MURUGAN TEMPLE OF NORTH AMERICA

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JULY SEPTEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER

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 MAJOR CELEBRATIONS AND RELIGIOUS EVENTS AT MTNA
JULY SEPTEMBER 2017
Please check the details in the 2017 MTNA calendar
or visit our website: www.murugantemple.org
Information is available with the front desk at: 301-552-4889

BRAMOTSAVAM SEPTEMBER 2017

KUMBHABISHEKAM ANNIVERSARY DAY
CELEBRATION Sat. Sept. 2 Sri Rudra Homam
(See details on page 3) Sponsorship: $101

Fri. June 30Day 1: Kodi Yetram 8:00 am - Anugnyai, Kalasa Puja

Sat. July 1 Sun. July 9: Bramotsavam days Ekadasa Rudra Parayanam
Sat. July 8 Murugan Ther Thiruvizha 1:00 pm - Vishesha Dravya Abishekam for Sivan
Sun. July 9Murugan Thirukalyanam Deeparadhanai
Monday, July 10 Kumbhabishekam Anniversary Day Prasadam distribution
Kodi Irakkam
Saturday, July 15Kumbhabishekam Anniversay Day Navarathri Celebrations
Celebration
Wed. Sept. 20 through Thurs. Sept. 28
Friday, July 21 Sponsorship: All nine days: $251
Any single day (except Durgashtami Day): $51
Aadi Velli
7:00 pm Meenashki Special Abishekam Religious program on Navarathri days
7:15 pm Vilakku Pujasponsorship: $15 Sept. 20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27 and 28
11:00 amMeenakshi special abishekam
AUGUST 2017
Navarathri day Sept. 23 and 24
Sat. Aug. 19 Aadi Krithigai & Thiruthani Arul Vizha 10:30 amMeenakshi special
All day sponsorship: $151 abishekam
10:00 amGanapathi special abishekam All nine days: 7:00 pmLalitha
10:30 amPalkudam and Kavadi Sahasranamam
11:00 amMurugan Visesha Dravya Abishekam
Bhajan and Short talk on Lord Murugan Durgashtami Day
12:30 pm Deeparadhanai Thurs. Sept. 28
Prasadam distribution Sponsorship: $101

9:00 amChandi Homam

1:00 pmSri Durga special
abishekam

Saturday, Sept. 30 Vijaya Dasami

MTNA NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE

Fri. Aug. 25Sri Ganesha (Vinayaka) Chathurthi
Sponsorship: $75 Sridharan Iyengar
9:00 am Ganapathi homam Gnanavel Munirathinam
Ganapathi Special Abishekam M. Ramiah
6:00 pm Ganapathi Sahasranamam & procession Sothy Vignarajah

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 BRAHMOTSAVAM SPONSORSHIPS
Any Week Day sponsor $301
We cordially invite all Murugan devotees to sponsor religious Sat/Sun/July 4 (each day) sponsor $501
events during the grand celebration of Brahmotsavam. Your gen- All ten days sponsor $1501
erous sponsorships will make the event a great success. You Annadhanam sponsor (July 9, '17) $501 or
can donate cash, write checks or use credit card; online dona- more
tions are welcome as well. Murugan Temple of North America is
a non-profit organization; your donations will be tax-deductible as For additional details, please contact
guided by your tax consultant.
Multiple sponsors are welcome for the same event or the Murugan Temple of North America
same day 301-552-4889
Any devotee can sponsor multiple events www.murugantemple.org
Cash, check or credit card will be gratefully
accepted

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 Meenakshi Sundareswarar Thirukalyanam Importance of Temples and Praying at Temples

Hundreds of devotees gathered on May 13, 2017 Om Muruga! Om Sakthi!

to celebrate Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Thirukalyanam at
our temple. This thirukalyanam event along with Raja Ma- Many of us wonder why we need to go to Temples and
dangi Homam was a huge success. The belief that Lord Pray when God is present everywhere as HE/SHE is Om-
Shiva as Sundareswarar marrying Parvathi in the form of nipresent!
Meenakshi amman is of great importance in saivite belief.
In Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India the Meenakshi Yes, going to Temples and praying to the deities at
Sundareswarar thirukalyanam is celebrated every year in Temples is essential for everyone including Yogis and
conjunction with Chithra Pournami (the full moon day in the Saints. It should be an integral part of life. Following ex-
tamil month of Chitharai). amples will provide some clarity in this context.

