When the mention of devotee is made anywhere in this world, the first name we will all think of is Hanuman ji. Isn’t that right? In quick succession we celebrated both Rama Navami and Hanuman Jayanthi in Chinmaya Gurukul . Rama Navami was celebrated on March 30th and Hanuman Jayanthi on 5th April .
The Ram Navami celebration started at 6:00 with the yajaman family all ready , Ram Parivar took center stage at the altar . Beautifully decorated with flower malas , Purna Kumbha and Sundar Krishna smiling down . People had brought prasad which was placed in front of bhagwan. The devotees had all gathered and Sushma Aunty started the celebration as is traditional with Ganapathi puja . After that, devotees chanted the 108 names of Ram ji with reverence while the yajaman family adorned the idols with flowers. We also read Bhaye Pragata Kripala led by Shalaka . The Chopai composed by Tulisidas ji which is from his famous Ramcharitamanas was a fitting way to end the puja. But the evening was not done yet. There was a wonderful rendition of beautiful bhajans by our own kids Swaranjali team and Adult Swaranjali team .
By this time , the kitchen team had started setting up for dinner. Are you aware we have a green cell team in BalaVihar who’s objective is to reduce waste and make sure we reduce the use of disposables during our puja . Sevaks served the food with a smiling face. There were all sorts of yum food cooked by volunteers like pulao, curd rice and lots of desserts ,all blessed by Ram Parivar. The work of sevaks was not done yet. After this they cleaned all the vessels and ensured they were ready for use for our next celebration .
Hats off to our puja team who make it look so easy , because they had to to do this all over again for Hanuman Jayanthi. Oh our Hanuman ji looked adorable wearing a vada mala specially made for him by our wonderful sevaks . The other malas were all newly made for Ram Parivar and they all looked so happy with the love showered on them . Young Kids and adults alike chanted Hanuman Chalisa 7 times . you could feel the powerful vibrations throughout, completely immersed in the glory of Hanuman ji. For many families, it was a very divine experience and not something kids will forget . The bhajans by the Swaranjali Team on Hanuman Lala gave us all goosebumps .Of course the evening would not be complete without the divine prasad . Which everyone sat together and enjoyed , just like a close knit family .
These celebrations are not easy to coordinate . But our Puja team of Pratima, Vandana Pandya , Vandana Appana, Praveena, Rani, Anitha and others do it with so much dedication and love. Our gratitude to all of them . The kind of comments we had from parents were so heartwarming. Many of them said they loved the inclusivity , warmth and spirituality ,the positive energy and of course the yummy Prasad. We encourage each one of you to be a part of these divine celebrations . Show your love by volunteering or by signing up a Yajaman or making prasad. Believe me , Hanuman Lalla was enjoying all of it .
