A Musical Celebration of Saints 

सदाशिवसमारम्भाम् शङ्कराचार्यमध्यमाम् |
sadashiva samaarambhaam shankaraacharya madhyamaam
अस्मदाचार्यपर्यन्ताम् वन्दे गुरुपरम्पराम् ||
asmad aacharyaparyantaam vande guru paramparaam
“I bow with reverence to the entire lineage of preceptors beginning with
Lord Sadashiva, through Sri Adi Shankaracharya and up to my own Guru””

 (Advaita Guru Parampara Stotram - a Sanskrit prayer saluting the lineage of Gurus)

Spring this year at the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire, Nashua, NH is turning out to be a musical celebration of the saints and Gurus of various Hindu traditions. The celebration started with a Ugadi concert by Vidwan Sri R K Padmanabha dedicated to Sri Raghavendra Swami in early April. It will conclude in early May with a unique concert and lecture demonstration on the works of the great Tamil saints from a millennium ago by Prof. Sri Vaithialingam and Vidwan Sri Kodilingam, acclaimed experts and musicologists on the subject. In between, the Temple celebrated Sita Kalyanam which included recitals of music composed by Saint Thyagaraja, and Tamil New Year’s Day which included a Thevaram recital drawing from the compositions of the Tamil saints called the Nayanars. The Temple will also be celebrating the 1000^th birth anniversary of Sri Ramanujacharya and the birth anniversary of Sri Adi Shankaracharya this weekend. 

"Poojyaaya Raghavendraaya"

On April 1^st, around Ugadi, the Hindu Temple of New Hampshire basked in the blessings, peace and grace of Sri Raghavendra Swamy, the revered 17^th century Madhwa saint and philosopher from Mantralaya, India, thanks to the New England Shri Raghavendra Swami Brundavan. NE-SRS Brundavan, through the efforts of Sri Raghavendra (NE-SRSB)  and Sri Raidu Rayasam (Bharathi Vidyashram), organized a memorable Carnatic music concert at the Temple by the amazingly gifted vocalist and composer Ganakalabushana Vidwan Sri R. K. Padmanabha, accompanied on the violin by Sri Giridhari Venkatadri, and by Sri Praveen Sitaraman on the mridangam. Vidwan Padmanabha, an ardent devotee of Sri Raghavendra Swamy, filled the Temple with his saptaswara vibrations rendered with great bhakti. The concert included both well-known compositions on Sri Raghavendra Swamy ("Thunga Theera Virajam" in Raga Saalagabhairavi, preceded by an alapana of "Poojyaya Raghavendraaya"), and compositions in Kannada on Sri Raghavaendra Swamy by the singer himself ("Guru Raya Brindavana" in Raga Tilang, preceded by an alapana), and concluded with the song "Paadiro Guru Rayara Namama Paadiro."   Pictures and videos from this concert are available for viewing at the Dwell on Dharma facebook page at: https://tinyurl.com/dwellondharmafb 

"Sita Kalyana Vaibhogame"

On April 9^th, the Temple celebrated Sri Rama Navami in a grand manner with a Laksharchana (worship service in which the various sacred names of Lord Sri Rama are collectively chanted a hundred thousand times) by volunteer ritwiks, followed by "Sita Rama Kalyanotsavam" (also known as "Sita Kalyanam") - the celestial wedding of Sri Rama and Sita Devi. The Temple hosts a sanctum for Sri Ram Parivar, and Sri Rama Navami with Sita Kalyanam is celebrated annually to commemorate the birth of Lord Sri Rama. Sita Kalyanam is a Hindu tradition that consists of the joyful reenactment of the wedding of Sri Rama and Sita Devi by devotees. The reenactment reflects much of the color and excitement of an Indian wedding including the costumes, ritual, music and food, and is considered an auspicious event to participate in. The Harvard Pluralism Project captures the essential elements of this celebration in this essay. For the wedding, the divine couple were seated on a swing adorned with floral garlands and colorful silk garments with deities Sri Lakshmana and Sri Anjaneya witnessing the wedding from the side. Ladies brought the traditional wedding presents and sweets ("seer" in Tamil) for the bride and groom and displayed them neatly on a platform. This was followed by various colorful traditional rituals including 'pratisarabandham' (tying of yellow thread around wrists), 'paaligai' (sowing of seeds), 'maalai maatral'(exchange of garlands), 'pravaram' (announcement of the lineage of the bride and groom), 'maangalya pooja' (sanctification of the sacred thread necklace that marks the marriage), 'mangalya dharanam' (the groom adorning the bride with the sacred necklace), and 'upachara seva'(hospitality to the Lord). These rituals were adorned in the background with melodious music recitals by various devotees and students of Smt. Usha Dwarak. The wedding event provided an opportunity to celebrate the music of Saint Thyagaraja, the ardent devotee of Sri Rama, from whose prolific collection of compositions the singers at the wedding - both young and experienced - drew from (some video clips: "Sita Kalyana Vaibogame"(chorus), "Rama Ninnu Nammina", "Chalamera", and "Seethamma Mayamma"). All the videos and pictures from this event shot by various volunteers can be viewed here. 

"Puththaandu Vaazhthukkal"

On April 14^th, the Temple celebrated the advent of the auspicious Tamil New Year "Hevilambi" with special poojas, including a upachara pooja for the 20^th century saint Sri Kanchi Paramacharya whose birth star "Anusham" occurred on the same day. A special feature at the event was the recitation of sacred hymns from the Tamil Thirumurai, which is devotional poetry composed over 1300 years ago by Tamil Saivite saints Appar, Sundarar and Sambandar, known as the Nayanars. This simple, melodious musical chanting, which is part of the tradition of temples in Tamil Nadu, was done by the Thevaram interest group at the Temple with Sri Lakshmi Munugoor in the lead, and included the following songs: "Thiruvalivalam", "Thirupiramapuram", "Thiruneetrup padhikam" and "Thiruangamalai".

