Global Celebrations Of Ganesh Chaturthi

August 29, 2007

Ganesha According to India Daily, Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated for the first time in London on a grand scale in 2005 by Hindu Culture and Heritage Society, UK. The celebration was organized at the Vishwa Hindu Mandir in Southall with the support of numerous temples. The immersion was done in the river Thames.

In Paris, there is a chariot festival of Sri Manikka Vinayakar temple. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated for ten days and then the temple’s Utsava Murti (Utsava-Festive, Murti- Idol) of Lord Ganesh is taken on a chariot. This is France’s largest Hindu festival celebrated by over ten thousand devotees. They consist of Sri Lankans, Indian Tamils, and Hindus from different parts of India, Madagascar, Mauritius and French colonies.The procession is accompanied by devotees dancing and singing bhajans. Two water trucks proceed ahead of the chariot and wash the road. The parade covers four miles and returns back to the temple.(Source: Hinduismtoday.com)
(This photograph is the idol of the 2004 Lalbaugh Cha Raja taken from their website)

Sai Samsthan USA located in Warrenville, Illinois also celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with a lot of enthusiasm and it is attended by numerous devotees. Similarly the North American Sankethi Association, New York get together and perform the Ganesh Puja. Such celebrations are also witnessed in Queens, New York and in Nashville, in the suburban area of Bellevue. The Hindu Temple Society in Miami, Florida celebrates the festivities with grandeur and the Lord is immersed in the sea, north of Miami. In San Francisco Bay Area, the devotees commemorate this festival in a big way. On the last day, they take their Lord to the Baker Beach for immersion.

I am sure each year the celebrations are organized on a grandeur scale with the devotees basking in the glory of the world’s most popular deity-Lord Ganesh.

Written by Nayna · Filed Under Divine Grace | Leave a Comment

Anant Chaturdashi-Visarjan-Biding Farewell To Lord Ganesh

August 28, 2007

Ganesh Procession Lord Ganesh is Supreme Reality. He is eternal and the endower of joy and glory to those who worship Him. The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi breaks all the barriers of caste and religion and makes people forget their difference and embrace each other with goodwill. The household celebrations are done to bring peace, prosperity and happiness amongst its members with His blessings as He is the Lord of abundance.

During this festival, the Siddhivinayak temple of Mumbai telecasts the live coverage of the rituals and Aartis performed before the deity on various television channels. This helps those who are unable to attend it because of the never-ending queues of devotees that throng the temple from all over India and abroad.

(These procession photographs of the immersion are from Lalbaugh Cha Raja’s website)

Ganesh Procession According to the beliefs and understanding of the people, the immersion of the idols takes place on 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th or 10th day while there are others who perform this on 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th or the 10th day. Many families who have idols consecrated at home perform the immersion ceremony after a day. This is because scriptures state that the clay idol which is transformed into a divine being retains His sanctity for a day.

The reason for immersion is a way of saying goodbye to the Lord who descends down on earth from Ganesh Lok to partake in the festivities. We invoke Him and He willingly comes and stays with us. So when the time comes, He returns to His abode. This is marked by the ritual of immersion.

The last day of celebrations is the tenth day and it is known as Anant Chaturdashi. Centuries ago, the idols were carried in palanquins but now He is taken in beautifully decorated trucks and floats. The smaller ones are taken in hand carts or are placed on the backseats of cars. Large processions of devotees accompanied with live band, drum beats sing and dance, sprinkling Gulal (Red colored powder popularly used in celebrating the festival of colors, Holi) and amidst fireworks proceed with Him to the water front. The immersion takes place in sea, rivers, ponds and lakes.

“Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya” (O Lord Ganesh, return quickly the following year) chanting this, the followers bid Him farewell.

Lord Ganesh returns to His abode taking away all the unhappiness, obstacles and troubles of His devotees, promising to return again the next year. This ten day festival can be best understood by experiencing it first hand.

Written by Nayna · Filed Under Divine Grace | 7 Comments

10 Secrets Revealed-How To Lead A Long Fulfilled Life

August 27, 2007

Long Life How do you fulfill all your dreams and desires? Is it only by being materialistically rich? You may struggle all your life, saving every penny so that when you retire and snuggle in the arms of luxury. But is there a guarantee that you will reap the benefits of the eggs laid by the golden goose? What if you don’t live that long? This may sound very dark and pessimistic. But it is true.

There are so many ways people cut down their longevity. In 2002, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that optimistic people decreased their risk of early death by 50% compared with those who leaned more towards pessimism.

Longer and healthier lives are said to be affected by conscientiousness. This has been researched by Dr. Howard Friedman, a psychologist at the University of California at Riverside. He conducted the Terman Life-Cycle Study between 1921 to 1991 and investigated numerous factors like personality, habits, social relations, education, physical activities and cause of death.

“Those low on adult conscientiousness died sooner,” Friedman concluded.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research obesity, for example, contributes to a slew of medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and various cancers. So powerful are certain lifestyle choices that recommended diets along with maintenance of physical activity and appropriate body mass can, over time, reduce the incidence of cancer by 30% to 40%.

So how can people really increase their life expectancy? Here are some guidelines: