Patrika_Q2 2015

13th Anniversary Celebrations ­ Bramotsav (June 10­14)
April, May, June 2015 ­ Volume 14 ­ Issue 2
PATRIKA
The Hindu Temple of Wisconsin
Temple GroundDiwali
Breaking
BOARD MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
Yogesh Khatri
414­467­3032
ykhatri@hotmail.com
Secretary
Mayank Mital
414­467­5353
mayank.mital@gmail.com
Vice President
Treasurer
Dr. L.K. Bharadwaj
Suneeti Joshi
414­332­2248
262­784­7796
bharadwaj919@yahoo.com suneetijoshi1@gmail.com
Tax I.D. 39­1848726
Anand Adavi
414­745­3872
aadavi@yahoo.com
Venkat Kodali
414­732­0059
vkodali@vkodali.com
Kumar Iyer
262­794­0674
linc992000@yahoo.com
Satya Karri
262­264­5631
satya_karri@hotmail.com
Sushmita Acharya
262­389­5684
ksn_achalrya2001@yahoo.com
Dr. Anoop Dhingra
262­252­7185
anoop_dhingra@yahoo.com
Himanshu Parikh
414­331­8769
parikh_himanshu@hotmail.com
Dr. Laxman Kailas
920­251­1093
kailasproperties@sbcglobal.net
Anup Khullar
414­406­0211
andy@priyacorporation.com
Anil Mehta
414­351­3815
anilm39@gmail.com
Dr. Krishna Mylavarapu
414­975­1911
kmylavarapu@hotmail.com
Amratlal Lodhia
262­821­4372
amratlallodhia@gmail.com
Shefalli Vallecha
414­559­0848
creativemoods@hotmail.com
:
From resident
the P Yogesh Khatri
Dear Devotees,
Well, the winter blues are finally coming to an end, and we
would be soon looking forward to the sprouting of the green
grass and the blooming flowers, the music of the humming birds,
and the ceaseless chatter of the gray squirrels in our backyards.
Believe it or not, the spring is finally here, and for a few of our
friends who enjoy the game of golf, it is time to get the clubs out,
kick up their heels and dash to the greens to join in their favorite
sport!
The first quarter of 2015 has been picking up steam, with quite a
few well-attended events. The temple cafeteria has again played
a key part in bringing a steady stream of devotees to the temple.
The cafeteria menu started with the Punjabi Thali, and moved on
to offer a Taste of Kashmir, a Special 'Tiranga' Republic Day
menu, several regional specialties, and the 'Super Bowl Bash'
menu! On a healthy note, a large number of devotees have been
coming together and helping support the temple by volunteering
freely of their time, effort, and culinary skills. I want to thank
them all for the success of our Sunday Cafeteria!
Maha Shivratri was celebrated by the devotees with great fervor
and much devotion. I would like to thank the entire Religious
Committee headed by Venkat Kodali for doing such a fine job.
This year's Holi function was attended by over 650 people. The
beautiful day helped draw large crowds of Holi revelers to the
temple. The cultural program coordinated by Shefali Valecha
provided hours of entertainment peppered with beautiful songand-dance routines. The dancers and the NRI artists and their
groups put in an outstanding performance. It is a matter of much
pride to see such wonderful talent within our midst. Our many
thanks to Kamala Singh, Bandana Choubey, Jayshree Aggarwal
and the other volunteers for help with cooking and for serving
the food during the Holi celebration.
The Ramnavami Celebrations held during the last week of March
went very well. I would again like to thank the Religious
Committee, as well as Kamala Singh and Babita and Arvind
Singhal for spearheading the event. The delicious 'prasad'
served on the occasion was indeed blessed from Above and was
enjoyed by all those who attended the Ramnavami Celebrations!
