Swami Vivekananda
I am not going just now to venture my own theory. But if anyone here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others, to him I say, “Brother, yours is an impossible hope.” Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is very happy to inform that we are conducting 150 Bala Samskar Kendras in all five States. As we know that each month the material to be taught changes to some extent due to the monthly festivals, date births of spiritual and National leaders and other events. Our teachers incorporate these changes to make sure that our children are taught the relevant timely information.
Our Children are taught about the richness of our culture by teaching about various scriptures and the timeless wisdom found in them. Our students will learn how Hindus conceive the abstract concept of God, their features, physical features and the divine qualities. We talk about the characteristics of Lord Rama, the attributes and his behavior and the qualities that we can emulate. Many of our Gods are incarnated at different times and we try to explain about different Avataras and the purpose of incarnating at a particular time.
GHHF is very happy to inform you that we started 150 Sala Samskar Kendras many villages that are in remote places where people have to walk to reach these places. We started these Schools in these areas to ensure our children are protected from aggressive Christian missionary activities. We found teachers to be dedicated and passionate about teaching our culture, stotras, slokas, Desha Bhakti Geethas, national heroes who contributed to enriching Hindu culture and also performed Surya Namaskaras along with meditation. Sri Swamiji is taking the responsibility of coordinating these Centers and he sends all the required information.
As we know that each month the material to be taught changes to some extent due to the monthly festivals, date births of spiritual and National leaders and other events. Our teachers incorporate these changes to make sure that our children are taught the relevant timely information.
Our Children are taught about the richness of our culture by teaching about various scriptures and the timeless wisdom found in them. Our students will learn how Hindus conceive the abstract concept of God, their features, physical features and the divine qualities. We talk about the characteristics of Lord Rama, the attributes and his behavior and the qualities that we can emulate. Many of our Gods are incarnated at different times and we try to explain about different Avataras and the purpose of incarnating at a particular time.
Speech of Swami Vivekananda in Chicago
The week of September 11, 2022, our children were taught about the importance of speech and how Swami Vivekananda was welcomed in USA. It was sent if different languages to the teachers to talk about it.
Here is the full text of Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the Parliament of Religion, Chicago:
Sisters and Brothers of America,
It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions, and I thank you in the name of millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects.
My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honor of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth. I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to Southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation. I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: “As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.”
The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: “Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me.” Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.
Teachers also talked about Swami Vivekanada’s life history, his achievements, and his philosophy.
“Let my every word be a prayer to Thee,
Every movement of my hands a ritual gesture to Thee,
Every step I take a circumambulation of Thy image,
Every morsel I eat a rite of sacrifice to Thee,
Every time I lay down a prostration at Thy feet;
Every act of personal pleasure and all else that I do,
Let it all be a form of worshiping Thee.”
– Verse 27 of Shri Aadi Shankara’s Saundaryalahari
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is very happy to inform you that we have appointed four Pracharaks and Bala Samskar teachers in and around Cachar City in Assam. Cachar is an administrative district in the state. The district headquarters, Silchar, is one of the most important business centers of Assam. In 2006, the Indian government named Cachar one of the country’s 250 most backward districts out of a total of 640.
Sri Samrat Dutt from Cachar has been following activities – Ghar Waapasi and Bala Samskar. He has been talking about starting both the programs around Cachar and was willing to do whatever it takes to start these two programs in and around the city. He even identified four Pracharaks – two males and two females. He also identified one Bala Samskar teacher. GHHF would like to express our appreciation to Samratji for his passion and determination to coordinate and supervise these activities.
Bala Samskar Kendra Students in Assam dressed up like DURGA MATA
GHHF Assam – With the participation of thousands of Hindus, GHHF Assam organized a rally and Hindu Jagran Sabha on early hours of Mahalaya to mark the home comings of Goddess Durga. Bala Samskar students dressed like Durga, Shiba, Kali and performed dances, sang Durga song ,recited and chanted Maa Durga Sthuti.
Maa Durga Puja is the biggest festival of Hindus in Assam and Mahalaya is celebrated by the devotees of Maa Durga a week before the Durga Puja celebrations begin across the globe. It marks the beginning of Debi Paksha (the era of the goddess) and is observed on the last day of Piru Paksha (the 16-day lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors/Pitrus). Mahalaya, therefore, means the arrival of Goddess Durga, and the festival centered around her worship – Durga Puja.
What is Mahalaya? The last day of offering tribute to our departed forefathers, i.e. Pitrupaksha and the beginning of the devipaksha is called Mahalaya. At the time of the cataclysm, when the earth became a great cause-sea, Lord Vishnu laid Anantanag on that sea and fell into a deep sleep.
The last day of Pitru Paksha or Pitrupaksha (a 16-day long period devoted to ancestors) in the month of Ashwina is known as Mahalaya. This day is observed on Amavasya, which marks the end of Krishna paksha. Hindus believe that every year on this day Goddess Durga arrives on Earth. Moreover, this religiously significant day marks the start of the 10-day annual Durga Puja festival in West Bengal. Mahalaya also referred to as Sarva Pitra Amavasya, is being observed on September 25 this year. On Mahalaya, people even prefer listening to the Mahishasura Mardini composition.
