Baandhavya ಬಾ೦ಧವ್ಯ Veerashaiva Samaja of North America
HIGHLIGHTS
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Editor’s Note
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June 2013
President’s Message
RUDRA OF ṚGVĒDA
RUDRA-ŚIVA OF YAJURVĒDA
Āṅjanēya Whose son is He? CENTRAL VSNA UPDATES
LOCAL CHAPTERS
UPDATES AROOUND THE WORLD
Editorial Board Supriya Antin Kaddargi Danashree Suresh Basu Mudenur Abhinav Reddy (Youth) Channu Kambalyal
Mr. Siddaramaiah garlands the statue of Basaveshwara on Basava Jayanthi before taking oath as the 22nd chief minister of Karnataka, in Bengaluru on Monday, May 13, 2013. [Source: Deccan Chronicle]
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Source: http://lingayatreligion.com/Galary/VachanaGalary.htm
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Editor’s Note
Sharanu Sharanarthi! After having commemorated Basavanna on Basava Jayanthi, have we not all rejuvenated the philosophies we bear within ourselves? Every Basava year lands up reinforcing and reminding us of what lineage we inherit and what we are to pass on. While Team Bandhavya remains committed to bring forth various aspects of Sharana heritage to all its avid readers, we are also basking in the glory of this year's first Baandhavya’s success. The readership you all exhibited keeps us motivated to bring out more and better. Overall, the previous newsletter was well received and absorbed for the information it had. The team behind Bandhavya also ended up with some generous donation in appreciation of the work put in, by a senior member of VSNA, Dr. Linga Raju, New York. The highlights of this edition too remain the same - feature length article on a glorious saint of today's times, articles that expound spirituality, vachana literature, member accomplishments, different chapter updates and obituary. Thanks to all revered contributors for making this journalistic endeavor enjoyable. We trust you to continue your rich contributions for our subsequent editions. We would like to urge you to motivate younger generation and encourage them to take part in this spiritual literary expedition we all share. Contributions may not necessarily be articles written but also excerpts or references to good literary work, art, quiz, etc.
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ಗರ ಗ ಶರಣರ
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Meaning: Just the way we need a basic ingredient to make pots or jewelry which is clay or gold respectively, to tread on Shivapatha we need a Guru leading us. Likewise, to realize Koodalasangama (God) the companionship of Sharanas is second to none. With this mettle, let us reconnect through Bandhavya once again. We hope you enjoy this edition of Bandhavya as well. Your comments are welcome as always. We could be reached at newsletter@vsna.org. Best regards, Supriya Antin Kaddargi
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President’s Message
Hearty congratulations to Baandhavya editorial team for the successful release of the 2nd edition of the newsletter for the year 2013. The effort has not gone unnoticed by the VSNA community. This great effort was communicated to me by many VSNA friends during the Convention held at Tampa. We need everyone’s support to keep this going. Please share news related to your chapter through this media. In addition, please send articles so that we can publish in Bhandhavya. Now talking of the VSNA convention, Florida chapter conducted a very successful convention at Tampa. It was very well organized with a great theme ‘Chala Beku Sharanange’. Congratulations to Mr. Girish Budibetta, convention chair and his team for their great efforts. We will publish more about the convention in the next newsletter. As we all noticed, the attendance at the convention was very much a concern and is dwindling each year. We need your support to reverse this trend. We are yet to find a volunteer chapter to host the convention for 2014. I request any chapter to come forward and take up this effort. We should consider it an honor and privilege to welcome Veerashaivas to our homes and be hospitable. There is no better way of doing this than running a convention. Sincerely, Vijay Kumar
Central VSNA Needs Your Latest Contact Details In order to provide better service to the community, we request all VSNA members and interested parties to send us their latest contact details - postal address, e-mail and phone numbers. Central VSNA would like to communicate with you directly regarding announcements, newsletters and periodic updates. Please send details to - secretary@vsna.org.
