श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ॥ श्री मात्रे नमः ॥
śrī gurubhyo namaḥ || Śrī Mātre Namaḥ ||
Namaskarams to all of you.
निकामे निकामे न: पर्जन्यो वर्षतु फलिन्यो न ओषधय: पच्यन्ताम् योगक्षेमो न: कल्पताम् ॥
nikāme nikāme naḥ parjanyo varṣatu phalavatyo na oṣadhayaḥ pacyantām yoga-kṣemo naḥ kalpatām ||
Taittireeya Samhita - 7.5.18
“May Parjanya (the rain-god) shower rain for us in every season. May our plants and herbs bear fruit and ripen well. May we gain what we need and may all good we possess, be protected.”
On January 12, 2025, under the divine blessings of Ambāl and the grace of our Gurus, we took the saṅkalpam to perform the Sahasra Caṇḍī Homa, Mahārudra Homa, and Triśatī Suvāsinī Pūjā for loka-kalyāṇam from July 29 - Aug 3, 2025 in New Jersey(NJ). That same evening, the very first Devī Māhātmya Pārāyaṇam was chanted, with nearly fifty devotees from NJ, Virginia, and across the USA attending in person in spite of the snowfall and many more attending online. That evening being the full moon night (Pourṇami), the Śrī Cakra Navāvaraṇa Pūjā was also performed, filling hearts with devotion and resolve.
From that sacred day onwards, the BPA New Jersey team embraced with unwavering devotion the divine mission of bringing this once-in-a-lifetime vision to life. For nearly six months, the team of earnest and dedicated disciples became the torch bearers of Devi’s grace and journeyed from home to home and temple to temple across New Jersey, carrying with them the radiance of Devi Mahatmyam. With every recitation, they not only invoked the Mother’s grace but also spread the powerful call of the Maha Sankalpam to perform the Sahasrachandi in New Jersey.
It was their steadfast sankalpam—to complete 1,000 Devi Mahatmya parayanams and ignite a movement of community-wide devotion—that transformed what once seemed a distant dream into a living reality. With hearts full of bhakti, they gave of themselves tirelessly, offering every single weekend for six continuous months, setting aside the comfort of family time to serve a cause higher than themselves.
Their sacrifice, sincerity, and single-minded dedication stand as a shining testament to what discipleship truly means. We bow in gratitude to each one of them, for through their efforts, Devi’s divine will has found expression in this land.
Ved Mandir, a 45 year old temple spread in a scenic 12.5 acres land in Milltown, NJ, became the chosen venue by Devī’s grace.
In the months that followed, countless streams of effort came together. Volunteers traveled to India to source sacred items with care and quality. By mid July, with families and temples across NJ, Virginia Connecticut, Pennsylvania and even worldwide joining in, Devi Mahatmya parayanams count surpassed 3,400!
Before every Parayanam, BPA disciples performed Chaṇḍī Āvaraṇa Pooja elaborately and many devotees eagerly opened their homes to host. Alongside, group Chaṇḍī Navākṣari Japa was organized. Flyers, trifolds, and posters were created to share the glory of Chaṇḍīkā Mahālakshmi and the significance of the yagnam, reaching thousands through networks across the US.
The Triśatī Suvāsinī Pūjā team launched registrations. Also joined soon by overwhelming interest for the Rudram and Chaṇḍī Ṛtviks. By Devi’s grace, 375 Suvāsinīs registered—far exceeding the 300 nāmas of Lalitā Triśatī. A dedicated group of volunteers personally called each registrant to confirm their availability and share important details about the Suvāsinī Pūjā. It was a truly beautiful sight to witness the Suvāsinīs seated in devotion for the pūjā. The Mahārudram welcomed more than 150 Ṛtviks, each adding their voice to the sacred resonance.
Behind the scenes, volunteers worked tirelessly on every detail—inventory management,dravyam procurement, groceries, kits for Suvāsinīs and Ṛtviks, and tāmbūlam. Meticulous planning from the project management team and long-standing relationships with trusted local vendors made sourcing seamless.
On Tuesday, July 29th, 2025, the yajñam commenced with Guru Pāda Pūjā. Seeking the blessings of the Guru Paramparā, the atmosphere became charged with devotion. Go Pūjā sanctified the Homa area, followed by Devī Māhātmya chanting. The venue buzzed like a wedding Maṇḍapa—smiling faces, traditional attire, sacred sounds, and tireless activity everywhere.
A devoted volunteer team took on the sacred duty of feeding everyone, every day for five days. From tea and breakfast to lunch and dinner, they cooked with precision and love, serving effortlessly despite uncertain headcounts. Cutting vegetables, preparing all the needed ingredients, serving on banana leaves—every act was done with joy, echoing the spirit of a divine wedding feast, but offered entirely by the serving team volunteers moved only by sevā. The total number of people served food during the entire 6 day event was close to 8,000, the highest so far, for a BPA event in North America.