Friends, in the near future, you will be witnessing a lot of
changes in and around the temple! We are on the threshold of
starting our ambitious construction project to create the needed
space and structures to accommodate the pressing needs of our
ever-growing community. We are in the process of getting the
final approvals for the loan, and expect to have the construction
permits in place by the second week of April. Kumar Iyer,
Lakshman Kailas, Anup Khullar, and Himanshu Parikh have
been working hard to get all the approvals in hand in a timely
manner. You will soon be noticing that the front entrance has
been closed. However, our construction committee has worked
out a plan with the help of the architects to make sure the
devotees continue to enjoy easy access to the temple. The
temporary entrances to the temple will be clearly marked and
the Temple events will continue to be held on a regular basis
with minimum obstruction. The Temple's dhwajasthambham is
also complete and will be shipped to Milwaukee from India in
the next few weeks. We expect to take its delivery in about
three to four months. Anand Adavi has been on constant
contact with the Sthapathy for its timely delivery.
On another front, the board has been very diligent in looking at
the security requirements of the temple. We have successfully
installed security cameras in and all around the temple, with 24
hours monitoring. Some of the locks in the main sensitive areas
have also been changed and will be accessible only to the
current board members. The trust that the devotees have
placed in the temple board members has required us to take
some of these precautionary steps.
The temple website, which was redone three to four years ago,
has been undergoing a further facelift. Mayank Mital has been
working on updating the temple website, and we expect the
work to be completed in the next few weeks. In the meantime,
you will not fail to notice some of the changes that have already
been made. The Patrika itself is now available online, and we
hope to ease out the print version in a year or so and go one
hundred percent digital thereafter. Along with their
advertisements, the advertisers will then be able to also add
links to their websites, thus adding more value in return for
their support for the Patrika!
Though the Temple funding continued to be on an even keel, we
did see some decline in revenues during the first quarter. This
may have been partly due to the fact that the temple does not
host as many major events during the first quarter as it does
during the rest of the year. Given the steep daily expenses that
need to be covered to run the temple, and the large debt burden
we are assuming to fund the ambitious projected temple
expansion, I do humbly request all devotees to donate
generously on a regular basis. Please know that the temple is
one hundred percent dependent on your wholehearted
generous support!
Speaking of support, let's all join together and celebrate our
temple's 13th anniversary and the Brahmotsav Celebration
during the week of June 10th to June 14th! Please do mark your
calendars to participate in these important twin-celebrations.
cont’d on pg. 9
Holi
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4pm Mata ki Chowki
Coming Soon!
Children’s Prajna
Vedic Summer Camp
Construction Starting
May 2015
Look for Directional Signs
BRAHMOTSAV The Celebration Supreme!
DOLAYA MAANAM GOVINDAM
MANCHASTHAM MADHUSUDHANAM
RATHASTHAM KESHAVAM
DRUSHTVA PUNARJANMA NA VIDYATHE
by: Anand Adavi
The darshan of Sri Maha Vishnu, either as the swinging Govinda, or as the decorated Madhusudhana in rasleela, or as
Keshava in the Chariot frees the soul from re-birth.
We all get together to celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings, and anniversaries with family and friends, but can
you imagine a celebration that would involve everything in this universe from the
sun, the moon, the stars, to every creature and every atom of this creation? Such a grand celebration does exist and
it is called the Brahmotsav! Brahm is the entire cosmos spanning the whole universe from the sub-atomic particles to
the vast galaxies (anoraniyanmahatomahiyan). Everything is indeed Brahm, from the inert stones to the vibrant
colors of human life with its emotions of love, joy and creativity, And the Brahmotsav of course marks the pinnacle
of religious celebration. It is rightly said that there is no other celebration like a Brahmotsav, and the one who truly
experiences it moves beyond the cycle of birth and death and attains the ever present timeless
divinity!
