It was perhaps a strong symbol, which clearly reflects our devotion towards long-practiced culture & tradition.
“I am so joyous,” says one of the senior Bhutanese citizens, who almost could not wait to drop tears that scroll down when one is over-excited. She further adds that she longed to see similar event until it really happened after three years she had wished it.
Like this senior citizen, hundreds in Lansing, MI, were thrilled to see what many say first-of-its-kind ‘four-day Shreemad Bhagawat Puran,’ which completed on August 23.
The Puran, according to the organizers, started with the community folks participating in a Kalash Yatra (pitcher-tour) that stepped into a community hall, where pundits and purohits (Hindu priests) chanted vedantic mantras (hymns) together in a rhythmical scale.
Additionally, Shreemad Bhagawat, Vedh, Gita, Bishnushasranam, Rudri, Chandi were among some of the treatises recited during the four-day program.
According to Shekhar Chapagain, Chairman of the Puran organizing committee, all Bhutanese pundits and purohits of Lansing were invited to the program. “It is in fact a social program and we want impartiality and transparency of the work we do,” adds Chapagain.
The hall was filled with enthusiastic devotees dressed in traditional outfits. The smell of scent sticks, beautifully adorned mandap (altar), offerings of fruits and ambrosia by the devotees, tinkle of bells, conch sound, fresh rosaries in hands waiting eagerly to be offered were some of heart touching scenes that bewildered everyone first and rejoiced them later that being in this unknown land they saw what they had seen and done back in the country and the refugee camps time and again.
Most of the devotees said ‘no’ to work for these four days and attended the extreme bliss of the program. Devotees from Grand Rapids, a city in environs, made their way to Lansing for these four days and decided to stay back till the last day of the program. Prawachan from different Swamijis, which was once befriended to every life in the refugee camps, came in line and mingled everyone within its vast immeasurable and intrinsic doctrine.
The other specialty of the program was Bhajan-Kirtin. The two Bhajan teams each from Lansing and Grand Rapids added a beauteous charm and pleasurable nourishment to the program. “I sing Bhajans at home but was looking for a platform to sing them openly with all my energy and make devotees dance to its rhythm,” said one of the Bhajan singers.
The devotees were, indeed, looking for an opportunity to be a part of social program since they left refugee camps. Bhajans singers finally made everyone dance to their last. Elderlies in their 90s and juvenile together set their foot at the verse of Bhajans and gave the spectators compassionate ecstasy.
In fact the program became paragon to every devotee who was lost among themselves from their identities and cultural values.
The Bhutanese Hindu of Lansing, accustomed to rich Prawachan of Khemraj Keshav Saran, decided to invite Swami Damodarachrya for Prawachan. Khemraj Keshav saran visited Lansing in the past two years and elucidated a short Prawachan. Upon inquiry, the devotees replied Swami Damodaracharya is from Bhutan and would like to benefit from social manpower. Swami Damodracharya, a lanky elite educated in Vanarasi, India gave marvelous and divine Prawachan on Shreemad Bhagawat. Every devotee has a surge of pride that they had person like Swami Damodracharya in their own society.
The last day, August 23, was even gorgeous. There were lots of cheers and happiness when a baby adorned as Krishna sway gentle out from a cradle. Devotees exchanged best wishes among themselves and prayed for world peace.
There was management of food for every devotee for all four days. Devotees would just rise up and declared,” Food for today is from my side, water from me and so on”. Help from every community member and assigned volunteer was unquestionable.
The Bhutanese Hindu Community honored three elder members of the society out of which one was from Nepal. A small token of love was given to all honored elderly, pandits and purohits and volunteers from the hands of Swami Damodracharya.
Wonderful job! I am so much happy to see all the events that took place(at least in you tube) .
You can see videos about the program in the link given:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-BjnOgxkd4
This is a great work by the Bhutanese in Michigan. I would like to congratulate each of you for your divine contribution in making this program a grand success. This kind of programs/events would definitely help people who have been longing to express themselves in the foreign land as what they were in Nepal and Bhutan.
Kudos to organizers!
Hindu puranas are a perfect amalgamation of mythology and religious doctrine. They contains stories and teachings based on the principles of vedas and upanishads.Listening to such preaching feels peace to mind and soul. Thanks to your community to have swami from our own Bhutanese comunity.You guys had set good example in protecting culture/religions and by honoring our senior citizen.New generations will keep such events for future reference.
