SRI SHARADA DEVI JAYANTI

  Dear Friend,

The 156th Jayanti celebration of Holy Mother Sri Sharada Devi will be held at the Ashrama on Thursday, December 18^th, 2008.

We cordially invite you and your friends to attend the celebration.

Yours in the Lord,

Swami Raghaveshananda 

(Secretary)

Morning

6:15 am-7:15 am :  Usha Kirtana (Omkara, Vedic Chanting, Guru Stuti, Bhajans, Meditation)

   8:00 am :  Special Puja

   9:30 am :  Sri Lalita Sahasranama Parayana

10:00 am :  Homa and Veda Ghosha

11:00 am : Bhajans

11:45 am : Pravachana

12:15 pm : Pushpanjali & Namasankeertana

12:45 pm : Mahamangalarati & Prasada

Evening

6:00 pm : Sri Devi Stuti

6:30 pm :  Special Arati and Stotras

7:00 pm-7:45 pm : Bhajans and Namavali

Note:

* Christmas eve will be celebrated on Wednesday, 24^th December, 2008 from 7:00 pm.

* Kalpataru Day will be observed on Thursday, January 1, 2009. There will be a special satsanga from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

* Like the previous years, woollen blankets will be distributed to 200 poor people. This programme will be held in the Ashrama at     4.00 pm on Sunday, 30th November 2008.

* In connection with the Jayanthi of Holy Mother Sri Sharadadevi, sarees will be distributed to 200 poor women at 4.00 pm on Sunday, 21st December 2008 in the Ashrama,

‘Donations in cash or kind for the celebrations will be thankfully acknowledged.’

Dear Devotees,

Our hearty greetings to you all on the auspicious occassion of Sri Sri kali Puja & Deepavali.

As per the tradition, the Divine Mother is worshipped in her terrible form of ‘Kali’ on the night of Kartik Amavasya.

On Tuesday, 28th October Sri Sri Kali Puja was performed in picture in the Ashrama. A special arati was performed & bhajans in praise of the ‘The Divine Mother’ were sung with great enthusiasm. About 100 devotees participated in the evening worship.

‘Deepalankaras’ (decoartion with lamps) were done with the oil lamps. Apart from the prayer hall there was also special decoration done at Sri Sharada Mantapa (Dining Hall). All the devotees assembled for the evening prayers were invited to see the special decoration done in front of the picture of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi at Sri Sarada Mantapa & to pay their obeisance to Her.

All the devotees were served with sweeets offered to Mother Kali.

Dear Devotees,

Our hearty Vijaya greetings to you all!

The Navrathri festival was celebrated in the Ashrama from 31^st September to 9^th of October.

In the evenings during these nine days there were the chanting of Devi stuti followed by the Arati of Sri Ramakrishna and devotional songs sung in praise of the Divine Mother.

On the Saptami day, according to the local custom, Mother Saraswathi was worshipped in picture.

From Ashtami day to Vijayadashami Mother Durga was worshipped in picture at the Temple with special Puja, Havan, Vedic Chanting and bhajans. More than four hundred devotees participated and partook cooked food Prasada on this day.

On the Navami day Ayudh Puja was performed in the Ashrama, in which as per the tradition, the work places, instruments & machineries were worshipped.

In the morning of the Vijayadashami a small, informal worship was conducted on the new land acquired by the Ashrama & construction of the Sabhangana.was started on this auspicious day

In evening after the vesper services symbolic ‘Visarjana’ was done, amidst vedic chants, sounds of gongs & conch shells, by shaking of the picture of Sri Sri Durga.

Sri Ganesha festival was observed in Ashrama for 3 days from 3rd - 5th September. The image of Lord Ganesha was installed & worshipped ceremoniously during the festival.  There were chantings & bhajans both in morning & evening for these 3 days & also an immersion ceremony on the last evening. Many devotees participated whole heartedly for these programmes. Some of the photographs of the event are given below.

The daily programme was as follows

September 3^rd to 5^th – Sri Ganesha Utsava

10:30 am - Special Puja to Sri Ganesha

11:00 am to 12:00 pm - Vedic Chanting, Stotras and Bhajans

7:45 pm - Prasada

Immersion ceremony On  Friday 5^th September 2008, at 8:00 pm

Sri Sri Guru Purnima was celebrated at the Belgaum Ashrama on 18th of July with due solemnity. The programmes included homa, chanting, bhajans, pushpannjali, etc were attended by many devotees. The detail programme is given below:

Morning:

        06:15 am : 07:15 am : Usha Kirtan (Omkara, Vedic Chanting, 
                                              Sri Guru Stuti, Bhajans & Meditation)
        09:30 am : 10.00 am : Vishnu Sahasranama (Parayana)
        10:00 am : 11:00 am : Homa
        11:00 am : 11:30 am : Bhajans
        11:30 am : 11:50 am : Sri Ramakrishna Ashtottaram
        11:50 am : 12:20 pm : Speech
        12:20 pm : 12:45 pm : Pushpanjali & Namavali
        12:45 pm : Arati & Prasada

Evening

        06:30 pm - 07:45 pm : Special Arati & Bhajans

In all more than 650 people participated in the morning programme & about 150 had assembled for the evening prayers & bhajans. All the assembled devotees were served with prasada. The programmes went on very smoothly. More than 50 volunteers gave their services along with the inmates of the Ashrama in conducting the overall programme.

Some of the pictures of the event can be seen above.