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Rama Nama Bank!

IT'S A bank with a difference. Neither does any cash dealing

take place nor are cheques encashed! Instead, what it accepts are deposits of

manuscripts with the name of Sri Rama written over and over again.

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This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com)

 

Banking on manuscripts

IT'S A bank with a difference. Neither does any cash dealing take

place nor are cheques encashed! Instead, what it accepts are

deposits of manuscripts with the name of Sri Rama written over

and over again.

 

Yes, the Sri Rama Bank's vaults contain thousands of such

manuscripts handed over by devotees from all over the world. "It

was the desire of Sri Krishna Premi, who preaches "Nama

Siddhantham" to start such an institution. (Sri Bodhendra

Swamigal of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Sankara Mutt evolved "Nama

Siddhantham"). The bank was started in 1995 with the blessings of

the Kanchi Acharya Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, and Sri

Krishna Premi is the guiding force behind the endeavour," says

Ekambaram, the founder of the bank.

 

The objective of the bank, situated in West Mambalam, is to

conduct the Sahasra Koti, publish and propagate age-old Granthas

pertaining to "Nama Siddhantham", and perform unchavriddhis and

anna danam.

 

"About 1,400 crores of such Rama Namas have been collected and

consecrated at the International Seetharama Bank in Valmiki

Bhavan at Ayodhya in 28 years."

 

The bank in Chennai has published a series of notebooks,

specially for devotees.

 

Also held are "Rama Nama" camps where devotees get together to

chant bhajans, and unchavriddhis and anna danams are conducted.

The notebooks containing the "Rama Nama" are stored in a plastic

bag with `vasambu' powder, which is used as a pesticide. "These

can now be preserved for more than 60 years," says Ekambaram, who

is assisted by a band of devotees who collect the notebooks. The

bundles are kept in steel vaults.

 

Of 1,200 crore "Rama Nama's" received so far, 588 crores have

been consecrated and installed at Govindapuram, Paranur,

Shencottah, Puliyarai (all in Tamil Nadu), Pandarpur

(Maharashtra) and Bhadrachalam (Andhra Pradesh).

 

Often Paada Yatras are undertaken. The sixth Paada Yatra is

scheduled for November 27 and will cover Chitrakut, Prayag

(Allahabad), Varanasi, Ayodhya and Brindavan. The procession will

start from West Mambalam and culminate at Brindavan on April 17,

2002.

 

Sri Bhagwan Nama Publications is a subsidiary of Sri Rama Nama

Bank, which conducts a "yagna" to motivate people to write Rama

Nama. The publications wing has brought out nearly 50 titles.

Among them are the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavata Rahasyam,

Srimad Valmiki Ramayanam, Samkshepa Ramayanam (all in Tamil).

Also available are several bhajan books, life history of saints

like Tyagaraja, Sadasiva Brahmendra, Bodhendra, Sridhara Ayyaval,

Sadguru Swamigal, Bhaktha Meera, Yagna Valkyar, Bhadrachala

Ramadas and others. Small booklets containing slokas have also

been brought out. Branches of the bank function at Villupuram,

Kumbakonam, Tiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur and Tiruchi.

 

The bank is now known as the Sri Rama Nama Bank Charitable Trust

(Phone 4893736).

 

N.V.R. SWAMY

 

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