We celebrated the thirukalyanam with kalyanam prasa- Even though milk is present in the entire body of the
dam, marriage procession, two couples taking the role of cow, you cant get milk by pulling its ear or leg. You have
parents of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, and special to milk it at the udder to get milk. Similarly, sunlight is pre-
kalyana thamboolam for ladies who attended the kaly- sent everywhere. However, when you place a small piece
anam. AND, how can a wedding happen without a tradi- of cloth or cotton under direct sunlight it wont catch fire.
tional kalyana saapadu with delicacies such as vadai and But, if you place the same piece of cloth or cotton under a
Payasam! It is an interesting role to play for us as humans magnifying glass it catches fire because the lens collec-
to be the parents of the bride and the groom and immedi- tively absorbs the sunlight and emits to a single focal
ately after the wedding transform into the children of point. Likewise, saints and yogis collectively placed the
Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. divine power at the temples with mantras and
yagnas. Praying at house and other areas other than tem-
In Madurai, Meenakshi Amman is considered as the ples is like placing the piece of cloth under direct
main deity, whereas in Chidambaram, another famous city sunlight. Praying at the temples is like placing the piece of
in Tamil Nadu, it is Lord Shiva in the form of Natarajan. cloth under the magnifying glass in sunlight where our
You may have heard a joke in many families to identify karmas will be destroyed which in turn will liberate us from
themselves as either the 'Madurai' or the 'Chidambaram, rebirth. Therefore, prayers and praying at temples is very
denoting if the woman of the house rules or the man of the essential for all of us.
house rules in that household. In addition to the belief of
Lord Shiva marrying Parvathi in Madurai, the history of Also, going to Temples is essential to show our grati-
Madurai kingdom has great relevance to Meenakshi Am- tude to the Almighty for giving us this life.
mans rule in Madurai. It is believed that before
her marriage, Meenakshi was trained in all warfare and Our body has been depicted and built as temples by
was crowned as Queen of Pandya kingdom. She ruled the Yogis and Saints. In our body, the heart is like Sanctum
kingdom with her extraordinary war skills. During the pur- Sanctorum. Our vertebra is like the kodi maram (flag pole)
suit of expanding the kingdom by Aswametha Yagam, at the temple. There are 32 joints in both kodi maram and
Meenakshi fell in love with Sundara Pandyan, the avatar of in our vertebrae. In the kodi maram, a white cloth with a
Shiva. special herb (Tharbai) travel like a snake from the bottom
to the top. Likewise, in our vertebrae the spinal cord trav-
The courageous nature of women in Madurai goes be- els with a bending pattern like a snake. Many traditional
yond the saivite belief. During the fight for independence in temples will have six mandapams, which represent six im-
India, Veera Mangai Velunachiyar was the first queen to portant centers of our body (Moolatharam, Swathittanam,
launch a fight against the British; she built the first Manipooragam, Anagatham, Visutthi, and Agnai). When
womens army and defeated the British. She regained her the life breath (prana vayu = oxygen) travels upward
kingdom to rule for more than a decade. through these centers via the spinal cord and reaches the
topmost center (Sagasraram), one will realize the presence
It is fervently believed that worshipping Meenakshi Am- of Almighty within him/her. Hoisting the flag on top of the
man grants us happy wedded life, children, prosperity, kodi maram at the Temples symbolizes this proc-
health, longevity and all our other worldly needs. ess. Therefore, it is very essential to go the Temples and
get the divine blessing to start understanding the purpose
On Sunday, July 9 this year, during MTNA's first ever of our life.
Brahmotsavam festival we will once again celebrate the
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Thirukalyanam. Devotees are [Hints taken from Alayam Yean from Dr. Thirumuruga
cordially invited to sponsor the event and receive the bless- Kirubanandha Variar Swamigal.]
ings of the deities.
Om Muruga! Om Sakthi!

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 The Ther (Chariot) Festival by everyone who can get a place. The festival represents
at the Nallur Kandaswmy Temple, Jaffna man going through samharam. As he progresses, his
friends and followers exhort him to keep to the correct path
Nallur was the capital city of ancient Jaffna. The Tamil by singing and reciting many Thevaram hymns. He calls
King Kulankai Arya Chakravarthy built the ancient Kandas- on his friends who greet him with the traditional Mandaha-
wamy Temple in the 13th century; the temple was de- padis. As the wheels of life roll along his course is
stroyed by the Portuguese in 1650. The present Kan- checked and diverted at junctions to the correct path.
dawamy Temple at Nallur was founded in 1749, as a sim-
ple shed, by Ragunatha Mappana Mudaliyar. His descen-
dents have devotedly managed and improved the temple;
the 9th generation of the founder is the present manager of
the temple which remains the foremost Hindu place of wor-
ship in Sri Lanka today.

The Ther (Chariot) festival is on the 24th day of 26-day

annual festival culminating on the new moon day in Au-
gust. Structurally, the Ther somewhat resembles a house;
it can be said to consist of six pahams, i.e., horizontal
parts.
The four wheels at the bottom of the Ther, the first paham,
represent the four stages of man's religious life: worship,
ritual, spiritual practice and gnanam; these practices lead
man in his spiritual journey to his ultimate destination. Any
tendency to go astray at tomes is checked and he is redi-
rected along the correct path, even as the motion of the
Ther is checked and re-directed. The many facets that man
experiences in his "Samharam" or cycle of births and In the Ther festival the two important moments are when
deaths are depicted by wood-hewn little "toys" on the the deity takes its place within the innermost sanctum of
Chassis of the Ther, which is the next paham - sometimes the Ther - that is when the Ther becomes "alive" and man
referred to as the "Lower Andam". Different aspects of is born ready to go through his Samhara and the moment
man's life have to be experienced and overcome to reach when the Ther is finally brought to its Irupidam (shed) -
the next higher state (the third paham) which is the when man reaches his ultimate destination. Special pujas
peedam or the pedestal of the Ther. This is the Sanctum are performed at both these moments. They are keenly
of the Ther; even as the Deity is reposed on its seating observed by the thousands of devotees who gather for the
there, so is the Divine in man's innermost heart. Arranged performance of archanais thereafter; they are moments to
around are the statues, wood craftsmen's masterpieces, celebrate and cherish.
depicting scenes from Lord Siva's Thiruvilaydal". Sus-
pended all around are decorative festoons, thoranams, Vaikasi Visakam Celebration
mango leaves, sugar cane stalks, whole bunches of ba- Saturday, June 10, 2017
nanas, bunches of young cocounts and even tender pal- Children celebrate by cutting a cake
mayrah fruit bunches; they all add to the gaiety of the occa-
sion and symbolize man's striving interests. The fourth
padam, also known as the "Upper Andam", consists of
layers and layers of red and white cloth wrappings, dimin-
ishing in width even as man's activities shrink with age.
These ultimately terminate in the fountain-head, the mudi
or Kalasam. A tiny umbrella right at the top, usually of sil-
ver, symbolically assures man of Divine protection till he
reaches his Destination. A tiny flag there is an addition.

The Nallur Ther festival on the 24th day is undoubtedly

the climax of all festivals in Jaffna. The largest crowd of
devotees witnesses the deity Shanmuga Peruman (and not
the sacred Vel as on other days) being taken out in grand
procession. Religious fervor reaches peak level. Follow-
ing the chariot are the numerous Bhajan (Chorus) singers
and the Penance observers (Angaprathashna Karar) and
womenfolk. The chariot is towed by two long ropes pulled

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 MURUGAN TEMPLE OF NORTH AMERICA
Vaikasi VisakamBirthday Celebration for Lord Murugan

Vaikasi Visakaam Birthday Celebration for Lord

Murugan was the idea of Mr. Sivakumar Kareesan, a
Trustee who serves as the VP of the Executive Com-
mittee and the Chair of Cultural Committee of MTNA.
He is seen presenting plaques to dancers at the
event.

The gala celebration on Saturday, June 9, 2017 was

enjoyed by a good number of families. Young chil-
dren, teen agers and young women participated in
the event. We thank the volunteers who helped tre-
mendously, spending hours and hours of their time
to decorate the hall and organize the event.

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 Continued Appeal to Devotees of Lord Murugan
We are thrilled to report that one part of the restroom restoration project is now complete; the men's restroom is up-
graded with the state-of-the art facilities and is fully functional. We could not have accomplished the task without your gen-
erous support which is gratefully acknowledged by the MTNA administration. The entire project is supported by donations
from 50+ Lord Murugan devotees. We sincerely thank Mrs. & Mr. Selva, of Business Integra for their impressive generous
donation ($15,000) and Mr. Sathyanarayanan, Supreme Technology of Virginia for his $5000 towards this project. A com-
plete list of all donors will be published after the completion of the second part of the project. Our thanks to the very diligent
contractor Mr. Zubair and his group for completing the first part in about five weeks.

Account Summary thus far:

Total pledge: $36,290.00

Amount collected: $33,782.00
Balance to be collected $2,508.00

Labor Cost (men's restroom work) $21,000.00

Cost of materials used: $13,191.37
Total Cost of men's room restoration project: $34,191.37

We still need your continuous financial support for the renovation of the women's restroom; we are looking to raise about
$35,000 to complete the second part of the project.