Brahmotsav is the divine celebration that uplifts the human spirit from its mundane existence, from the petty joys
and complaints of everyday life to the supreme bliss of being in the presence of the omnipresent divinity. To conduct
a celebration of such magnitude, one has to invoke and call upon in all humility the creator Brahma himself to
officiate in the ceremonies honoring Sri Maha Vishnu, the eternal transcendent Lord and the substratum of this
universe. Because of the immense cleansing and redeeming power of Brahmotsav, this celebration is periodically
performed in Hindu Temples all over the world to purify and wash away the sins incurred by individuals and their
communities.
Chariot procession, or Rathotsavam is an integral part of the Hindu religious celebrations in all parts of India, the
most famous being the Rathayatra of Sri Jagannath in Puri and of lord Balaji in Tirupati. True to the spirit of the
celebration, the entire temple, deities, and chariots are decorated to reflect the grandeur of the Blessed Lord Sri
Maha Vishnu.
The most auspicious Brahmotsav celebrations at our temple will start off with the ceremonial Sri Vishvaksena Utsav
on June 10th 2015. Celebratory processions on the brilliant Garuda vahan and the soothing Chandra Prabha vahan will
be taken out on the June 11th. The grand Shesha Vahana procession will happen on June 12th, Friday evening. The
most exciting and the most memorable part of the entire celebration is scheduled for the 13th when Sri Maha Vishnu,
the Lord of the Universe, blesses his creation aboard the Surya vahana and Hanuman vahana! The grand celebrations
will come to a close with Rathotsav (Rathayatra) and Kalyanotsav on Sunday, June 14th evening. We invite all the
couples to participate in the Kalyanotsav in the afternoon starting at 4pm.
It is a indeed a rare opportunity for all of our community members to come together and actively participate in this
joyous divine celebration, to be filled with the love and devotion that purifies the mind and uplifts the spirit, and to
receive the choicest blessings of our Lord Sri Maha Vishnu!
Annual
Fundraising Dinner
Sept. 25th
President’s Message (cont’d)
Together with the information on our regular and forthcoming temple events, the details of the anniversary celebration and of the most
auspicious Brahmotsav Celebration are available at our temple website (www.ourhtw.org). In order to ensure that you continue receiving
our regular email blasts on temple activities and happenings, it may be a good idea to sign up or update your email addresses therein as well.
Best Wishes.
India
7 Days A Week
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Sunday to Thursday
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Friday & Saturday
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2930 N 117 Street (Burleigh &117)
Wauwatosa WI 53222
Phone:
414-235-9220
Fax:
414-235-9318
PLACE ONLINE ORDER
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Hanuman Jayanthi
Lohri
Dr. Sailaja Kamaraju selected for 2015 Champion in Women’s Health Award
Mar. 30, 2015 MCW News - Sailaja Kamaraju, MD, assistant professor of medicine (hematology and oncology), has been
selected as a recipient of the 2015 Champion in Women’s Health Award by the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation.
Established in 1997 by Former Wisconsin First Lady Sue Ann Thompson, the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation is a
statewide organization dedicated solely to improving the health and lives of women and their families
through education, outreach programs and partnerships. The Champion in Women’s Health Award honors
individuals who demonstrate exemplary leadership in these areas. Lisa Phillips, MEd, Wisconsin Well
Woman Program Manager in the City of Milwaukee Health Department, nominated Dr. Kamaraju for this
prestigious recognition.
“Dr. Kamaraju has made it her mission to help women in the Asian community overcome language, cultural
and financial barriers to learn about and get the breast care they need,” Phillips said in her nomination letter.
“She has developed collaborations with health care organizations, government agencies and community
groups to provide much-needed services to this heard-to-reach community. Dr. Kamaraju has been a tireless
advocate for women in the Asian community.”
In 2007, Dr. Kamaraju founded the Asian Women’s Health Forum Project, which promotes breast health education/breast cancer
screenings along with gynecological cancer prevention. During this time, she developed a model to improve cultural barriers to
promote health awareness for minority Asian women. Since 2012, Dr. Kamaraju has been an active member and volunteer at
the Muslim Community Health Center, where she has provided ongoing breast health education focusing on the importance of
annual screenings.