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His Holiness Maunatapasvi Sri. Jadeya Shantalingeshwar Swamiji
The power of knowledge destroys ignorance; The power of light dissipates darkness; The power of truth is foe of all untruth; The sharana's experience of God is the sole cure of worldliness; Lord Kudala Sangamadeva This Vachana was composed by Vishwaguru Basaveshwara of the 12th century A.D., the crest jewel of the Veerashaiva Dharma. With these words as the firm foundation of spirit, imparting the power of knowledge and truth and, thereby spreading light into this world to elevate people onto the divine path of Sharanas to experience God is His Holiness Sri Jadé Shantalingeshwar Swamiji. Sri Jadé Shantalingeshwar Swamiji has and continues to enshrine God in mind and body for a myriad of people far and wide. With sparkling eyes, a lustrous face, a smiling countenance, a string of holy beads around his neck and prominent lines of Vibuthi on His forehead, He is divinity personified. True and simple as He is, He is a beacon of light transforming devotees' mundane lives into sacred existence. He directs His devotees to see things in their true light, face difficulties with optimism and progress in every sphere. Swamiji practices Mauna i.e. silence and has chosen to remain that way for more than three decades now. Every year, He only speaks on the festival of Ugadi and on New Year’s Eve and communicates through writing when required. In the quest for God and in the struggle to tread the right path many have taken refuge in a Guru. The word 'Guru' is derived from Sanskrit, wherein the syllable 'Gu' denotes darkness referring to the spiritual ignorance mankind is inflicted with and the syllable 'Ru' represents the spiritual knowledge that eradicates this ignorance. It is indeed our great fortune that we have the privilege of Sri Jadé Shantalingeshwar Swamiji as our Guru steering our lives in the appropriate direction. His divine grace and love not only inspire everyone to make living meaningful and beautiful but also guard us from unfavorable forces. Lingayat Dharma postulates the worship of the Shiv Linga in the form of Ishta Linga (miniature version of Shiva Linga) which is worn on the body of a devotee. Although worship of Shiva prevailed before in Veerashaiva Dharma, it was a radical revolution when Lingayat Dharma was first propounded as a philosophy in the 12th century. Upholding non-duality with God through Ishta Linga Pooja, rejecting caste system and sexual discrimination, believing in work as worship, serving the society selflessly, practicing honesty, adopting non violence and ensuring compassion to all living beings and, enforcing dignity of labor and equality for all, form the tenets of Lingayat Dharma. Ishta Linga Pooja that was institutionalized in deed is a form of meditation. It is a process where one invokes the presence of God in his life and in the process develops the self. It connects one with the self and provides intrinsic virtues that enhance an individual to emerge better, stronger and accomplished. When delved deeper in both the worlds – Spirituality and Lingayat dharma, one distinctly sees glaring commonalities between the two concepts. 5
Swamiji is a religious Guru who believes in uplifting the society spiritually. He preaches Ishta Linga Pooja and advocates the impeccable tenets of Lingayat Dharma to all His devotees. The question has crossed many minds on why one must do Ishta Linga Pooja. When one of His devotees asked Swamiji this question His answer was,“Human beings always yearn for happiness. What is happiness? It is inner peace. One can only find inner peace in the realm of spirituality. Many spiritual ways have been put forth by great qualified saints to achieve this happiness. Veerashaiva Dharma presents one of these ways through the worship of Ishta Linga. Every day, one must worship the Ishta Linga for at least sometime without blinking an eye. The focus that one develops through the worship of Ishta Linga instills composure in an individual’s life. It also brings about happiness and energy to lead life.” Swamiji is revered not only for following and preaching the best principles of life but also for being one of the very few saints today who completely follows the virtues of the unique Lingayat Dharma and performs Linga Pooja the way it is meant to be without any compromise. It involves immense discipline and focus that comes with intense spiritual pursuits that very few saints have been able to master till date. Swamiji has always carried out extreme meditation and living with sheer discipline. He travels a great deal to bless His devotees. In His unflagging resolve to ameliorate the society, Swamiji yearns to delve deeper into Shivayoga Sadhana by taking up Anushthan often to heighten His ascent to divinity and triumph the divine Absolute. During this period, He prefers to cut off from the temporal bonding. In such pursuits of Anushthan, He has lived so far in the jungles of Dandeli near Ulavi, Megundi Kolla near Ramdurg, Goggihalli forest near Shimoga, an isolated cave at Shivayoga Mandir near Bagalkot, Bhimashankar and Himalayas. The ones fortunate in having Swamiji's actual presence in their lives at some point or the other stand testimony to the fact that by merely observing Him they have grown beyond naivety. Swamiji has a divine bearing on the minds of people. People get drawn to His divinity, kindness and righteousness and, spirituality invariably gets instituted in everyone believing in Him. Devotees benefit greatly either with His darshan or by simply meditating on Him. Countless people have taken refuge in Him at the sense of even the smallest of fears and have emerged strong with the assurance that Swamiji's grace is forever upon them. As much unattached and in Samadhi as He is, He is concerned about His devotees every moment. Swamiji could be reached at Samdhan ashrams in Solapur, Gulbarga and Bagalkot. More details on Swamiji can be found at www.mauntapasvi.com Reference: ‘Spiritual Transcendence’ by Supriya Antin Kaddargi About the author: Smt. Supriya Antin Kaddargi is a bank professional and an active VSNA member from Chicago chapter. She has authored the book 'Spiritual Transcendence' which is a biography of Sri. Jadeya Shantalingeshwara Swamiji.
