Devi gate were all inaugurated. Hanuman gate name board is yet to come, but that is the last gate opening into the grounds. The function in the mandir began with a homa to Ramakrishna. Kir-tana sung by Sri Viswanath H.V. and group from Bangaluru. The session was anchored by our Assistant Head Master, Srinivas. The remaining days in March were filled with preparations for the final exams of the year which consist of oral and written tests. School closes at the end of March and reopens in June.

Sri Ramakrishna Jayanthi Havan

Badarikashrama Vidyashala Annual Day

Field trip to Vanivilas Sagar, Hiriyur

BALASAMSKARA KENDRA

Classes for children are held every Sunday at 10:30 am. Bay Area parents who want to actively partici-pate in the cultural and spiritual education of their children conceived of the school. The curriculum in-cludes Hindi classes, Sanskrit Mantras, and explana-tions of puja, rituals, symbolism of Gods and God-desses and Indian festivals. Story telling familiarizes our children with our ancient culture and epics. Chil-dren find it a lot of fun and look forward to every session. We encourage all of you to bring your chil-dren from the ages of 5-15 to our school. Please call the Ashram staff for more information or Anita Bajaj at 510-553-1123. The school is free and everyone is welcome.

Letter to Devotees & Readers

Our India center is located in Madihalli about 75 miles west of Bengaluru. It is set among rolling hills, surrounded by fruit orchards and a variety of tropical vegetation. It is now a Tapobhumi, providing service to humanity in the fields of education and health. The Ashrama serves the surrounding community with a school as well as health and humanitarian needs. We are focused on expanding the activities such as seminars, personality development for the teacher’s and students. The school project is growing and providing quality education. The science lab and computer lab are providing more opportunities for students to learn. Swamiji is currently living in India and invites all interested to join in short or long term work for humanitarian service. We sincerely hope you will take the opportunity to visit our Ashrama during your next visit to India.

Badarikashrama Madihalli P.O.

Turuvekere Tq., Tumakuru Dt., Karnataka 572227 Office : 08139287013/ 08139287571

Mobile : 9741246418-Swami Omkarananda Mobile: 9481204844– Swami Mangalananda

www.badarikashrama.org Email: badarik1986@gmail.com

USA Center Badarik@pacbell.net

510-278-2444

Daily Schedule at San Leandro

Temple is open between the hours of 7am to 1pm and 5pm to 8pm

Puja is conducted thrice daily at 7am, 12 noon and 6.30pm Every Monday 6:30 pm: Sri Siva Puja & Aarti

Every Tuesday 6:30 pm: Sri Durga Puja & Aarti

Every Full Moon Day Sri Satyanarayana Puja & Katha, 7:30 pm

BADARIKASHRAMA

15602 Maubert Avenue

San Leandro, CA 94578

Non Profit Org.

U.S. Postage Paid

San Leandro, CA

Permit # 61

DATED MATERIAL RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

April, 2016

Sat 2nd 2:30 pm Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas

Sun 3rd 11:00 am Sri Bhagavat Gita & Kirtan led by Suman, Sargam Shah

Fri 8th 6:30 pm Chandramana Yugadi (Sri Rudra Abhisheka & Kirtan)

Sat 9th 6:00 pm Mata ki Chowki with Sri Ma Durga Bhajan Mandali

Sun 10th 10:00 am Sri Durga Homa (Chaitra Navaratri)

Sun 15th 11:00 am Sri Ramanavami Puja & Kirtan

Sat 16th

& Sun 17th 9 am - 6 pm 9 am - 5 pm

Sri Ramanavami Music Festival with Bay Area Carnatic Music Schools

Fri 22nd 7:00 pm Chitra Purnima Puja (Sri Satyanarayana Puja)

Sat 23rd 9:30 am Hanuman Jayanti Celebration (Hanuman Chalisa chanting 108 times led by Ram Saxena & Group)

Sun 24th 11:00 am Sri Satyanarayana Puja and Kirtan

May. 2016

Sun 1st 11:00 am Sri Bhagavad Gita group study led by Suman & Sargam, Shah, Subita Sudarshan & Vinodini Patel

Sat 7th 2:30 pm Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas

Sun 8th 10:00 am Shankara and Sri Ramanuja Jayanti (Music by Lata Sriram & Students Talk by Suman and Sargam Shah)

Sun 15th 11:00 am Ayurvedic Workshop on Caner Prevention by Dr. Arora

Sat 21st 6:00 pm Full Moon Sri Satyanarayana Puja and Kirtan Purnima)

Sun 22nd 2:00 pm Buddha Jayanti Celebration [Dance, Bhajans & Talk]

Sat 29th 9:00 am -

Sadhana Day (Gayatri Japa and Homa)

June. 2016

Sat. 4th 2:30 pm Sri Sundarakanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas

Sun. 5th 11:00 am Sri Bhagavad Gita Group Discussion

Sun 12th 11:00 am Sri Ramanama Sankirtan & Satsang, by Swami Omkaranandaji

Sat. 18th Sun. 19th

10am-4:30pm 10:30am-1:30pm

32nd Anniversary Celebration Sat. -Cultural Program Sun. -Samuhika 108 Sri Satyanarayana Puja

Sat. 25th 3:00 pm Kabir Jayanti (Led by Ram Saxena & Bharati Bhakta)

Sun. 26th 9:00 am Sri Mrityunjaya Japa and Homa

July 2016

Sun. 3rd

To

Mon. 4th

9:30am

To

1:00pm

Sri Akhanda Ramayana of Goswami Tulsidas

Recitation from Sat. 9:30am to Sun. 1:00pm

Happy Independence Day!

Sun. 10th 10:30 am Sri Durga Homa