Sri Velukkudi Swami's USA Tour - Report.

[Guest guest]

sri:

Dear Devotees: Please accept our Humble pranams

 

Report on:

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Sri.U.Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami, Chairman Nammazhwar Foundation

USA Tour organized by JETUSA and Vedics Foundation

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New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, San Francisco

Houston, Austin, Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C.

 

Sri.U.Ve. Velukkudi Krishnan Swami's visit to USA was an educational

and spiritually enlivening event.

 

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Purpose of this USA Tour

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* Make public aware of the true essence of our philosophy and tradition

* Provide newcomers and students with the opportunity to learn and absorb

Vaishnava

philosophy as expounded in Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavadam, Bhagavad Vishayam

and Sri Bashyam from an authentic scholar.

* Provide insights on how Sri Vaishnava culture can continue to be practiced

in the light

of modern knowledge, present day needs and lifestyles

* Share the message of Swami Nammazhwar and Swami Ramanuja with the masses in

USA

* Increase awareness of the need to support our ancient temples in India

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Swami conducted discourses every morning on Bhagavad Vishayam and Sri Bhashyam,

for which devotees not only attended personally, but also had dialed in from

across the

country using the tele-bridge system.

Over these 35 days, about 1500 individuals heard Sri Swami live all over the USA

 

There were innumerable moments during Swamy’s visit that transported everyone to

a

state of Divine Anubhavam (experience).

Swamy’s nectar-like works brought tears to many who attended. Some devotees

expressed that this had been the first time that they had ever experienced such

tears of joy.

 

The tears are the result of the anubhavams of our Acharyas who have shared these

with us over the centuries in an unbroken chain of wisdom that can trace itself

to

Lord, Sriman Narayana Himself.

 

While they are ancestral treasures, they are available to each and every person,

if one only chooses to open one’s heart to the Teacher. Those tearful moments

of anubhavam are not comparable to any other experience on this earth, and are

moments to be treasured as heights of Divine inspiration.

 

Needless to say, being used to the divine nectar at 7AM, we are now feeling the

void

of not having this blissful start to our day.

 

In addition to these 7:00 AM discourses, which totaled to about 52 hours, Sri

Swami also

provided us with a series of discourses on Srimad Bhagawad Gita (25 Hrs),

Srimad Bhagavatham (14Hrs), as well as discourses on Sri Ramayanam.

 

For the younger devotees, Sri Swami provided discourses in English on Divya

Desams,

Purpose of Life, and Veda Saram, which were all well received. For newcomers to

our tradition,

Sri Swami provided instruction on the procedures and significance of nitya

Aradhanam.

It was a great experience to discover the meaning behind each action.

 

The lecture series in the USA were real gems and are still bringing bliss to our

ears.

Feedback is still pouring in from around the nation on the quality of Swamy’s

discourses

and the valuable insights that were gained from his Q & A sessions.

 

VEDICS is releasing all the USA lecture series at http://www.radioramanuja.com

 

All of the devotees are extremely grateful for the anubhavams that Sri Swami

provided to us by way of his discourses.

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The Other Purpose of this tour: Dhivya Desam Awareness

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Maintaining an ancient temple is better than building a hundred new ones. That

is the reason why Yashoda who brought up Sri Krishna, attained greater eminence

compared to Devaki who gave birth to Him. When the temple is a Divyadesam, the

service is all the more significant.

 

“Serve our Temples” is an intiative to help our temples by restoring basic

services, food, shelter, education, financial independence

 

" What we can do, we must " - As He allows us to use His resources for

Him via devotees like us.

 

There are so many Dhivya Desam temples deprived of their basic needs and

services, primarily due to lack of funds. With galloping prices, temple assets

stripped, no government support, the temples have never found it as difficult

to sustain as they have now. Most of the temples are deprived of basic

necessities for the unhindered performance of minimum daily prayers.

 

Swami campiagned in the USA for collecting funds and routing them to

the Dhivya Desams in need.

 

With Swami's guidance and blessings, we were able to generate funds towards

Service for Dhivya Desams, Kinchit Karam (Directed by Sri Swami)

and Swami Nammalwar India Foundation (Sri Swami is the Chairman)

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Swami's departure to India was as emotional as sending the Bride to her In-law's

home.

While we know that we all will see him, again, soon, there is a void in knowing

that he

cannot providing us with the nectar of his wisdom and devotion all the time.

Prior to his return to India, Swami offered his prayers to all devotees for the

continuation

of Bhagavad Ramanuja Darshanam and continued opportunities for all of us to

continue in our kainkaryam.

 

" Koodi Irunthu Kulirnthelo ... " was the experience we all had.

Vedics is forever greatful to Sri Velukkudi Swami for accepting the USA Lecture

Series.

 

As a token of gratitude we sing,

Pallandu pallandu at Sri Swami's Thiruvadigal,

Pallandu pallandu for Sri Swami's Upanyasams,

Pallandu pallandu for HIS USA Lecture series

 

We hope and pray for for Swami’s continued visits to the USA.

 

Azhwar Emberumanar Jeeyar Thiruvadigale Sharanam

 

Network of Vedic Volunteers

http://www.radioramanuja.com