In 2014, Dr. Kamaraju decided to expand her
volunteer work and applied for and received a Susan
G. Komen Foundation educational grant. Dr.
Kamaraju’s project provides breast health education,
clinical breast examinations, and mammography
screening for un/under-insured Asian women. This
includes those of Muslim, Sikh, Arabic and Indian
backgrounds at various locations where these women
congregate. She currently utilizes women from the
Muslim Center who speak many of the languages of
the women she is serving through the Komen grant.
Since this program was launched, she has provided
breast health education for 250 women and
mammograms for more than 100 women.
Dr. Kamaraju created a unique collaboration with the
Columbia St. Mary’s mammography coach to provide
screening mammograms in this community. Dr.
Kamaraju also partners with the City of Milwaukee’s
Wisconsin Well Woman Program to enroll women
who are un/underinsured for screening
mammograms, diagnostic mammograms, ultrasounds
and biopsies if needed. This unique relationship
between a community partner, Columbia St. Mary’s,
and the Well Woman Program has decreased barriers
and ensured that over 50 women have had a
screening mammogram or diagnostic services.
The 2015 Champions in Women’s Health award
recipients will be honored May 9 at the Spring Gala
reception in Madison, Wis.
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313
414-628-5
Hindu Temple, AUGUST 8th, 2015 1pm - 10pm
Cultural Programs
3:30pm - 6:30pm
Organized by:
Shefali Vallecha
414-559-0848
FIREWORKS
Saturday, August 8th
8:30pm
Vendor Booths Including
Sari Stalls - Jewelery Stalls - Art Galleries - Book Stalls
Local Dance Schools - Local Grocery Stores & Restaurants
For Booth & Volunteer Information, Contact:
Mayank Mital 414­467­5353 Yogesh Khatri 414­778­7311 Anand Adavi 414­745­3872 Satya Karri 608­628­0564 Amratlal Lodhia 262­821­4372
Email: contacthtw@ourhtw.org
Abundant Parking Available at Temple & Church Lots
RELIGIOUS CORNER
Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta: The Songs Divine
by: Triveni P. Shukla
Shrimad Bhagvad Geeta is chapters 25 through 42 of Book 6 on Bhishmaparva of the Indian epic Mahabharata consisting of 100,000
stanzas (200,000 verses of 1.8 million words) - which make it eight times the combined size of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. The Geeta itself is poetry
supreme with tremendous power of resonance in its 18 chapters containing 700 anustubh or shloka chhandas.
The numerals of 18 add up to 9, which is an enigma in Hindu numerology. To wit there are 9 Grahas, 27 Natkshatras, 18 Puranas, 18
Dharma Shastras, 108 deities and 1008 names of the Lord. All are factors or multiples of 18. The war between the just and the unjust is between
an army of 18 akshohini embroiling 18 major warriors (11 Kaurawas and 7 Pandavas) and rages for 18 days. In fact the number 18 may well
represent celestial intervention.
Mahabharata, the mother of all wars, is the premise of Lord Krishna's sermon on cosmic and numinous connection of human beings with
the Almighty. The sheer magnitude of the conflict can be envisioned only by understanding that one akshohini (AdiParva of Mahabharat, 2.1523) stands for 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants plus 65,610 cavalry and 109,350 infantry soldiers. The ratio becomes 1 chariot, 1 elephant, 3
cavalry and 5 infantry soldiers for a total of 3.15 million from a total population of 25 million. The point to be noted is that the sum of numbers in
these counts equals 18.
Lord Krishna's sermon on the battlefield of Kurukshetra embodies the entire Hindu philosophy and theology expounded in the Vedas
and the six orthodox systems of Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimansa and Vedanta. The sermon is a treatise on cosmic reality. The Lord
had to awaken the warrior in Arjuna by His advice, His instructions, His guidance and even the revelation of His cosmic form at the very start of
warfare. Shrimad Bhagvad Geeta is thus both sermon and revelation.
