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PUSHPANJALI NEWSLETTER
VOL. 10, # 6
DECEMBER 2001-JANUARY 2002
Page 4/6
Youth Committee/ Dharma Group (Coordinator: Rao Ayyagari 636-532-4461,
Youth leaders: Renu Chintapalli, Silpa Kaza) Over a year ago,
the temple had started pujas specifically designed for the youth of
our community. The pujas were traditionally performed by temple priests
with abbreviated rituals. Then the procedure and the meaning of the
rituals were explained in English. Attending youth then read background
material and mythological stories. First round of pujas were performed
for all of the Deities of the temple. Attendance at these pujas ranged
from 8-30 youth with low attendance at pujas held in summer months.
The second-round of pujas have started in November 2001 and will continue
on the second Sunday of every month at two o'clock. They now have
a new addition to them in hopes of instigating the youth's curiosity
about Hindu religion and increasing the attendance. A religion class
has been added at the end of the youth puja sessions. Because of time
constraints, the puja sessions will be condensed to 20 minutes to
be followed by a 40- minute class on 'Introduction to Hinduism'. If
any of our youth is interested in attending the pujas/religion class
or join the temple youth group, Dharma, please send an email address
or phone number to Sleok72@hotmail.com or contact Silpa at 636-391-5671.
New youth are encouraged to attend. For more details call the Coordinator.
The pujas/classes of the next three months will be on:
January 13, 2002 God Dattatreya
Febraury10, 2002 Goddess Lakshmi
March 10, 2002 God Kartikeya
Please encourage your youth to attend these pujas and religion classes
to learn more about our religious heritage.
Thought of the Month: The ride of Life. (Contributed by Rao Ayyagari)
Man has invented many wonderful machines to help him such as computers,
airplanes, and, automobiles. But the most wonderful of all of these,
invented by God Himself, is your body. Just as a car takes you down
the road on a trip, your body is given to you by God to take you on
the journey of life. It is in fact priceless. A car has four tires,
which touch the road; your body has four supports too, which are 1.
Right Conduct 2. Spiritual wealth 3. Desires 4. Peace/Happiness. Just
as the tires need the right amount of air to roll them along the road
smoothly, the body supports should be each filled equally with faith
to hold the body so it is able to move smoothly. A car has a steering
wheel inside to direct it. Your body is also guided from the inside
by your mind. When we control our mind, we can make our body do whatever
we want. A car runs well on good quality gasoline. The food you eat
is your body's fuel and it must also be nutritious and healthy. The
liquids we drink help to cleanse our body like the oil does to lubricate
a car. The owner of a car sits inside the seat when he drives. The
seat in your body is your heart and God, the owner, resides in it.
If the car is to run, it must have a key to start. In your body, intelligence
is the key to start any activity you choose. Other components of the
car include the clutch, accelerator, and brakes. Sense control is
our braking system, which keeps us form going too fast in life. Our
discrimination can be used like a clutch to control the senses. Knowledge
of God, like an accelerator, makes us go faster. To reach our destination
safely and as soon as possible, we must use our sense control and
our knowledge of God, our slow and fast controls, with discrimination.
The steering wheel, our mind, must be linked to the brakes and accelerator.
We must keep the brakes in good order with spiritual practice and
disciple. Without discipline, the mind, or steering wheel, will turn
in any direction and even take a wrong road. All over the world, cars
come in many makes and models. Similarly, human bodies, though in
different shapes, sizes, races, colors, and religions, are just different
appearing machines that carry us along the road of life.
 
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