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RUDRA OF ṚGVĒDA Linga Raju Rudra is one of the Divinities adored in Ṛgvēda. The earliest phase of development of Rudra as the Supreme Being is in the hymns of Ṛgvēda. Rudra is glorified in these hymns. There are five sūktas of hymns of praise on Rudra in the Ṛgvēda; and the term ‘Paṅĉarudra’ refers to these five sūktas. There are about 250 sūktas of hymns on Indra, the Divinity of lightening, thunder and rain; about 200 sūktas on Agni, the Divinity of fire; over 100 sūktas dedicated to Sōma, the Divinity of flowing waters who is commonly referred to as the ocean itself, and who is also the Moon which influences the ocean with winds and tides; and fewer sūktas on many Divinities. Although these praises to multitude of Dēvatas may give a wrong impression of the advocacy of polytheism (belief in many Gods), Ṛgvēda teaches ‘ēka-dēvatā-vāda’ the ‘one-God-argument’. It is a progression from naturalistic polytheism to monotheism to monism. Maṇḍala I, sūkta 164, verse 46 of Ṛgvēda goes like this – ‘They call Him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and He is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān, To what is One, sages give many a title, they call It Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan’ (1). All the Divinities are the facets of the same Supreme Being or the aspects of the same Supreme Reality (2). The Divinities are really the names of the same Divine Unity; they are not separate entities, but inter-related Universal Truth Principles. Any one of them can become all of them. Divinities often display human traits or become humans; and Ṛṣis/sages often become Divinities. The Ṛgvēda recognizes the Divine as One, as Many, as the All, and as beyond all forms (3). On the basis of the number of sūktas dedicated to the individual Divinities, Indra, Agni and Sōma appear to be the main Vēdic Divinities. But the importance of these Gods can not be judged on the basis of the number of references to them; they have to be judged by the functions they fulfill (3). In this regard, Rudra is the most important father figure in the Ṛgvēda; He is the great father of all the Gods; thus all the Gods can be called as Rudras (3). Specifically in Ṛgvēda VI.66.3 the Vēdic storm Gods, the Maruts, are called Rudras; the rainpouring Rudra is their father. The leader of Maruts is Indra, the ‘king’ of the Gods. Furthermore Indra is called Śiva in Ṛgvēda II.20.3; VI.45.17; VIII.93.3; VIII.96.10; here the term ‘Śiva’ is mainly used to describe Indra; it means ‘auspicious, gracious, benign, kind, benevolent, propitious, giver of happiness and such. Indra, like Śiva, represents the ‘Self’ in us. Indra-Śiva as the main God of the Āryas shows the spiritual orientation of the Vēdic religion, its truth of monism and Self-realization (3). Rudra is also another name for Agni, the second of the great Vēdic Gods (Ṛgvēda IV.3.1). One of the five sūktas (Ṛgvēda VI.74) of Paṅĉarudra is titled Sōma-Rudra, and another sūkta (Ṛgvēda I.43) of Paṅĉarudra also has hymns of praise for Sōma; thus the third of the great Vēdic Gods is addressed together with Rudra. Furthermore, Rudra is also called ‘Śiva’ in mantra X.92.9; here again the word Śiva is used as a descriptive word meaning propitious. The term ‘Rudra’ is said to have been derived from the root ‘ru’ which means ‘to produce sound’, the root ‘rud’ meaning ‘to shed tears’, and ‘dru’ meaning ‘to flow, to run, and to melt’. From these meanings, the Divine Rudra is explained in at least ten different ways as follows (4) – The one who makes us speak; who makes people understand everything by words and language; who makes us conscious of our dharma through the Vēdas; who leads us to self-knowledge through repetition of praṇava Ōṁ; who removes sins and melts in compassion; who makes people cry at the time of dissolution of the universe; who removes the miseries of saṁsāra (cycles of births and deaths) by his grace; who enters the hearts of people as ‘Nāda Brahman’; who imparts spiritual knowledge to seekers of truth through the Upaniṣads; who imparts to Brahma, the creator, the truth which is the knowledge of the Vēdas, at the time of creation; and such. Rudra of Ṛgvēda who is regarded as the great father figure of all the Gods becomes Rudra-Śiva, the Supreme Being, of the Yajurvēda (see ‘Rudra-Śiva of Yajurvēda’ article). 7
1. The Rig Veda. Complete. Translated by Ralph T. H, Griffith. Republished 2008 by Forgotten Books. 2. IN SEARCH OF THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION. New Light on Ancient India. Georg Feuerstein, Subhash Kak and David Frawley. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, India. This Edition reproduced from Quest Books 2001 Edition. 3. GODS, SAGES AND KINGS. Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization, by David Frawley. Passage Press, Morison Publishing, P. O. Box 21713, Salt Lake City, Utah 84121, USA. 1991 4. Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam. Translated by Swamī Amritananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004, India. 2007 About the author: Dr. Linga Raju is VSNA life member, native of Davaṇagere, India. Dr. Raju is a prominent Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Diseases physician. He has written spiritual publications - “A Journey through Hindu and Vīraśaiva Concepts’, and ‘SIDDHĀNTA ŚIKHĀMAṆ; The one hundred one sthala doctrine A concise composition’.