Great article of great social events. Congrats to the organizers and participants! But beside presenting so flavored article with great excitement and identification of Hinduism,is it really symbolizing the the culture of whole community or just a portion really understands the sentiments of pundits and purohits and preserve them?
Hinduism, basically is one of the oldest religion,but it had has been keeping the society or communities in conflicts and discriminates amongst ourselves with castes system? Why it had has not been flourished all over the world as compared to Christianity being the oldest religion? There are thousands of reasons for not winning the heart of the most downtrodden people and many of them converting into Christianity. No.1 reason is the CASTE SYSTEM which discriminates so blindly that there is no equality amongst human being. This is not demoralising Hinduism but disclosing the fact. No.2 is,there are lots of blind faith,eg. worshipping idols,where it is absolutely blind. No.3.There has to be lots of donations for the pundits in every rituals he conducts and its impossible for the poor people to adopt it. No.4. There is great gap between male and female,if female violates any rules ,she has to bear bitter punishment. In olden days, a lady had to die along with her husband which is called Sati System.No.5.The Holy Scriptures of Hindiusm is not shared to all the common people and it is limited in Sanskrit language only. The Mantras itself divides people as high caste ans low caste. Damodar Acharya himself is the leader who has divided our most dignified or prestigious Nepali community into Tagadhari and counted other people as the lice of undergarment. What a great puret or pundit who has great hatred amongst human beings! Just in the dress of sheep is not sufficient but need to have the heart of sheep for true worship and salvation. I am depressed with the attitudes of hindu pundits and still fight to modify lots of bad and unwanted practice which created huge gap amongst our brave nepali or gorrkhali blood. I would thank all our beloved brothers and sisters and I speak truth without any hatred to our hindu brothers and sisters but just like to disclose dissatisfaction our leaders and false teachings!
wonderful job
thanks to all the organisers
i do agree with some of the views of bhutanese above but i believe we the next generation has to change and finish the caste system all together
This article- the devotion to our Vedic culture and tradition is enlightening and thanks to the organizers and the purohits/swamis who dedicated their time for the pravachan on Bhagavatam. Blessed are those who attended this event and benefited. Such recitations of the revealed scriptures should invite people from all background- Hindus, Moslems, Buddhists and Christians because all the human beings are the children of God- they are part and parcel of God and are thus souls. And the soul’s hankering is to be in association to the supersoul- the God, in what ever name one may call Him according to their own language and cultural understanding. Just like a part of a machine, say for example a screw has a great value until and unless that screw is intact with its proper function of the whole machine. Once the part- the screw, gets detached from the whole ie the machine, the part then has no value in itself and suffers.
This is just an example of the cause of the human sufferings because of their forgetfulness of the supreme and being detached from the whole- the super soul- the God. One has to raise themselves above the religion and isms and develop spirituality so that they can attain happiness, the transcendental bliss. Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavat Gita As It Is version, see http://www.asitis.com is not he scriptures of the Hindus but for all living beings because one can read find it that it deals only with the soul and does not mentions anything over Hinduism. Knowledge and the practice these revealed literature can alone make people of all background happy and contend and eventually attain the salvation. Vedic cultural events are the real service to the mankind without any expectation and politics and the commodities for the happiness.
In The Netherlands this type of pravacan is being organised in the Vedic cultural center in Boxtel since 2002. There will be a grand Rathayatra on 3rd September- see http://www.naamhat.webs.com for more details. Everyone of any background are warmly invited to take pat and get benefited. This has been the single initiative so far that has been keeping the culture and tradition of Bhutanese as well as that of the entire South Asia. Sing the mahamantra: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. You will be very happy. This will qualify one to understand the vedic literatures and enjoin yourself with the supreme whole, the divine.
Yours well-wisher
Nanda Gautam
[email protected]
Great job, congratulate to organisers. I agree with Prakash dai.
Prem UK.
You can practice your culture as much as you can but make a habit to respect other culture too.
dhanyabada
It is always good thing to know that our people are doing a lot in preserving the Bhutanese culture. These are all the volunteer activities that our friends around the world are working to keep our traidtion and culture alive. There are some good program going among the Bhutanese around the globe in one way or the other.