I began reading Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta during my early days in graduate school during the sixties. Much to my surprise, books on
Eastern philosophy became popular in University book stores only during the seventies and eighties. My readings of Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta
became much more intense after my study of Peter M. Senge's "The Fifth Discipline” in 1991. The book helped me introspect and "read myself" as
opposed to seeking answers in Senge's corporations in America or elsewhere on the planet. The readings and reviews taught me that Ralph
Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), and Mahatma Gandhi were practicing students of Geeta. Thoreau actually had a
copy of Geeta with him while at Walden Pond. All three (Emerson, Thoreau and Gandhi) advocated that contemplative concentration can create
stable minds, i.e. one can have a tranquil mind even during intense activity. To me peace is another name for Brahmee or super conscious state
attainable only by an undisturbed mind. Brahmee is a state of mindfulness and it can successfully prevent desires and distractions from entering
into the conscious layer of the mind. Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta, I believe, is a divine tool for routine psychotherapy for all of us. The chapter wise
brief summary of the scripture's salient teachings below is an endeavor to evoke goodness in all of us. We can embrace the teachings and apply
them to our commitments and our dealings in life.
Chapter 1 on Arjuna's dilemma and despair is an enumeration of the warring factions and Arjuna's anguish over raising arms against his
kith and kin and the attendant problems of commission of sin, loss of family tradition and corruption. The rest of Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta is
divine conversation, consolation and supernatural interaction between the Almighty Lord Krishna and his protégé Arjuna.
Chapter 2 on Yoga of Samkhya or Knowledge is the Lord's instruction to Arjuna to heed the call of dharma and rid himself of all doubts
and dilemmas in order to fulfill his obligations as a true warrior. Krishna's discourse is on the transient nature of our senses and our being. The soul
is beyond the embrace of the human body; it is Supreme, Divine and part of Him. Arjuna must believe that He is omnipresent and omnipotent, He
is the ultimate reality. The soul, says Lord Krishna, does not destroy and is itself immortal. Arjuna must remain valiant with a determinate and
stable mind for competent action with equanimity. This is Karmayoga in contract to Samkhya Yoga of knowledge.
Chapter 3 on Karmayoga is Lord Krishna's discourse to Arjuna on the power of saadhna and samaadhi (control of senses through
contemplation and sheer willpower). This is His divine instruction on transcendental meditation and mindfulness. Modern medical science
corroborates it as the alternative medicine routinely propounded by the disciples of Patanjali and Buddha.
Chapter 4 on the Yoga of Knowledge delineates Lord Krishna's reasoning on reincarnation, i.e. the cycle of birth and rebirth in which the soul
seeks a new receptacle. The Lord's own avatars are manifestations. Arjuna must remain pure in mind and cognizant for skillful action. Dutiful
action brings knowledge. One who seeks Him finds not only Him but the entire universe contained in Him.
Chapter 5 on the Yoga of Action and Knowledge contains Lord Krishna's detailed instructions to Arjuna on being the Karmayogi, a true man of
selfless action, and to understand the connection in the yoga of action and yoga of knowledge as means of divine enlightenment.
Chapter 6 is about the power of the mind attained through the Yoga of Meditation and Contemplation. The Lord instructs Arjuna on meditation
and the fine tuning of one's chronobiology with regulated diet and sleep as well as by disciplining one's state of wakefulness. The Lord describes
sanyasa as the yoga of divine enlightenment, i.e. the realization of Brahman (Brahmagyaan).
Chapter 7 on Knowledge and Experience (gyan and Vigyan) is about the Lord's proclamation that He and only He is this universe. He is sound, He
is the sun's light and the taste of water. He, in fact, is the primordial energy in all living systems. Arjuna must adhere only to the Satvic mode of
nature, shunning the Rajasik or Tamasik. This chapter manifests an enigmatic relationship between the knowledge of the Supreme Being and the
science behind the world and its creatures that constitutes our experience. The natural philosophy and metaphysics beyond it is defined by Him in
His exposition that the knowledge of the Supreme is unattainable by blind pursuit, without the tools of action produced by science. Albert
Einstein is in tune with the "Songs Divine" when he says that science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.