Source: http://lingayatreligion.com/Galary/VachanaGalary.htm
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RUDRA-ŚIVA OF YAJURVĒDA Linga Raju
Rudra of Ṛgvēda, who is regarded as the great father figure of all the Gods, becomes Rudra-Śiva, the Supreme Being, of Yajurvēda. The earliest phase of development of Rudra as the Supreme Being is in the hymns of Ṛgvēda. Then Yajurvēda paves the way for the development of the Rudra-Śiva concept into that Supreme Brahman. Five sūktas called ‘Paṅĉa Rudraṁ’ are in Ṛgvēda, but the term ‘Sri Rudraṁ’ refers only to that which is contained in Yajurvēda (1). Śrī Rudram is in the Taittirīya Saṁhitā rescension of Kṛṣṇa Yajurvēda; it is the fifth chapter of the fourth Kānḍa/book. Here Rudra is addressed as the Supreme Being who is omnipresent and manifests in a myriad forms for the sake of the spiritual aspirants. It is a Vēdic homage to Rudra. Śatarudrīya which means hundred forms of Rudra is the main part, and it is also in the Śukla Yajurvēda in its 16th of the 40 chapters. The main part is called ‘namaka’ because most of the mantras in its eleven sub-chapters/anuvākas contain ‘namaḥ’ or ‘namō-namaḥ’ in them. ‘Namaḥ’ is obeisance; it means complete surrender, humility, homage, bow-down in respect and such. These mantras praise and propitiate Rudra in many ways, pacifying His anger, and converting Him into Śiva. Thus Rudra becomes Śiva. In these mantras, dignity of labor and equality among all are emphasized by respecting all sorts of professions and vocations, and as such, all categories of persons, irrespective of their caste or creed, are addressed respectfully and honored with homage. One of the names used to describe Rudra is ‘Paśupati’ which means ‘Lord of the animals/cattle/creatures (from Brahma down to the lowest creature)’. Here, Paśupati is explained to mean ‘the Lord who protects the ignorant as they are bound like animals’ (2). And then there is this paṅĉākṣari/five-syllable mantra ‘Namḥ Śivāya’ in the IV.5.8.11 mantra. Śrī Rudram speaks of the glory of Rudra-Śiva, and its study is said to lead to the knowledge of Brahman. References: 1. The Vedas. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati. Bhavan’s Book University, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, India. Eighth Edition 2009 2. Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam. Translated by Swamī Amritananda. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004, India. 2007 About the author: Dr. Linga Raju is VSNA life member, native of Davaṇagere, India. Dr. Raju is a prominent Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Diseases physician. He has written spiritual publications - “A Journey through Hindu and Vīraśaiva Concepts’, and ‘SIDDHĀNTA ŚIKHĀMAṆ; The one hundred one sthala doctrine A concise composition’.
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Smt. Jayasheela Byakod Belgaum, India
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ಲ Meaningless Rituals Neera kandalli muluguvarayya, Marana kandalli suttuvarayya Battuva jalava, Onaguva marana Mechchidavaru nimmanetta ballaru? Kudalasangamadeva People think every flowing or still water in wells, tanks or rivers is sacred water and that if they take bath there, they will be cleansed of their sinful past and become totally unblemished. If they come across trees, they go round and round of the tree hoping that all their dreams and desires will be fulfilled. They try to show their dedication and devotion to such temporal entities like water, tree, etc. which are likely to dry up with passage of time. They forget that God is omnipotent and omniscient. He is present everywhere. Basavannavaru says how such people, who believe that trees or water are the incarnations of God, can ever understand Kudalasangamadeva. People believe in superstitions unnecessarily. God does not give us any rewards or compensation if we go round the tree. Our desires and wants remain unfulfilled. The ghosts of the sins committed by us remains in our mind. We should shun such pretentious behavior and develop genuine dedication coming from the bottom of the heath. As long as we are not clean at heart, only going around the trees and dipping in flowing water will not help us at all. We should avoid pretentious or lip service behavior. Let us avoid all superstitious and involve ourselves in constructive work and noble deeds. God will certainly bless us. Reference: 'Basavaprabhe' by Smt. Jayasheela Byakod. About the Author: Smt. Jayasheela Byakod, a post- graduate in sociology, is the Honorary Secretary of Sharana Sahitya Parishat, Belgaum (Karnataka).