In regards to Purans, this has been the greatest and the rich tradition of Bhutanese getting organised and deliver the speech (pravachan) from priest(Pundits) chanting some devotional and spiritual slogans and mantras. But now it is a very big question for every one of us, how long will we find the good listeners of our mythological stories from the Vedas and Puranas because the Pravachan delivered so far by our priest has not attracted the younger generation in the gathering. It will be very important thing for all of us to note that; should Pundit modify the technique and method of their Pravachan? It is very obvious that if you inform the youth about the Purans, they will turn deaf ear to you because they feel bore of listening to old stories. Therefore, the delivering the Pravachan needs a new trend to research, develop and implement them. It could be either way of giving some good knowledge and education about the religions rather than delivering the speech of the old stories.
Issue raised by Mr. Bhutanese about the caste system is a genuine one. But Mr. Bhutanese, why don’t you post your comment with your real name. Do you fear from someone for raising the issue of caste system? You don’t have to: everybody now feels that the caste system is one of the main hindrances that prevents us from getting flourished. It will take sometime to it’s elimination but we can still begin the debate from here that will help us reach to a reasonable and logical conclusion in some more years to come.
I am fascinated for the great Yagga performed at the initiative of the community. I think it is prime important to keep the tradition going forward and it needed to be safely handed to the new generation.
Thank U
Congratulation to the group who organized this great event. Social and religious events and ceremonies like this are symbols of culture and tradition and it is important to maintain them through occasional events like this. That is the true spirit of practicing and retaining the community identity. It also helps people to forget differences and pray together when we do this.
Vedo khilo dharma mulam:It’s our duty to preserve our religion and culture in our society asualas to give spirtual knowledgeto our future generation too.
I found every intellectual have a same comments than Mr. Bhutanese. what I found here is, Mr. Bhutanese is more smarter than any other who express their feelings beyond their view for Puran. I would like to Refer Mr. Bhutanese as a good thinking man and investor to bring change in Hindu’weakness. My dear hindu friends some time we should take good comments as positive and realize what need to change in our religion, so that only we may win the hearts of our people, if no not than after this current seniors, there will be very rear Hindus in our midst.
Letter to Editor,
There is one saying in Nepali, dherai ghew khayoo bhani tito hunchha…who you just put puran and puran and puran……..what is this, is this site is just for Hindu people? One information for of subject is enough…better bring some new… we are full by reading just puran, teej…ect……bring good quality…..there are not only hindu people in Bhutanese community..there are lots of people following other religion, you should think about them also.
Really interesting to read the positive thinking and feelings of Nanda Gautam Sushil Nirola regarding the events. Its really difficult to commit but easy to complain in any ideological,faith based activities or cultural aspects in our community. Our pandits and gurus are the main mastermind for our community either in negative aspects or positive ones! Even the most illiterate and grass root level can evuluate that who is really taking advantage of every opportunities and resources. If really pandits and purets are preserving cultures by miking the puran,why do they not iradicate the caste systems from their mind and ideology? Do they really think for cause of the general public or just limited within brahmins? If they are really GURUS or Real Priest,do they really share the mantras to all? Why there is still the feelings of touchables and untouchables? We should not act as wolf in sheep’s attire and cheat everyone in the name of preserving culture! There are several ways to preserve culture and not just wearing yellow clothes and just murmur in sanskrit but think and server the most needy ones in the community and love them with clean heart and never discriminate amongst great Nepalis who has sacrificial mind and ideology. Never try to put us all in darkness in the name of culture. Where has the quality of greed and jealousy originited? Its due to such selfish teachings and philosophy! If any gurus wants to be known or advertised in the name of culture,you must share the teachings in the most simple language so that everyone can understand and need to be more practical in life. But not just for the sake of collecting money and ruining the poor in the community. Until and unless,there is clear teachings and clean at heart,no one can achieve peace in mind or salvatation. There would be great fraction in the community if such events give priorities in the name of preserving culture!!!!!
God bless everyone!
Dear writer and commenters,
We are lucky to be in the most advanced nation and communicate regarding every aspects and incidents in our community and nation as a whole. But do those still in the camps or developing nation enjoys such facilities? Are we really preserving the culture of giving helping hands to every one? Do our so called leaders and gurus/pandits give attention to the needy ones? There are major and serious incidents in the community,like murder in Baltimore,Maryland,do any leaders really work for their cause or just hide from the cause? No leaders have every done anything accept for looking opportunity for earning money. Everyone has thirst for becoming leaders but never commit anything,which gradually creates great fraction in the community. Thousand words is better than one action,community needs commitment and leaders needs right and farsighted vision. We may learn through mistakes and never use the innocent for ladders for achieving selfish motives!
UNITY IS STRENGTH
Thanks