Sri Kanchi Paramacharya Jayanthi

Celebrated at the

Hindu Temple of New Hampshire

अपार करुणा सिन्धुं ज्ञानदं शान्त रूपिणम् |
श्री चन्द्रशेखरगुरुं प्रणमामि मुदान्वहम् ||

apaara karunaa sindhum gyaanadam shaanta roopinam |
sri chandrashekhara gurum pranamaami mudaanvaham ||

(A Sanskrit hymn saluting Sri Kanchi Paramacharya as an infinite ocean of compassion)

The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH, had the opportunity to be part of the celebration of the 123^rd birth anniversary of Kanchi Paramacharya Pujyasri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Swamiji, twice on the same day on Sunday, May 22^nd, 2016! Ritwiks from the Temple participated in a special worship held at a devotee’s residence in Acton by Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation in the morning. This was followed in the evening with a celebration of the great sage’s birthday at the Temple premises itself.

SRI KANCHI PARAMACHARYA

Pujyasri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati Swamiji, revered by his millions of devotees as “Paramacharya” (the Greatest Teacher), “Maha Periyava” (the Most Revered Elder), and “Nadamaadum Deivam” (God incarnate), was born in the town of Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, India on May 20^th 1894. Sri Paramacharya was installed as the 68^th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt located in Kanchipuram, India, at the tender age of 13. He went on to become a great saint who would live for a 100 years, serving as a guiding light for millions. A towering spiritual colossus in 20^th century India with great intellectual strengths, he was a strong pillar of Dharma, and a champion of the Vedas, and had a following that included some of the most prominent and powerful personalities of India. Sri Paramacharya emphasized Bhakti (devotion) in conformance with Hindu traditions, but he also stressed the essential unity of all religions in spite of their different approaches to the same Truth. Many of his devotees fondly recall the miraculous ways in which his grace has influenced their lives. To them he is still an eternally living presence, the very thought of whom is enough to cleanse their souls. We are happy to highlight some rare black and white pictures of Sri Paramacharya on the occasion of his birth anniversary celebrations.

PARAMACHARYA JAYANTHI

The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH, has been observing the annual jayanthi and aradhana functions for Sri Kanchi Paramacharya since its inception. This year the Temple had the opportunity to participate in the celebration of the 123^rd birth anniversary of Sri Paramacharya, twice on the same day on Sunday, May 22^nd, 2016! 

The morning celebration, in which ritwiks representing the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire also participated, was organized by Sri Rajesh Vaitheeswarran on behalf of the Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation, and hosted by Sri Ram Srinivasan and Smt. Hema Srinivasan at their home in Acton, MA (where the very first Chant for Dharma was also held a few years ago in support of the purchase of the current premises of the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire). The worship was led by Panditji Sri Bhairavasundaram of Samba Mrityunjaya Shakthi Peetam. Ekadasa rudram chanting by over 20 ritwiks in chorus filled the environment with devotion, divinity and a sense of peace. The chanting was accompanied by linga abhishekam and paduka pooja, and was followed by beautiful bhajans sung by Sri Krishnamoorthy Subramani (including “Vizhi Kidaikkuma”, a prayer to Sri Paramacharya), melodious vocal music by Lavanya Prabhakar and others, and soulful “Thiruppugazh” (which Sri Bhairavji noted was a favorite of Sri Paramacharya) singing by some of the members of the Thiruppugazh Anbargal group who were present at the event. Sri Ganapathy read out an excerpt from “Deivathin Kural” (Voice of Divinity), a compilation of writings by Sri Paramacharya. In this excerpt, Sri Paramacharya points out that love (“anbu”) is the essential characteristic emphasized by the scriptures. He notes however that love is distinct from the “ahimsa” (non-violence) preached by Gandhi and Buddha, in that “himsa” sometimes needs to be used with care and love to ensure that “dharma” prevails. Sri Bhairavji urged devotees to share their experiences of the miraculous grace of Sri Paramacharya, and those present heard some touching experiences. Devotees were treated to a sumptuous lunch served in a traditional manner.

The evening celebration was held at the premises of the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH. The worship started with mahanyaasa led by Sri Veeramani Ranganathan and Sri Balakrishna Sastry, followed by bhajans and some vibrant ekadasa rudram chanting by ritwik volunteers. The chanting was accompanied by paaduka abhishekam, and was followed by a homam (rudra homam and avahanti homam – rituals involving the sacred fire) in the grand homa kunda that has been installed in the Temple recently. The ritwik volunteers who had been able to make it to both the morning and evening events felt doubly fortunate at having had the opportunity to serve Sri Paramacharya twice on his birth anniversary.

ANUSHA POOJA

Sri Kanchi Paramacharya is regarded as the guiding Guru of the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire. Sri Veeramani Ranganathan, founder of the Temple, points out that Sri Paramacharya is the source of divine inspiration for the establishment and operation of the Temple. The Temple honors its guiding Guru by observing a paduka pooja, reverential worship of the acharya’s sandals, every month on the day of anusha nakshatram, which is the birth star of Sri Paramacharya. The paduka pooja program includes veda/upanishad chanting. The Temple invites devotees to sponsor and/or attend the monthly paduka pooja and receive the blessings of Sri Paramacharya. For more information, please contact Sri Veeramani Ranganathan at mailto:rveermani@gmail.com.

The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, which has been serving the cultural and religious needs of the Hindu community in the Nashua and Greater Boston area, started its operations 8 years ago in a small rented space in a commercial plaza off the busy Daniel Webster Highway in Nashua, NH, and then expanded to a larger, relatively more sequestered rented space located at 1 Progress Avenue in Nashua, NH. The current premises were purchased by the Temple about 3 years ago to accommodate the growth of its devotee population and the increased scope of its service activities. During these 8 years of operation, the Temple has been visited, graced and blessed by many well-known spiritual leaders and scholars including the founder of the Art of Living movement Padma Vibhushan Guruji Sri Ravishankar, the prolific and popular Vaishnavite scholar and exponent Sri U. Ve. Vellukudi Krishnan Swamy, the Dasa Sahitya expert Dr. Aralumallige Parthasarathy, who has been spreading awareness about Srimad Bhagavatham and Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam all over the world, Prof. Subrahmonia Iyer, former Dean of Academic Affairs, IIT Bombay, Shri Shenkottai Hari, the well-known Bhagavathar and expert in Divya Nama Sankeertana and Sampradaya Bhajans, Smt. Poornimaji and Sri Ramanujamji, senior disciples of HH Maharanyam Sri Muralidhara Swamiji, a proponent of Nama Sankeertana, and Sri Siddheswarananda Bharati Swamiji, Shankaracharya Paramahamsa of Courtallam Mutt. In addition to the religious and spiritual activities that form its core, the Temple has also been involved in various cultural and service activities to benefit the community, in conjunction with Bharati Vidyashram, the cultural arm of the Temple. 

“If we practice Dharma without expecting any reward in the belief that Ishvara gives us what he wills, and in a spirit of dedication, the impurities tainting our being will be removed and we will obtain the bliss that is exalted” – Sri Kanchi Paramacharya on nishkaama karma.

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