Global Puja for Ukraine
Hari Om!
On April 3rd, The Broome Street Temple will be participating in a global puja for all of those who have suffered and continue to suffer from the war in Ukraine. The puja will begin in Ahobhilam, the birth place of Sri Narasimha Deva in India, and travel through the world from
holy place to holy place.
As part of our participation, we will be recording prayers in the temple this Friday at 6:30pm during our weekly puja. We would love for all who can join in-person to come and chant together and show our support and care for Ukraine. This prayer service is being organized by Swami
Sacinandana, of Berlin, and more information about the actual ceremonies on April 3rd can be found here: https://globalpujaforukraine.com/
My friend and one of the organizers, Bhanu Nandini, said to me recently, "During the war in Bosnia, when I was 9 years old, it meant so much to us when people of the world sang songs for peace and prayed for us, like Bono and Pavarotti did. It gave us hope." So, this Friday
evening, please do join in to extend hope—along with whatever other support you have been giving—to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.
Gayatri Mantra Japa Sadhana
The Temple will be joining in with Shantala Sriramaiah of www.vedabelgium.com to create a morning group to
chant Gayatri mantra as she learned it from her teachers, the Challakere brothers, of Bangalore. This is a very beautiful and powerful practice, a combination of mantra, pranayama, and reflection.
To take part in the morning practice groups (one will be led each week from NY, one from Belgium), you'll need to participate in the introductory course that will be held on Sunday, April 3rd. I will be co-teaching this class with Shantala. You can sign up for that
here:
https://vedabelgium.com/event/gayatri-pranayama-2/
March-April Schedule
A reminder that there will be no classes from Sunday, March 27th to Friday, April 1st. Classes resume on Sunday, April 3rd. Our monthly schedule of yoga classes can be found here:
https://eddiestern.com/classes-workshops/
Yours truly,
Eddie
PS About Narasimha Deva, from the Global Puja website:
"Narasimha, half-man half-lion, is the divine protector. He evokes a mood of wonder, awe, and divine strength. Culturally, the worship of Narasimha permeates South Asia (and now the world) and crosses regional,
linguistic, and sect-specific lines. His worship is central to the four orthodox Vaishnava lineages, but also to other Hindus and some Buddhists. Adi Shankaracharya, the seminal theologian of the Advaita traditions, enshrined Narasimha as the central deity in his monastery. Yogi traditions have also enjoyed a connection to the form of Yoga Narasimha, widening His appeal even further."