The Temple will be hosting a special musical event on Tamil devotional music in May. The event called "Arul Noolgal - Uraiyum Isaiyum (அருள் நூல்கள் – உரையும் இசையும்)" is a musical concert and lecture demonstration by Prof. M. Vaithialingam and Vidwan M. Kodilingam, drawing from melodious devotional poetry composed over a millennium ago by some of the greatest Tamil saints. The poetry includes "Thirumurai", "Thevaram", "Thiruvaachakam", "Thiruppugazh" and "Divya Prabandham", and after a thousand years is still in active liturgical use in Hindu Temples in Tamil Nadu. Prof. M. Vaithialingam and Vidwan M. Kodilingam are eminent experts in Tamil devotional literature, who have dedicated their lives to the propagation of Tamil spiritual works through singing and teaching. Acclaimed for their rich and specialized knowledge of the subject, they frequently appear on various TV channels in Tamil Nadu. Their mission has taken them to several countries around the world, and they are currently in the United States to participate in the Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival. Both brothers have been honored with various titles by various organizations. This year the Music Academy, Chennai conferred the TTK Award on Vidwan Kodilingam, who in addition to music, has also been involved in other fine arts including acting and dance. Prof. Vaithialingam who retired as the Head of the Department of Tamil in Dindigul Arts College, has served as a member on the curriculum committee for music and Tamil in the Madras and Madurai Universities, and has contributed to the Tamil music aspects of the Tamil classical language program.

The Temple invites you to attend this unique event on Thursday, May 4^th, 6:45PM-9:45 PM at the Temple. Admission is free. Please click here for details. 

"Pallaandu Pallandu"

 On Saturday April 29^th, the Temple will celebrate "Sri Ramanuja Sahasrabdi Jayanthi" - the 1000^th birth anniversary of the great  11^th century Vaishnavite saint Sri Ramanujacharya, an event being celebrated all over the world (a grand Temple with a 216 feet tall metallic statue of Sri Ramanujacharya is being constructed in India to commemorate the event). Sri Ramanjuacharya, a saint who was instrumental in reviving the Srirangam and Tirumala Tirupathi Temples a millennium ago, was also a social reformer who preached that all are equal before the Lord (Indian Prime Minister Sri Modi highlighted this in his last Independence Day speech).  

The celebrations at the Temple from 8:45AM to 2:00PM will feature various traditional rituals and recitals from the Vedas and the Divya Prabandham, and Carnatic music by students of Smt. Usha Dwarak. 

"Bhaja Govindam"

On Sunday, April 30^th, the Temple will celebrate the birth anniversary of the great philosopher, poet and saint Sri Adi Shankaracharya. Sri Adi Shankara who was born in the 8^th century in Kaladi, Kerala, was an intellectual genius who professed the doctrine of "Advaita". Also referred to as Shankara Bhagavadpada, Sri Adi Shankara was a towering spiritual colossus, who wrote commentaries on various religious texts, traveled all over India, established monasteries (or "mathas") in various corners of the country many of which are active to this day, and unified multiple currents of Hindu thought. Sri Adi Shankara, after absorbing the infinite wisdom of the Vedas with all his intellectual prowess, ultimately recommends the simple life path of "Bhakti" (devotion) and "Nama Smarana" (dwelling on the divine), as is evident from his famous composition "Bhaja Govindam". The "vigraha" of Sri Medha Dakshinamurthy installed at the Temple is based on the  iconography described in the hymn "Sri Dakshninamoorti Stotram" composed by Sri Adi Shankaracharya).

The Shankara Jayanthi celebrations at the Temple on Sunday will feature various traditional rituals and recitals from the Vedas, Upanishads and Sanskrit Stotras composed by the saint. 

THE TEMPLE

The Hindu Temple of New Hampshire has been serving the cultural and religious needs of the Hindu community in the Greater Nashua and Greater Boston area for 9 years. The Temple has been visited, graced and blessed by many well-known spiritual leaders and scholars, and recently had the honor of being invited by the New Hampshire legislature to deliver a prayer at the House of Representatives. In addition to religious and spiritual activities, the Temple along with its cultural school Bharathi Vidyashram, has also been involved in various cultural and community service activities. Among upcoming service activities in which we invite you to participate are the Walk for Hunger in Boston, MA on May 6^th, and the 3^rd Bike for Dharma in Nashua, NH, in support of US veterans on June 3rd, and. The Temple which is located off Exit 6 on Route 3 is easily accessible from most locations in the Greater Boston area. The Temple has a full-time priest, Sri Balakrishna Sastry. In addition to "nitya aradhana" (daily poojas), the Temple conducts Gayathri Homam on Saturdays and Sundays as part of a year-long Gayathri Maha Yagna, and celebrates many major Hindu festivals.

The Temple invites devotees to visit the Temple, have darshan and receive the blessings of deities, and participate, sponsor, and volunteer in various Temple activities. The Temple seeks your patronage and support to help it grow and serve you well. Your donations are tax-deductible and may be made out to HTNH, PO Box 7041, Nashua, NH 03060. Please visit http://www.hindutemplenh.org or contact Sri Veeramani Ranganathan (hindutempleofnh@gmail.com) for more information.

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