Please make your generous contributions at the earliest for this essential project to realize our date of completion.
Checks can be made payable to 'MTNA' adding a note 'Restroom Project' in the memo part and it can be given to the Man-
ager/MTNA. Donations to the project could be made online at MTNA website. Cash donations are gratefully accepted. All
donations are tax-deductible as advised by your tax consultant. Every dollar of your donation will be acknowledged, appre-
ciated and accounted for by MTNA.
May Lord Murugan Bless us all!!
For further information, please contact: MTNA: 301-552-4889 ~ www.murugantemple.org
Project coordinators: Dr. M.P. Selvam: 240-498-3199 and Dr. Arangs: 240-344-8800

VAIKASI VISAKAM CELEBRATIONSATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2017

A grand celebration of Lord Murugan Birthday was a huge success, thanks to the hard and dedicated work of
volunteers and their families. The group picture below captures the spirit and willingness of the volunteers. As
mentioned on numerous occasions before, MTNAs foundation is the devotees and the pillars are the volunteers.
We could always use more volunteers. To sign up to serve Lord Murugan please contact MTNA at 301-552-4889.

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 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Murugan Temple
Devotees are the foundation of our temple. Volunteers are the pillars. MTNA needs more volun-
of North America teers. We cordially invite the devotees to volunteer a few hours a month to help on various occa-
sions. Please join the dedicated team of volunteers to show your devotion to Lord Murugan.
6300 Princess Garden Parkway, Lanham, Please contact Dr. Manimekalai Saravanan at the temple phone number.
Maryland 20706, USA

You can find us on the Face Book at

www.murugantemple.org https://www.facebook.com/MuruganTempleNorthAmerica
301-552-4889
MURUGAN TEMPLE PUJA FUND

We use flowers and garlands, milk and

fruits for deities for daily pujas as well as for spe-
cial occasions. Please donate generously to the
MTNA PUJA FUND. Contact 301-552-4889
for online donation or for other ways to donate.
_______________________________________

VASTHRAM FOR DEITIES

SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION

Devotees are welcome to sponsor vasthram cUtha; mUtha; csjha; ,yjha;

such as dhoti or saree for deities in the temple on kUtha; kyuha; kzpaha; xspaha;
occasions such as Navarathri, Skanda Sashti, fUtha; capuha;f; fjpaha; tpjpaha;
Thaippoosam, and other special event days. FUtha; tUtha; mUs;tha; Ffnd
Sponsorship will be accepted on a first-come-first - fe;jh; mEg{jp
-served basis.
TEMPLE HOURS: Monday Friday 9 am 12 noon & 5 pm - 9 pm;
Please note that the MTNA priests will not be Saturday, Sunday, & Holidays 9 am 9 pm.
able to arrange for vasthram sponsorship by
devotees. Please contact the front desk at 301- TEMPLE SERVICES: MTNA Priests are available to perform religious
552-4889 to arrange for sponsorship. ceremonies for devotees. Please call the Temple Manager to discuss your
needs and make prior arrangements for ceremonies at the Temple or in your
home. Also, ask for information about local hotels for your short stay during
visit to the temple.
Xk; KUfh
ntYk; AUDITORIUM: The Temples auditorium capable of seating about 200 people
kapYk; in the basement is available for rent by Devotees. The Temple has also ample
Jiz parking space. Please call the Temple Manager at 301 552-4889 for
reservations.

The Murugan Temple of North America is a traditional DIRECTIONS TO MURUGAN TEMPLE: From I-95 (also 495, Capital
Hindu Temple. It has a floor area of 7000 sq. ft with Beltway), take exit 20-A, Lanham (Rte 450 East), then follow the signs to
Princess Garden Parkway. Turn right on Princess Garden Parkway. Murugan
main sannidhi for Murugan (Karthikeya) and separate Temple is on your left within half a mile (6300 Princess Garden Parkway).
sannidhi for each of the other deities: Vinayaka From Baltimore-Washington Parkway take Exit to Rt. 193 East Greenbelt
(Ganesha), Durgai Amman, Siva, Meenakshi Amman Road. Turn left on Greenbelt Road. Turn right on Hanover Parkway, which
and Palani Andavar. Navagrahas are featured as well. becomes Princess Garden Parkway. Drive about 2.5 miles. The temple will be
Visit our web site: www.murugantemple.org on your right.