Chapter 8 on the Yoga of Indestructible Brahman focuses on the spirit, divine wisdom, matter and action. The Lord describes Brahman as
indestructible adideva and the soul as aadhyatma. He Himself is the Lord worshiped in the beginning and the creative work of Brahman is Divine
Karma. Devotion to Me, He says, is the only way to realize Me, the supreme Brahman. He declares Brahma Yoga as a sovereign science.
Chapter 9 on the Yoga of Sovereign Science and Sovereign Mystique deals with the history of time, beginning with adideva Brahma and
culminating in aadhyatma pertaining to the self. He proclaims that He is the only God attainable by the yoga of sense control (sanyam) and
competent action (karma). All Advaita (nirgun) and Dvaita (sagun) philosophy is about Him and Him alone. He is all-pervasive and all abides
within Him. I command Nature, says Krishna to Arjuna, and exhorts him to concentrate on His teachings with utter and utmost devotion.
Chapter 10 on Manifestation of Divine Glory is about His being the primordial cause of this universe. The Lord says that time began with Him. He
is adi and He is anant, without beginning and without end. He is source of all creation. He is Vishnu, Rudra and Shiva. He is the aadiswar Ohm. He
encompasses the entire world with a fraction of His yogic power.
Chapter 11 on the Vision of the Universal Form is about Arjuna's perception and realization of Lord Krishna's visva and virat swaroop. The Lord
reinstructs Arjuna in verse 32 that He is time manifest, He is all matter and that all is contained in Him.
Chapter 12 on Yoga of Devotion is about meditation to attain true realization of Him as the Supreme One, the Lord of all beings. His devotees, the
Lord says, become a part of Him.
Chapter 13 on the Yoga of Discrimination Between the Field (Body) and the Knower of the Field pertains to His declaration that space is integral.
Nature works through human beings as well as through all other living creatures. They themselves are the doers and their bodies are fields of
action. The truth, Krishna tells Arjuna, is that these doers are My instruments. I am the ultimate doer, the primordial matter and the ten organs of
your perception and action.
Chapter 14 on Three Modes (Gunas) of Nature deals with His primordial identity and nature. He expounds on supreme knowledge, embodied in
the three modes of nature: Satva or goodness itself is the discernment of mind and senses. Rajas is greed and passion. The worst, Tamas is a state
of senselessness and ignorance. These modes tie down the soul to the body. This He has indicated repeatedly. Know that My primordial Nature is
Brahman, the cradle of life. I am the Father and Nature is the conceiving Mother of all creatures. The Lord enlightens Arjuna that He is the Adi and
the Anant – immortal. The soul, He says, attains Supreme Bliss only after transcending the three modes.
Chapter 15 on Devotion to the Supreme Spirit Purushottama details creation, the Big Bang of high physics in lay terms. In Him is the domain of
the three modes of nature. The soul resides in your senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. All of these, He says, are part of Him.
He reminds him that the jivatma in Arjuna's body is a particle of His being. Arjuna: The light of the sun, the light that reflects off the moon, and the
light that shines in the fire is My Light. I am beyond matter or kshetras. I am Purushottama, worshipped by the sages.
Chapter 16 on Divine and Demonic Types contains the Lord's advice to Arjuna to be determinately mindful of succumbing to anger, greed and
desire. It should be noted that the advanced modern medical and nutrition sciences (as per the NIH, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Stanford and equally
reputable centers of research in Europe and Japan) are dedicated to mindfulness. The mind controls our body but itself remains free to wander all
over the universe. He tells Arjuna that he will be fearless once he knows himself through meditation and purification of the mind.