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Āṅjanēya- Whose son is He? By Guru Bale This is worthy of examination. Because Āṅjanēya (also known as Hanumaṅta and Hanumān) is known as the son of Vāyu (air). This is difficult to believe. How can Vāyu, without form can be the father. Yet he is the reason for his birth. Rigveda says: Ātma dēvānāṁ, bhuvanasyagarbhaḥ, Yathāvaṁśaĉarati dēva ēśaḥǁ Pōṣā idasyaśruṇvīrē, narūpaṁ, Tasmaivātāya haviṣā vidēyaṁǁ Vāyu is the soul for Iṅdra and other divines. In the earth he is in the form of 'prāṇa'. or He is one among the būtas (sky, air, fire, water and earth). He moves as per his wishes. His whispering sound is heard. He has no form. He is not the direct reason for the birth of Āṅjanēya. Therefore there must be another reason for the birth of Āṅjanēya. It is scarcely available in Purāṇas. Purāṇa suggests Āṅjanēya is the son of Rudra and also as the son of Vīrabhadra. They are as follows: The book Āṅjanēya 'Āṅjanēya sahasra nāmastōtram' is published by Madras Vāviḷla Rāmaswamy Śāstralu and sons. It has 1,000 prayer names. The 101st name of the last 108 says "Rudravīrya samuddhavāya". Hanumaṅta Paṅĉaviśaṅti says "Kālāgni Rudrāya". Skāṅda Mahāpurāṇa says: "Ĉiṁrajīvitu dīrghāyurvānarō hanumānsadā ǀ Āṅjanīgarbha saṁbhūtō rudrāṁśō hidharātalē ǁ Aṅjanadēvi is the mother of Āṅjanēya. But Kēsari or Vāyu are not his father. It is Rudra says Skāṅda and other purāṇas. The sixth chapter of Śiva purāṇa says about the birth of Āṅjanēya as: Tārakāsura learning the death of Sati gets a boon. He can be killed only by the son of Śiva. With the power of the boon he becomes a vicious person. Sati takes birth as Pārvati. She serves Śiva who was performing meditation. The divines send the god of love, Manmatha to disturb the meditation of Śiva and to make Śiva to fall in love with Pārvati. He was successful in disturbing the meditation. But in so doing loses his life. Purāṇa says Śiva discharged semen. It was carried by the lord of fire Agni and Vāyu. It entered the wombs of six Kruttikā women. As a result Kārtikēya or Ṣaṇmukha was born. Semen entering the womb of Aṅjanadēvi resulted in the birth of Āṅjanēya. Aṅjanadēvi was the wife of Kēsari. She was young and beautiful. One day after taking bath she was drying her hair in the sun standing on the roof. Vāyu carrying the semen placed it on her body resulting in the birth of Āṅjanēya. Some say Vīrabhadra is the father of Āṅjanēya. Vīrabhadra was traveling near the Mēru mountains. He sees some Yakṣa girls. It disturbs him. He ejaculates semen. The semen was carried by Vāyu. It was placed in the extended hands of blind Aṅjali who sought food. She drinks the semen thinking as food. The result was the birth of Āṅjanēya.
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The birth of Șaṇmukha resulted because Agni and Vāyu carried the semen. It entered the Kruttikā girls resulting in the birth of Șaṇmukha. Āngali drank the semen that fell into her extended palm resulted in the birth of Hanuman. Do these events suggest artificial insemination? Aṅjana means Kāḷi. Both refers to dark persons. There is a possibility Kāḷi had an alias name as Aṅjana (?) Bravery and strength of Hanumaṅta is similar to Vīrabhadra. He is mightier than Iṅdra and Upendra (Viṣṇu). Rāma could not win over Rāvaṇa without the help of Hanumān. Vīrabhadra is the Guru of Hanumaṅta. He ordained Hanumaṅta in the Śiva ways: Rāma after the war returns to his kingdom with his wife Sīte. Hanumaṅta had no peace even after coronation of Rāma. He requests Rāma for peace. Rāma gives his pearl necklace but he could not give him peace. He placed the necklace at the feet of Rāma and goes to Kailāsa. Hanumaṅta was denied entrance to Kailāsa. Skāṅda purāṇa says: "Tatō naṅdī pratihārō rudrāṁśamapi taṁ kapiṁ ǀ Na ĉa saṅgamayāmāsa rudrēṇā(s)ghavghahāriṇā ǁ Hanumaṅta is a devotee of Rudra. He was surprised for not allowing to see Rudra. He asks Naṅdi what sin I committed for not allowing to see Śiva? Naṅdi says: You have committed many atrocities. Joining with Sugrīva you deceived and killed his brother Vāli. More than that you destroyed the Aśōka garden belonging to the devotee of Śiva. You have killed many who were against yāgas. Being on the flag like a monkey you became a monkey. Numerous mistakes are made by you. As a result you are not fit to see Rudra. Listening to Naṅdi, Hanumaṅta requests him how he can get rid of his sins? Naṅdi advises Hanumaṅta to seek the help of Vīrabhadra. Surrender yourself to Vīrabhadra the Guru of mine. Receive the three Dīkṣe. They remove the three taints namely Aṇava, Kārmika and Māya. Receive Liṅga initiation. It cleans your body from inside and outside. Receive his Pādōdaka which is superior to any river water. You will be free of all sins. You will be in peace. Hanumaṅta rushes to Vīrabhadra and humbly requests him to help clear all his sins. Vīrabhadra accepts, initiates with Liṅga and gives him the Dīkṣē. Source: Ja.Cha. Ni. Sayitya Saṁśōdane, Vol 9, Editor: Dr. Chandraih.