The flower team, too, had their own special form of bhakti and sevā. In the peak of summer, sourcing delicate blooms was not easy—many had to be flown in from India and then stored carefully in New Jersey’s heat, which was a challenge in itself. They created garlands for 150 plus kalaśams, for Suvāsinīs, and for the daily pūjās. Their hands and fingers grew tired, but their smiles never dimmed.
The homa dravyam team, the cleanup team, and the kolam team worked long hours to ensure that every morning, the homa kuṇḍa was ready anew. The dravyam volunteers often stayed late the night before, carefully arranging everything, and during the homa they moved tirelessly in the heat, ever alert, to make sure the ṛtviks always had the dravyams they needed at the right time. It is notable that on the final day we had 72 ritwiks offering the ahutis around each homa kundam and the homa dravyam team managed with aplomb. The volunteers took care of streaming our event live through our You Tube channel, handling technical challenges quietly and gracefully. Here is the link for pictures and videos.
Infrastructure volunteers took care of tents, chairs, bricks, drinking water, building homa kundams, erecting two Gazebos above the homa kundams and countless other details. Around 40 raised wooden seats for Homam ritwiks were hand made by a devoted volunteer specially for this occasion. Whether it was physical labor or finding the best deals, the infra team truly proved their dedication.
The parking team went beyond just managing cars: they even helped in clearing grass and created additional space so that every devotee could find a spot. Braving the summer sun, they directed vehicles with patience and kindness, ensuring everyone arrived in peace.
Last but not least, the accommodation team in NJ did a wonderful job of caring for all the out-of-station registrants. Many families opened not just their homes, but also their hearts, welcoming guests as their own and making them feel completely at home.
Perhaps the most beautiful sight was the gathering itself—BPA members traveling from Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Indiana, Toronto, Florida, Chicago, Bay Area, Colorado, Kentucky, Atlanta, Tennessee, Texas, and beyond. Chanting together, serving together, it truly felt like one vast BPA kula under Devi’s canopy of grace.
Across all six days, what shone brightest was the spirit of sevā and the spirit of inclusivity amongst everyone in NJ. Volunteers worked with little sleep but boundless energy, serving with smiles as if the event were taking place in their own homes.
We are truly honoured by the presence of Acharyas from different temples, blessing each one of us. Special gratitude to Dharmatma Dr. Sri Yegnasubramanian, Chariman, Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation, USA for blessing us with his discourse.
On the final day, we were honoured by the presence of Mr. Brad J. Cohen, Mayor of East Brunswick for his beautiful message to the community praising our sankalpam for global welfare - loka-kalyāṇam.
As part of this sacred event, two new books were brought out with Devi’s blessings. The Sadyōjāta-vidhāna Śiva-pūjā, based on Śrī Bodhāyana Mahānyāsa, preserves and explains the methodology handed down by our Guru Paramparā.
This BPA publication is currently available in Sanskrit, Tamil, and Telugu. English and Kannada versions will be available soon. If you would like to place an order, please write to: books@bpasrm.org with details of your address along with the language you prefer.
The Devī Stotra Ratna-mālikā was also released as an eBook for the benefit of devotees everywhere. We remain deeply grateful to the many volunteers whose tireless efforts made these publications possible.
Truly, making the impossible possible becomes effortless when Devī’s anugraha flows.
यं यं चिन्तयते कामं तं तं प्राप्नोति निश्चितम् ।
yaṃ yaṃ cintayate kāmaṃ taṃ taṃ prāpnoti niścitam
Those sacred six days were truly our lived experience of Devi’s grace. With hearts overflowing in gratitude, we bow to Ambāl, to our Gurus, and to every devotee who poured forth their sevā and bhakti. Our deepest thanks and blessings go to the disciples of BPA and their families, who stood with us at every step, making this journey possible through their love and dedication. We also thank Ved Mandir Trustees and priests for their whole hearted cooperation.
We cordially invite you all to the upcoming Sahasra Chandi Maha Yajnam that will be conducted from Wed, Aug 27 - Mon, Sept 01, 2025 at the Sri Aathi Parashakthi Hindu Temple, Scarborough, ON.
Please register if you are attending in person at: https://bit.ly/CAN-SC2025. Early registration will help the planning team in Toronto immensely.
May the grace of Śrī Guru and Devī guide us at every moment.
May the radiant power of the mantras protect us and uplift our hearts.
May our minds remain ever steady on the path of Dharma.
सर्वे जना: सुखिनो भवन्तु।
sarve janāḥ sukhino bhavantu - May all people be happy!
Akhila and Raghu Ranganathan (Kāmeswaryambā sahita Swabhāvānanda Natha)