toledoblade.com

TOLEDO, OHIO, June 3, 2006: More than 100 families are planning to participate in a Hindu spiritual ceremony June 4, 2006, which is designed to uplift the soul and to purify the Earth. “The Yagna, or worship ceremony, will not only disseminate the divine teachings of Indian Vedic culture but also help restore ecological balance,” said Pandit Anant Dixit of the Hindu Temple of Toledo. Seven pandits, or Hindu priests, from across North America will lead the ceremony, he said. Each of the 108 participating families will set up a fire altar under a large tent. The Yagna ceremony includes the chanting of mantras from sacred Hindu scriptures, called Vedas. In India, special twigs are harvested for the ceremony, called a Shree Devi Yagna, and the twigs are dipped in ghee and then burned. “Those special twigs are not available in the United States,” Pandit Dixit said. “Instead, we get twigs from India in powder form and keep it in a fancy box. The Shree Devi Yagna will mark a significant event in the history of Hindu spirituality in the panorama of ethnic culture here in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.” Vedic culture teaches that through sacrifice one can create harmony among the five elements of nature–earth, water, fire, air, and ether, Pandit Dixit explained. “The Vedas proclaim that all beings are made up of these five elements and they are part of the Supreme. The objective is to maintain individual life in harmony with cosmic life and save the individual and also the society from being torn apart by the disharmonious influences.” The Yagna starts at 7 a.m. on June 4 and will continue until 1 p.m at the Temple of Toledo, 4336 King Rd., Sylvania.

Post Views: 698