Praying for world peace
The stage is all set to unveil a world peace extravaganza this week. A cultural, social and religious congregation will be held at Panvel, near Mumbai from November 28 to December 7. Three lakh people are expected to congregate here to usher in world peace through prayers, yajnas and pujas.
Organised by Vidhyadhiraj Charitable Trust, this Vishwashanti Mahayajna will have over two hundred intellectual vaidiks from all over India performing the havans and pujas. Waters from the five oceans , 37 seas and 51 longest rivers of the world have arrived for the abhishek on December 7. One billion(100 crores) of Ram naam japa have been written and will be used in the yajna over the ten days.
‘Yajnas and Abhishekhas are time honoured and tested modes for invoking and releasing spiritual forces through prayers and offerings, in order to improve the living conditions of human beings. Besides the invisible benefits like promoting peace, which accrue as stated by our scriptures, the sacred smoke emanating from Yajna flames have tremendous medicinal effects, a dire need of the day on account of global warming, pollution etc.’ inform the organizers.
These Yajnas spread over all the ten days are the following:
Shata Koti likhita Rama Naama Taraka Mantra Japa Mahayajna ,Navagraha Mahayajna, Shata Gana Mahayajna, Narasimha Mahayajna, Sudarshana Mahayajna, Kali Santaran Upanishad Mahayajna, Shata Chandika Yaaga, Dhavantari Mahayajna, Laxminarayan Hriday Mahayajna, Gayatri Mahayajna, Sahasra Hiranyasookta Japa Mahayajna, Maharudra Yaaga, Mahavishnu Yaaga
Various social, cultural and spiritual programmes are being arranged for this 10 day event. There will be religious and spiritual discourses by eminent personalities belonging to different faiths. There will also be bhajans, bhavageets, kirtans and bhakti sangeet programmes throughout the day, every day.
A beautifully decorated Ratha, the temple chariot, mounted on a jeep, with idols of Shri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita is going round the prominent centres of Goa, Karnataka, Northern Kerala and Maharashtra. The Ratha started from Partagali, Goa, the headquarters of Shri Gokarna Partagali Matha, on 11th Nov 2008 and willl arrive at Harigram, Panvel on 29th Nov 2008 on covering a total distance of about 3,000 kms., after completing the mission of extending the invitation and also conveying the message of PEACE.
‘The project was started about five years back,’ says V R Kamath, the General secretary of the Trust, ‘There has been a lot pf planning , meetings and discussions on this prestigious project. Thousands of people have been contacted, thousands letters written, and we are leaving no stone unturned to make this project a great success.’
Dayanand Pai, industrialist from Bangalore, is the Working President for the Vshwashanti Mahayajna. ‘It is a very important event,’ he says, ‘The world needs peace. There is so much of turmoil and violence. I am sure this yajna will usher in an era of peace.’
Preparations are going on at full swing at Shantikunj, the 15 acre venue. A brand new building comprising, extra bungalows, a VIP room, ten beautiful havan kunds built according to vedic principles, a beautiful welcome arch, pandals for cooking the prasad and roads are being constructed at breakneck speed. People are working round the clock to complete the arrangements where food will be served to everyone as Prasad every day.
People from all walks of life, from the President of India to the villagers, have been invited for the yajna .
‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam is our principle, the whole world is one big family. Hence we have invited people from all religions, all faiths to grace the occasion, ’ adds V R Kamath while rattling off a long list of invitees at a public meeting.
Padmabhushan K V Kamath is the President while D M Sukthankar, IAS is the Trustee Chairman for this event.
-Veena Adige