Chapter 17 on the Three kinds of Faith is about the Lord's emphasis on three modes of faith, just as there are three modes of nature and three
types of food. The Lord says that SATT is truth and goodness and TATT is a simple appellation of the absolute. He tells Arjuna to remain righteous,
shun greed and senselessness and maintain equanimity in face of doubts and dilemmas.
Chapter 18 on Liberation Through Renunciation is the summation of our being in the cosmos as willed by the Omnipotent Lord Krishna, the
Yogeshvara who is beyond the limits of time and space. The beauty of being, He proclaims, is in renunciation or action with no expectation of
rewards, no ego, and no bias. Our intellect must support such renunciation. The Lord tells Arjuna that he must be with Him, the Brahman because
Brahman is truth, consciousness, and bliss solidified.
I do believe that the physical world is an illusion. Maybe another Einstein will find that Singularity, Big Bang, Black Hole, and Dark Matter is all God
and nothing but God. Modern physics is already contemplating on the God Particle. For now, to do right for greater public good, we need to
choose our methods in total accordance with our nature. We should do what we love to do conscientiously in the knowledge that the Almighty is
behind all that still remains unknown, unseen and unfathomed. Even the best of science of our collective experience today is very limited
compared to the infinite expanse of what we invoke as Jagadishwar in our daily prayers.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Experience the power of giving back to our community with this opportunity to help the thousands of
Milwaukee residents (in nursing homes, homeless shelters, etc.) who are in need of food and basic necessities.
We have the following programs, sponsored and supported by HTW, in which to participate:
Feed the Hungry
For over six years, we have been making 200 brown-bag lunches (containing a sandwich, snacks, and a drink)
once a month for those in need in Milwaukee. The lunches are made at the temple, typically on a Friday
evening from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, and are delivered to the homeless in downtown Milwaukee on Saturday
morning. Volunteers are needed for making lunches, delivering lunches to a location in downtown Milwaukee,
and buying food supplies.
Sponsorship Opportunities
It costs approximately $225 for 200 brown-bag lunches. So far, the program has been running with the help of
generous sponsors. Please contact us if you would like to sponsor this event (for a birthday, anniversary,
Shraddh, or just for a good deed of the day).
Food Drive
We run food drives, collecting nonperishable food for Milwaukee residents in need. During our last food drive,
we collected the equivalent of approximately 5,000 cans of food items.
Clothing and Toiletries
We collect and distribute winter clothes (jackets, blankets, hats, and gloves) and toiletries to Milwaukee's
homeless population.
Homeless-Veterans Drive
One out of four homeless people is a veteran. These people risk their lives protecting us, and it is important
that they receive our support. In March 2015 we ran a very successful drive for homeless veterans, collecting
items like cleaning supplies, coffee makers, vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens, food, etc.
Plans to Expand
We would like to create more community awareness of all of the activities in which they can participate and
reach more people in the community who need help.
Your Support Is Needed
In order to support these activities and to reach more people, we are in need of financial support and
volunteers. Any donations you make will help us reach our goal of helping more people in our community. Any
“time” you can donate is greatly appreciated. If you can spend two to four hours a month, it is great! If it is less
frequent, that's OK too! The bottom line is that we need your help. It is also important that we get the youth
involved. They will learn valuable teamwork and leadership skills while helping the community.
We thank the HTW Board for providing their support and cooperation with these activities.
For additional information and to participate in these activities, please call Kishan or Uma Bagadia & the team
(414-732-8645), or email (krisb@peakis.com).
The Swastik Symbol: Good or Evil?
by Indira Mital
The symbol of the Swastik still circulates in some parts of the world with regular frequency.
In parts of Asia not covered by the
lands of the erstwhile Soviet Union, the ancient symbol is scattered rather liberally in homes, market places and even cast in
bronze for sale as trinkets with therapeutic value to be worn around the neck, touching the skin.
