Akhanda Nama Japam - Vishnu Sahasra Namam - Looking back

January 6, 2009

Namaste!To celebrate Vaikuntha Ekadasi devotees of Meenakshi Temple, Houston, Texas organized an Akhanda Nama japam of Vishnu Sahasra Namam. The Akhanda Nam Japam

program started at 7:10 AM with a puja by MTS priest Sri

Narayanacharyulu with about 10 participants. At the end of each

chanting of Vishnu Sahasra Namam an offering was made to the Lord with aarati.

The chanting went on till 6 PM and had the corner temple packed with

devotees overflowing to the steps. The chanting was concluded with naivedyam and aarati.

As

a group, Vishnu Sahasra Namam was chanted 39 times. The number of

participants at any given time varied between 10 and 50 (??) with

probably an average of a minimum of about 20 (a guesstimate.)

Several

devotees stayed on without leaving the temple premises. Some of them

who had to leave, came back as promised. These devotees with ardent bhakti were dedicated to do anything to serve devotees. Our experience showed that with Lord Sri Krishna's blessings that it is possible to organize such programs in those U.S. cities where there is a sizable population of ardent devotees.

Several

devotees contributed immensely to make this function possible because

they wanted to serve others as bhaktadasas.

naama-sankiirtanam yasyasarva-paapa pranaasanampranaamo duhkha-samanas

tam namaami harim paramSrimad Bhagavatam 12.13.23

" I

offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Hari, the

congregational chanting of whose holy names destroys all sinful

reactions, and the offering of obeisances unto whom relieves all

material suffering. "

Srikrishnaarpanamastu!Hari Om!

Sri Krishna devotees of Houston