SHRAVANA SADHANA BG Ch 12
By the grace of God and Pujya Gurudev, Shravana Sadhana on Srimad Bhagawad Geeta has started at Shree Mahalakshmi Temple, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai by Br. Ved Chaitanyaji from March 2016. The twelfth chapter was taken from 13 th to 15 th March 2017. The sessions were interesting witnessing audience of more than 100 people every day! It also saw growing young audience. The twelfth chapter named ‘Bhakti-Yoga’ is one of the most famous chapters, as it explains the Devotion. It is also the smallest chapter of the Geeta. Saguna & Nirguna Bhakti is beautifully explained in this chapter. The all-compassionate Lord also gives the steps to follow to reach the acme of devotion! The chapter concludes with famous eight verses (Amrutashtakam) explaining the nature & qualities of the Realized Devotee, which also act as the sadhana-s for seekers. The thirteenth & fourteenth chapters will be conducted from 29 th March to 4 th April 2017 in the auspicious time of Chaitra Navaratri.
Geetathon in Nerul-Seawoods
by Br. Ved Chaitanya ji For the Nerul and Seawoods devotees of Navi Mumbai the last six months was a time of spiritual knowledge at the doorstep. The shower of the nectarine verses of Geeta for a period of 6 months from October 2016 to March 2017 enchanted the devotees and encouraged them to seek more.
Ensuring complete participation, our Brahmachari Ved Chaitanya ji conducted talks on the 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita in the 18 houses of various devotees. The talks were held every month on Thursday evenings and around 20 to 25 devotees regularly attended the talks.
The talks were commenced by a small invocation followed by lucid explanation of the chapters by Vedji. Giving a complete gist of all the chapters, he ensured that every devotee could get a bird’s eye-view of the entire subject, thus increasing the thirst of the devotees to learn and know more about the various concepts.
In a period of one and half hours, Vedji beautifully brought out the essence of each chapter stressing the importance of the three yogas (Karma , Bhakti, Jnana). Interspersed throughout the talks, he ensured that the devotees chant the important shlokas from the chapters and also took the complete chanting of Chapters 12 & 15. Giving examples from our day to day lives he captivated the devotees and also ensured that devotees could relate the verses of the holy text with their lives.
The talks were concluded by the Geeta Aarti and distribution of the Holy Geeta to every host family. Emphasizing that this was not the end, devotees chanted the first shloka of Geeta on the concluding day thus marking the beginning of personal study of Geeta for every devotee.