Contrary to popular belief, the Swastik is not an Aryan symbol of worship with an ancient tradition from India. The symbol can be
traced back 6,000 years to the Neolithic Era and is depicted in the cave paintings in West China. While the well-known images
from ancient cave paintings are also found in Spain, India, Egypt, France and elsewhere, it is the Swastik which has an unbroken
tradition of time transfer. It moved across lands through the ancient trade routes and spread a positive message of reassurance to
whoever accepted its visual form. The Swastik is a familiar symbol in China, Japan, Tibet, India and south Asia wherever the
original teachings of Gautam the Buddha were embraced.
There seems to be little (or no) mention of the Swastik in any Aryan Sanskrit text. That attribution is most likely a myth that was
created in the past by some ill-informed author and has no credence.
According to popular belief, if an abode is not in accordance with the principles of Feng Shui or Vastu Shastra, the Swastik symbol
at the entrance can keep ill winds and evil spirits at bay. The word itself means 'well-being'; 'Su' meaning 'well' and 'asti' meaning
'being' should be interpreted as a good health charm in modern usage. To all Hindus and Buddhists it is a mark of auspicious
beginnings, whether they are rituals, vital decisions, investments or undertakings. Two major symbols of worship are exposed to
the sunlight during such beginnings: The first being the Swastik drawn on the ground, on an altar, a new machine or a new vehicle
using rice flour, turmeric and vermillion powder. The second is the image of Lord Ganesh, remover of hurdles. It is no coincidence
that in the predominantly Muslim nation of Indonesia (which was predominantly Hindu & Buddhist until the end of the 16th
century), the image of the Hindu god Lord Ganesh is imprinted on their currency notes.
The Swastik symbol might have crept into common usage sometime around 1870. Presumably, Max Mueller, the German scholar
and translator of holy texts from Sanskrit to German, introduced it as a talisman without adequate research on its origin. The
original culture could never have envisioned the blessed Swastik recently being abused as graffiti on the walls of the Hindu Temple
in Bothell, Washington, with vandals probably unaware of the symbol's sanctity, blessings and benevolence inside those same
walls.
Nazi scholars in the mid-1920s co-opted it as an “Aryan” symbol and misappropriated it for their flag. The subsequent anti-Semitic
purge under the Swastik symbol sullied its ancient and intrinsic meaning with the havoc wreaked by the maniacal annihilation of
the Jews. The Herculean task of restoring the honor and sanctity of this benevolent symbol can be fulfilled only by informing and
educating the entire world about its salience.
To the uninitiated, the Swastik is a geometrical figure, a symmetrical cross with four perpendiculars, each with an arm pointing
clockwise at a right angle to the perpendicular. The four arms denote the four directions and forward progress; the cycle of the
four main seasons. The foremost difference between the ancient Swastik and its Nazi misappropriation is the color. The true and
benevolent Swastik is always RED (never BLACK). Secondly, the figure of an authentic Swastik is never inclined at an angle of forty
five degrees. Traditionally, a Swastik is created on a base of cloth, wood, metal, or even on the ground itself by drawing, painting,
beading, embroidering, weaving or sculpting the symbol. The 4 squares formed within each of the 4 segments of the Swastik, are
marked with a red dot for good omen. In pendants forged from metal or clay, the red dots are etched or stamped.
Faith in the Swastik's benevolence stems from the belief that mankind is one, is meant to coexist without hate or rancor and to
move forward in unity. Even materialism could benefit from the magical charms of the Swastik and the kindly embrace of Lord
Ganesh!
The Nazis were truly unaware of the significance of the Swastik. Had they consulted ancient texts and longtime believers, the
Chinese Buddhists or the Hindus, they would have realized that the Swastik fails to work its charm if displayed at an angle of forty
five degrees like it appeared on the Nazi flag. The Nazi downfall was perhaps destined because they fell under the collective curse
of the two most ancient religions of the world and the curse of their hapless victims, the Jews.
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