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CENTRAL VSNA – UPDATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS 2013 – Annual VSNA Convention Successfully Hosted by Florida Chapter
First Impressions/response from an attendee:
The Procession (never seen anything like this at any conventions) was very well choreographed We were privileged to have bel patri for the linga puje! The little bag was cute too and contained neat packets of other puje items. I admire how you paid attention to every small details Jolada rotti, chutney pudis, brought back memories of India. Kari hindi was tastier than grey poupon Dijon mustard. Delightful food and snacks across the board Absolutely great guests -- Sangeeta Katti and Mysore Nagaraj mesmerized us with their outstanding performances!!! Vachana Anthakshari was a huge hit!! As always, enlightening speeches by Swamijis. Thank you for the photographs, they make nice gifts Best of all, I made new friends!
I initiated the youths to speak at the last minute, thank you for being so flexible and providing them the stage. I could go on, for those who never attended they missed a great two-day event. Laxmi Hiremath, Chairman of the Board of Regents. [More Highlight coming in the Next Release of the Newsletter] 13
VSNA – NEWSMAKERS Dhake Industries is one of the only top 10 companies in Michigan being selected by State of MI to be part of Trade Mission to Brazil with the Lt. Governor of Michigan. B.G.Dhake is the President and CEO of Dhake Industries. Mr. Dhake has degrees in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and was a chief chemist in a major paint company more than 30 years ago. It didn’t take him long to decide that he could use his coatings expertise for his own business which resulted in the formation of Dhake Industries. Dhake was instrumental in developing the first White-out (Typoraser) product. Through the years, Dhake Industries has grown and evolved, and is now a leading supplier of specialty coatings to the automotive market. Secret to the company’s success is Mr. Dhake’s entrepreneurial spirit, industry knowledge, quality products, R&D, teamwork and dedication! Mr. Dhake’s son, Arjun Dhake is also active in the business. Arjun has a degree in Chemical Engineering from The University of Michigan and has his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from The University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Arjun currently holds the position of Vice President of Business Development. Arjun is the second generation involved in the management and operations of Dhake Industries. [Source: http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277--303217--,00.html] ************** Prolim Corporation Recognized as the top 50 fastest growing company in State of MI. Prolim Corporation President & CEO Mr. Prabhu Patil, also received "Leaders & Innovator Award
With over 22 years in various leadership roles Prabhu has extensively contributed to the success of Siemens PLM, UGS/EDS, SDRC and IBM PLM. As a President of PROLIM, Prabhu is responsible for P & L, Strategic Planning, Business Development, Client Management, and overseeing Global Operations. Prabhu has been recognized with several awards like Siemens Americas Consulting Award, Ford Mustang C3PNG Award, EDS Achievement Award, SDRC Product Manager Award, Rookie of Year 1997 Award, PTC Award of Excellence, Best Scientist Indian Defense R&D Award. Prabhu holds an MBA with high distinction from Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Prabhu was a Topper in Master of Engineering and Topper Bachelor of Engineering from India. Prabhu lives at Farmington Hills (suburb of Detroit), Michigan, USA. Prabhu also served as President, Central VSNA from 2004 to 2008. [Source: http://www.pr.com/press-release/489743]
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LOCAL CHAPTER – UPDATES VSNA – Chicago Chapter – Update VSNA Chicago chapter celebrated two major functions during this quarter – Ugadi & Allama Prabhu Jayanthi on April 13, 2013 at Itasca park district and Basava Jayanthi on May 19, 2013 at Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago. The office bearers - Deepak Patil, Neeta Dhananjaya and Anita Kishore took huge efforts in organizing the programs. Srishail Hadimani led the Linga Pooja for both programs. Ishwar and Chiranth Kishore were Masters of Ceremony for Ugadi program.
Basava Jayanthi was celebrated under the auspices of Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago with wider audience. Maaters of Ceremony for Basava Jayathi program were Natasha Kumar, Sachin Shiva, Tejas Hullur. Mr. Annapur Shivakumar provided an overview of Basava Jayanti. Youth members Abhinav Reddy & Mallik Virupannavar discussed Basava Philosophy. Mr. Kishore Channabasaviah gave a talk on Basavanna.