Significance of Killing Mahishasura
Besides paying homage to ancestors, the day is commemorated to highlight the power of truth and courage and the victory of good over evil. According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that Goddess Durga was created by the powers of all supreme deities to kill a demon named Mahishasura who is said to have caused destruction on Earth.
Frank Morales
The Earth was not created by God to be partitioned into artificial geographic regions, over which men will then foolishly war with one another. Rather, she is a living being, a mother, a woman, a Goddess, whom we are to love, respect and nurture – as she so patiently nurtures us. In the Hindu tradition, Mother Earth even has a name: Bhu-devi. In Sanatana Dharma, the dual issues of respecting the ways of nature and respecting women are ultimately inseparable concerns.
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is extremely happy to inform that our Bala Samskar Kendras are organizing Bathukamma Festival to our young students. They help organize and facilitate the Bonalu festival. In Telangana, it is a huge festival conducted August/September of every year
The name “Bonalu” is derived from the Sanskrit term ‘Bhojanam’. Over the years it became Bonam and eventually it is termed as Bonalu. It means food or a feast in the Telugu language. As per the festival, food is offered to the Mother Goddess Mahankali. Bonam denotes the food that is cooked in pots and then it is offered to the Goddess. In various parts of Andhra Pradesh, Bonalu includes the worship of the Goddess in a number of forms and names like Pochamma, Yellamma, Ankalamma, Peddhamma, Maremma, Dokkalamma, Poleramma, and Nookalamma.
Story behind the Bonalu Festival and its Rituals
Bonalu an annual festival that is celebrated in the state of Telangana, especially in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It is celebrated in honor of the Goddess Mahakali, who is considered to be the goddess of death and time. It is believed that every year, the Goddess makes a comeback to her maternal home in the month of Ashada. During the time, people offer their love, respect, and devotion in the form of dance, and pots of food, bangles, and sarees.
Just as much as a family would welcome the return of their daughter into their own house, the same way, devotees are celebrating the visit of the Goddess to her own home. On this occasion, special meals are offered so that she is pleased with her people.
Bonalu gets its name from the word ‘bonam‘, which means a meal or a feast in Telugu. As such, it is an offering to the Goddess, wherein she is given rice cooked with milk and jaggery in a brass or earthen pot decorated with neem leaves, turmeric and vermilion. A lit lamp is placed on top of the pot, which is then carried by women on their heads and offered — along with turmeric-vermilion, bangles and sari — to the deity in various temples.
The story of Bonalu’s origin
The origin of the festival can be traced back to 19th-century Hyderabad. In 1813, a plague broke out in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, and claimed many lives. A military battalion from Hyderabad, deployed in Ujjain, learnt of this, and prayed to Goddess Mahakali in the Mahakali Temple there to rid the cities of the plague, following which they would start worshipping her by installing her idol.
They believe that Goddess Mahankali will wipe away all diseases, and sorrows of a person.
Wheeler Wilcox
“India—The land of Vedas, the remarkable works contain not only religious ideas for a perfect life but also facts which science has proved true. Electricity, radium, electronics, airship, all were known to the seers who founded the Vedas.”
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is extremely happy to inform that our Bala Samskar Kendras in Janagam Mandalam are organizing Bathukamma Festival to our young students. They help organize and facilitate the Bonalu festival. In Telangana, it is a huge festival conducted August/September of every year. Our Bala Samskar Kendras performed the festival as a way of thanking Goddess for the fulfilment of their desires and providing safety and security to the families and the villages.
Bonalu an annual festival that is celebrated in the state of Telangana, especially in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It is celebrated in honor of the Goddess Mahakali, who is considered to be the goddess of death and time.
Bonalu is celebrated usually during Ashada Masam that falls in July/August. Special poojas are performed for goddess Yellamma during the first and last day of the festival. The festival is considered as a form of thanksgiving to the Goddess after the fulfillment of vows
WE NEED YOUR HELP
We appreciate it if you can help in hiring more people who can go to these villages to do Ghar Waapasi.
We have employed 26 people so far. More people we hire, more villages can be covered to welcome them back and also create Chaitanya (Awareness) among the students and villagers. Also, we are conducting 150 Bala Kendras in five States. Support one or more Kendras.
1) Sponsor on Bala Samskar Kendra for $1000.00
2) Sponsor one Pracharak: In order to expand our base and hire one Pracharak, it would cost approximately $3000.00 – $3500.00 per year. We have five anonymous donors who sponsored 9 Pracharaks
DONATIONS
PayPal Method: To donate visit our website: savetemples.org. Click on the Donate button, then press the Purpose category, and select the General Donation category.
By Check: Or you can send a check payable to: GHHF, 14726 Harmony Lane, Frisco TX 75035. It is tax-deductible.
By Zelle: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com
By Rupees, please contact us by either phone or email.
For more information, call Prakasarao V Velagapudi 601-918-7111; Email: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com
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