LAKSHA CHANDI SANKALPAM COMPLETION PROGRAM
DECEMBER 29, 2022 TO JANUARY 01, 2023 IN CHENNAI, INDIA
śiva-śakti samārambhāṃ bhāskarācārya madhyamām |
asmat śrī nātha paryantāṃ vande guru paramparām ||
||śrī sadgurucaraṇāravindābhyāṃ namaḥ||
Sri Gurubhyo Namaha, Sri Maatre Namaha!
Wishing you all a very happy and divine Guru Poornima. On this special day when we all pay respects to our Sri Guru - the cause for self-knowledge or the Brahma Vidya, we are extremely delighted to announce the culmination programs for our Laksha Chandi Homa Sankalpam as our offerings to the Guru mandalam’s Holy feet.
It just feels like yesterday! We started to walk on this uncharted path from the Ganesha Chaturthi on Aug 22nd 2020, when the whole world hit with Covid, was gloomy with so much fear and uncertainties. After seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha, disciples of Bhaskara Prakasha Ashram took the Maha Sankalpam to perform Laksha Chandi Mahayajna to invoke Chandika Mahalakshmi to cast Her benign grace on the ailing planet.
As a spiritual organization, we felt our Ashram should take the lead to help everyone turn their minds to prayers, from the extreme fear and grave uncertainty, caused by the virulent disease. Reciting Devi Mahatmyam with unflinched faith everyday will be a Sadhana that will not only strengthen their minds but also bring about a way to co-exist with the pandemic. Vedic scriptures like Devi Suktam and Sri Rudram say that solutions to our problems lie in our constant prayers and total surrender of our mind and body to the Para Brahman or supreme power. Who other than Chandika Mahalakshmi, the compassionate Universal Mother, can we seek help and solace from, in times of despair?
Reciting the 700 verses of Devi Mahatmyam along with the eight Poorvanga Nyasas including Durga matruka nyasam, Kavacham, Argala Stotram, Keelakam, Raatri Suktam, Navakshari Moola mantra Japam, and the Uttaranga three Rahasyas - all together in one sitting is called one Devi Mahatmya Parayanam. Laksha Chandi Homam involves doing such Parayanams 110,000 times, Navakshari Japam at least 1 Million times and performing Chandi Homam 1000 times along with Navakshari mantra homam at least 100,000 times.
Reciting Devi Mahatmyam Parayanam just once, takes 3 hours or more. 110,000 parayanams means 330,000 man hours which is equivalent to 13,750 days of non-stop recitation. Or, we can say if one person does a Parayanam every single day, it would take him 302 years to complete the Sankalpam!
We were honestly overwhelmed with these numbers and did not know if we had the capabilities to achieve this Maha Sankalpam. We were intimidated, especially because there was no precedent of a similar endeavor to instill hope in our hearts, at least in recent history. We as humans have limitations - what we can do and what we cannot do is largely determined by our thoughts. As limited beings, we also have doubts! We were in so much doubt, that we did not even put a timeframe on completing the Laksha Chandi!
But Chandika Mahalakshmi as the Para Brahman, as the Unlimited being, resides in all of us, enabling us and doing all the work for the sustenance of this universe. This Laksha Chandi is a beautiful example of what collective synergy for common good can accomplish. This has been truly a global event cutting across the regional/country borders. All our Ashram members from around the world came together. Their dedication and monumental support along with the steadfast and enthusiastic support from Sri Vidya disciples from different Guru Paramparas, made the impossible a reality.
Within a span of 16 months, we completed more than a Laksha (100,000) Devi Mahatmyam parayanams. As of today, after 22 months, we have completed 919 Chandi Homams towards Laksha Chandi sankalpam and are close to reaching 110,000 parayanams.
Mark Your Calendar!
This Laksha Chandi journey has been nothing but a miracle, an antidote for all of us against the Covid! For an event of this scale, a lot of things can go awry. The fact that none did and everything so far has been happening so well beyond our imagination is simply overwhelming. The infinite mercy and grace of our Guru mandalam and Chandi Mahalakshmi is so visible, has been with us and guiding us every step of the way.
To honor all Upasakas who helped us to complete this mammoth sankalpam, and to seek the blessings of Chandika Mahalakshmi and our Guru Parampara for Loka Kalyanam, we have planned the final Laksha Chandi Homams and Pujas during December 29th 2022 to January 1, 2023 in Chennai, India. We sincerely hope you can all join us for these four days in the month of Margazhi/Dhanur Masa, during the auspicious Pausha Navaratri days, to be part of the final completion of the Laksha Chandi Homams.
Pausha Navaratri is also called Shakambari Navaratri - Devi is worshiped as Shakambari during this time. When the entire mankind was devoid of nutrition, Devi takes the avatara of Shakambari and saves Her children by nourishing them through vegetation arising from her entire body. During this avatara, She also slays the demon Durgama and is called Durga due to this reason.
tatō' hamakhilaṃ lōkamātmadēhasamudbhavaiḥ।
bhariṣyāmi surāḥ śākairāvṛṣṭēḥ prāṇa dhārakaiḥ॥
śākambharīti vikhyātiṃ tadā yāsyāmyahaṃ bhuvi।
tatraiva cha vadhiṣyāmi durgamākhyaṃ mahāsuram॥
(Devi Mahatmyam - Ch 11 - 48/49)
It is our great fortune that Devi decides to culminate our sankalpam during these auspicious Pausha Navaratri days. May She provide all the nourishment for mankind recovering from all kinds of illnesses.
Overall Highlights of the Program:
Sahasra Chaturavarti Tarpanam
Sahasra Modaka Ganapati Homam
Maha Rudram (1331 Rudra japam)
Sahasra Suvasini puja where 1000 women will be invoked and worshipped, each with one name of Devi from Lalitha Sahasranamam
Concluding Laksha Chandi Homams
Srividya conference with talks by eminent Sri Vidya Upasakas
and more!
This announcement is for all devotees worldwide to plan their trip to India. We humbly invite and request all to participate in this event. More details are coming!
Namaste,
Raghu & Akhila Ranganathan
Bhaskara Prakasha Ashram
www.bhaskaraprakasha.org