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Smt. Supriya & Amit Kaddargi along with Smt. Shaila & Ravi Topgi hosted Guruvandana program in the honor of Sri. Jadeya Shantalingeshwara Mahaswamiji in Chicago on June 16th, 2013 at Sai Temple, Aurora. The event was attended by local VSNA members and devotees from other states of USA.
Divya Chetana, an association that promotes universal values through performing arts presented Vachana Samskruthi program on June 30th, 2013 at Center Stage Theater, Nalerville IL. More than 65 participants took part in the program presenting over 20 vachanas from 10 different Sharanas or vachanakaras. Program included: Sharanas Introduction, Vachana Gayana – Carnatic Classical Music Concert by Mrs. Asha Acharya Adiga, Mrs. Chandrika Gopal and their students, Hindustani Classical Music Concert and Vachana Interpretation by Mrs. Roopa Jayadev and Prof. B. Somashekhar and Vachana Nrytya – Bharathanatyam Classical Dances by Students of Asha Acharya Performing Arts Academy. English translations were provided to all the vachanas. Nearly 200 audience enjoyed vachana singing, interpretation and dances. Program was coordinated by Mrs. Indira Reddy. Unfortunately VSNA Chicago chapter lost a great soul – Sri. H. S. Jayaswamy. We always looked for Jayaswamy’s spiritual discussion in every function of VSNA which he gladly did. Jayaswamy made it a point to write an article in every newsletter. His last article was about ‘ ಲ ’ in the March edition of VSNA Newsletter.
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VSNA – Maryland, Virginia & DC Chapters – Update Aishwarya Raveesh Youth member
Our Chapter in association with DC & VA chapter, Kaveri Kannada Sangha and SSVT celebrated Shri Basaveshwara Jayanti on May 25, 2011 at Shri Shiva Vishnu temple. The event was well-attended, right from rudraabhisheka (started at 9:30 am) to the cultural program (from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm). After the rudrabhisheka and Deeparadhana, prasada/breakfast was served to attendees. Shreematis Mukta Hombal, Shantala Patil, Rajeswari Galgali, Asha Gowduru/Shamnur, Ambika Nagenalli, Upanya Kalmat, Uma Prasad, Shobha prepared delicious prasada. The cultural program had 13 segments inclusive of melodious invocation vachanas of Sri Basaveshwara coordinated by Smt. Veena Savand, performed by 13 talented individuals. Sapna Basappa and Aishwarya Raveesh successfully managed the entire program as articulate emcees. As in previous years, youth and children dominated the cultural event, with a whopping 79 participants! Each segment was well-coordinated, organized, and received thunderous applause from the audience. Notable among them are the skit “Samaanatheye Manavathe” (written and directed by Smt. Sahana Prasanna, assisted by Dr. Smt. Niranjanakumari), a nritya roopaka titled “Shiva Stuti” performed by Divine Spark (choreographed by Smt. Shanthi Tantry), and a folklore dance “Kuladalli keeLavudo Hucchappa....” (choreographed by Smt. Roopa Guddimath). Another eye-catching item of the program was a gorgeous dance to Basaveshwara’s vachana: “Ettetta nodi-dadattatta neene deva…” by little children. Smt. Shivani Mahashetty has choreographed the dance. We are grateful to all the talented artists, coordinators, and their families for such a great entertainment. Please refer to the program brochure sent previously for more details. All children and youth participants received a trophy. All program coordinators were suitably rewarded. Shri Basaveshwara Jayanthi was made possible by generous donations received from several distinguished members of the Chapter. Our heartfelt thanks go out to these families: Suman & Shiva Prakash, Aruna & Doranal Basappa, Sahana & Prasanna Sadashivaiah, Leena & Rajiv Paul, Kavitha & Nandish Mattikalli, Soumya & Nagashankar Chandrashekhar, Upanya & Chandu Kalmat, Anitha & Mahendra Kabbur, Radhika & Prasad Nataraj, Shankari & Shiva Prasad, Uma & Nijaguna Prasad, Shweta & Shivakumar Jolad, Sahana & Paramesh Patil, Ambika & Shashidar Nagenalli, Rekha & Ravishankar Mahadevappa, Jayashree & Jagadeesh, Mukta & Suresh Hatte, Girija & Girish Uppin, Jay & Veena Savand, Saraswati & C.B. Hiremath, Jay & Mukta Hombal, Raj & Rajeshwari Galgali, Roopa & Chandrashekhar Guddimath, Sadananda & Urmila, and Usha and Halappa Hakkal. The event concluded with vote of thanks followed by mahamangalaarathi. Selected highlights of the event are given in the next page. For additional pictures, please click the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/shashidar.nagenalli/BJ2013?authkey=Gv1sRgCILNpdDc44TIVg&feat=email. Thanks to Shashidar uncle for providing the beautiful pictures of the event. Together we created a wonderful and memorable event!
