Shivalaya Temple of Greater Boston organized a week-long recitation of Shree Hanuman Chalisa Katha by Swami Nalinananda Giriji from Monday, April 15^th to Sunday, April 21, 2019. Every day evening, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, the bhajan Kirtan and Shri Hanuman Chalisa Katha recitation were followed by Arati and Mahabhog to all the devotees. A large number of devotees attended this program very keenly to gain the understanding of significance of Hanuman Chalisa.

Swami Nalinananda Giriji came from Maryland and delivered his though provoking discourse on the importance and the benefits of reciting Hanuman Chalisa in our life. His in-depth knowledge and infinite wisdom of Hindu religious scriptures and melodious singing has mesmerized the community. He is a well-trained classical singer. He was accompanied by Abhishek on Harmonium and Arman on Tabla. Both players displayed their star level skills by adding melodious sounds to the singer and created a very positive spiritual atmosphere in the temple. Devotees felt that they were blessed because Swami Ji was here during this auspicious and suitable time of Shree Hanuman Janma-Utsav and described the powers and greatness of Lord Hanuman as descried in Hanuman Chalisa in a story form.

The Hanuman Chalisa is a devotional hymn of 40 verses composed by the famous 16th-century poet, Goswami Tulsidas that describes Lord Hanuman Ji and his powers of protection. Swami Ji explained not only the meaning of the verses but also explained the meaning of each letter and words in the verses. He said that Lord Hanuman is the most ardent devotee of Lord Rama and He is the central figure of Hindu Epic Ramayana. Lord Hanuman is one of the Chiranjivis (immortal living beings) who are to remain alive on the earth forever. Lord Hanuman Ji is also known by his very popular names like Mahavira, Bajarangbali, Anjaneya, Pawan Putra, Anjaniputra, Kesari Nanadan, Maruti and many more. Swami Ji said that Lord Hanuman is very strong and has many powers and courage. He also narrated to devotees, how Shree Hanuman Ji as a child tried to swallow the Sun thinking it was a ripe mango fruit, how He flew all the way to Sri Lanka over the ocean to find Sita Mata Ji, and how He set fire to the city of Lanka.

Swami Ji said that reading of Hanuman Chalisa is seriously recommended because it has the power of converting all the negative and adverse forces into positive energies and strengths. One will get his problems resolved without losing one’s morale and self-confidence. That is why, Hanuman Ji is also called Sankat Mochan as he gets rid of one’s problems and difficulties and brings miraculous positive effect on the person. Each verse of the Hanuman Chalisa has its own importance.

On Sunday, April 21, 2019, the Purn Ahuti of weeklong Katha on Hanuman Chalisa was performed by Shree Nalinananda Giriji. Shree Kidar Nath Vaid expressed his gratitude on behalf the temple’s Management Committee to Swami Ji for his time and enlightening discourse. He also read a brief poem describing Swami Ji’s greatness and his kind service to the community. Shri. Chirag expressed his heartfelt thanks to all the devotees for participating in the event with great enthusiasm and making it a great event. He also thanked immensely the sponsors for their support and volunteers for their services. He proposed his thanks to Shree Kidar Nath Vaid Ji and Shree Jitendra Sharma Ji who sponsored the last day Maha Prasadam. He thanked temple president, Shree Vijay Ji and Shree Sudarshan Ji for coordinating the program and monitoring the crowd. Shree Devendra Dutta and his team were also thanked profusely for serving Prasadam every day to all the devotees with great love and care.

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