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VSNA – Maryland, Virginia & DC Chapters – Basava Jayanthi Celebrations - Highlights
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VSNA - New England Chapter – Basava Jayanthi Celebrations Highlights
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AROUND THE WORLD - UPDATES
Basava Jayanthi celebrations in Auckland 2013 Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waIlLbxgbO8
The students and faculty of the K.L.E. Society’s Basava International School, Delhi observed the Birth anniversary of the great social reformist Basavanna on April 24.
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OBITUARY
Mr. H.S. Jayaswamy, P.E. 1939 – 2013 Mr. H.S. Jayaswamy was a civil and structural engineer by profession, an admirable teacher, a highly regarded Guru in everyday life for the young and the old who happened to be near him. He served as a spiritual leader and guru for all ages for more than 30 years since he came to US in 1979 to pursue his Professional Engineering degree. His professional life’s passion was to build strong bridges and roads and social life. His passion was to restore and preserve Kannada language and culture. A people person revered by many was a longtime member of Veerashaiva Samaja of North America and Vidyaranya Kannada Kuta, Chicago; he served in various capacities within the organization including the Presidency. Most notable was his contribution to the Vidyaranya Kannada Kuta organization’s newsletter SANGAMA, which he started, nurtured and passionately hand wrote the newsletters in the early years before its growth and maturity to a full-fledged magazine by successors, now admired globally by all Kannada readers. Mr. Jayaswamy was the President of Vidyaranya Kannada Kuta in 1997 and was instrumental in helping to celebrate the two day event of its 25th anniversary. He has also served as the founder and first president of AKKA Kannada’s national organization and as President of the Chicago VSNA Chapter, besides being a BOD member of both VSNA and AKKA organizations. He was one of the founder fathers of the Jnana Bharathi Kannada School for children in Chicago. He was a language specialist taking great pride in describing the superiority of the Kannada Language to everyone who listened to him.
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OBITUARY
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VSNA – Publications Note: For latest list please visit - vsna.org
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.
Veerashaivism and Bhakti, Dr. Somashekhar Munavalli (Ed). Bel Air, Maryland, 1988 Veerashaiva Religion - An Introduction, Dr. S. Munavalli (Ed), 1989 Veerashaivism - A Collection of Essays, Dr. S. Munavalli (Ed), 1990 Veerashaivism - History and Fundamental Concepts, Dr. S. Munavalli (Ed), 1991 Veerashaiva Religion - Questions and Answers, Dr. S. Munavalli (Ed), 1991 Veerashaivism - Comparative Study of Allamaprabhu, Basava Sunya Sampadane and Vachana Literature, Sri Kumara Swamiji and Dr. S. Munavalli (Ed), 1993 Lingadharana, Smt. Vimala Channabasappa, 1993 Veerashaiva Sharaneyaru, Dr. S. Munavalli and Siddayya Puranik, 1994 In Search of Shiva, Dr. Saroja Ullagaddi, Clifton, Virginia, 1995 VSNA Brochure - Questions and Answers, Dr. Saroja Ullagaddi, et.al., 1996 Life, Legacy and Lyrics of Devara Dasimayya, Prof. C. S. Bennur (Translator) Dr. S. Munavalli (Ed), 1998 Commemorative Volume - First World Veerashaiva Conference, VSNA Toronto Chapter, Dr. S. Munavalli (Rd), 2000 The Veerashaiva Religion, Its Practices and Principles, Dr. S. Munavalli, Sponsored by JSS, 2002 Cardinal Principles of Veerashaiva Religion, Dr. S. Munavalli A Study of VSNA History, 2007 The Lingayat Dharma, Dr. S. Munavalli, 2007 ABC of Lingayath Dharma, Dr. S. Munavalli, 2007 Veerashaivism Made Simple, Sateesh Kavi, Farmington Hills, Michigan, 2007 Veerashaiva Religion for Preschoolers, Dr. S. Munavalli, 2007 30th VSNA Convention Souvenir, VSNA Detroit Chapter, 2007 31st VSNA Convention Souvenir, VSNA California Chapters, 2008 ARIVU - 32nd VSNA Convention Souvenir - Main, VSNA Chicago Chapter, 2009 ARIVU - 32nd VSNA Convention Souvenir - Supplement, VSNA Chicago Chapter, 2009 33rd VSNA Convention Souvenir, VSNA Toronto Chapter, 2010 34th VSNA Convention Souvenir, VSNA New England Chapter, 2011 35th VSNA Convention Souvenir, VSNA California Chapters, 2012
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WITH BEST WISHES TO ALL VSNA MEMBERS
FROM VSNA NEWSLETTER – WORK GROUP
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