New Sri Kripeshwarnath temple - the heart of hearts

Be one of the 312 angels who make it happen

Dear friends and family of Guruji

As you may be aware of, one of the main priorities for Guruji (Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda) is the creation of a new big temple at his main ashram Shree Peetha Nilaya.

The temple is named Sri Kripeshwarnath, which means “Grace of God” (kripa & ishwara), who is the ruler (nath) of this world. It reminds us, that God is ultimately behind everything and that his Love will undoubtedly conquer the world. He constantly pours out his Grace. Yet how the Grace manifests in our lives, depends on how we respond to God's ever loving presence, and what space we chose to give it. That's one of the reasons temples are important in our lives. They help us come in touch with God's Grace.

Be in the heart of hearts

Guruji’s mission Bhakti Marga is in his heart, it’s what he’s come here to do: 

To open the hearts of humanity. Shree Peetha Nilaya as the main ashram is the heart of his worldwide mission. 

The Sri Kripeshwarnath temple is in turn the heart of his main ashram. So by enabling this new temple to come into being, you are placing your name and your Love quite literally into the heart of hearts, for good. 

Sri Kripeshwarnath will benefit countless seekers from around the world who will visit Shree Peetha Nilaya over the coming years, decades and centuries. This sacred place will play a significant role in bringing about the transformation in the world that is so badly needed.

Whilst the current temple can hold around 100 visitors, the new temple will provide 4-5x the space. 

Ram Navami April 2016. Guruji chose the construction site of the future temple as the location for the ceremony

312 heartfelt pledges 

Often Guruji is emphasizing, that a temple is for everyone, and it can only happen if many helping hands and hearts want it and work together. For that reason we reached out to you all during Shivaratri 2016 with a special program called 300 (12), where the opportunity is presented to make a special pledge. 

The “300” campaign is looking for 300 angel devotees who give 100 eur per month over a period of 12 months. The “12” campaign is where 12 angels give 30’000 eur over the period of 12 months.

Many of you responded, and we are delighted to let you know that already 83 have pledged for the “300” program, that’s more than 25%, and 8 have pledged for the “12” program - more than 65%! 

This is a great start in a short period of time, and we thank you wholeheartedly. Still, to reach our goal, we need more of you to join this effort.

The goal: Opening in Summer 2017

The renovation of the current Darshan building consists of the three phases, of which the first phase is the most important: building the new temple. You can see monthly updates on the construction at our website - https://www.bhaktimarga.org/fundraising.

It is located in the basement (former swimming pool) and construction works commenced half a year ago. Based on the assessment of our architects we need 800’000 euros to complete the works for the temple. Our goal is to open it in summer 2017. 

We’ve collected over 270’000 euros thus far. For us to reach the needed 800’000 euros, our “army” of 312 angels who are determined to make the special pledge needs to grow further. As a sign of your connection to the temple and to Guruji, and in turn of his connection to you, your name (and if you want that of your family members) will be engraved on the future Sri Kripeshwarnath altar (see video on https://www.bhaktimarga.org/fundraising). You can also join forces and build teams whereby several people together make one pledge. Some of you have already done that - it’s another beautiful way to support this initiative.

Recently as Guruji exited the current temple and saw how many people had to stay outside due to its limited size, he said: "There are so many people, we really need the new temple. If we had it, you could all fit in."

It’s not the master who needs us, it’s us who need him, his Love and Grace. This temple is for us and humanity, and it’s us who have to want to make it happen. By giving a part of ourselves, we show to God and Guru that we really want him to be present in our lives. So let’s do this!

Altogether Bhakti Marga is active in more than 40 countries. On average this means less than 10 individuals in each country. If you feel you can be one of these angels who are building this temple for humanity’s sake, simply send an email to fundraising@bhaktimarga.org with the subject line “300” (or “12”), and we will provide you with instructions of how to make your contribution. We look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks!

For more information and latest news about the new temple, visit our fundraising page: https://www.bhaktimarga.org/fundraising

Much Love

Swami VishwaKurunandhanananda

Bhakti Marga Fundraising - +49 178 320 48 01 – fundraising@bhaktimarga.org

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

Matthew 6:21

Paramahamsa Vishwananda blesses Bhakti Marga UK Ashram

Directly a day after receiving the Bharat Gaurava Award, Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda blessed the site for the Bhakti Marga UK ashram. The blessing of the ashram and its surrounding area came in the form of Guru Puja, Abishekam, and a special yagna dedicated to Lakshmi-Narasimha, all with the presence of the living Master. 

Paramahamsa Vishwananda also announced that the presiding deity for the ashram's temple will be Mohini Devi, the female-form of Narayana. Lord Narayana had taken this form during the Churning of the Milky Ocean to ensure that the devas received the Amrit of immortality, and that the demons would not consume any. 

During the Shreemad Bhagavatam course in 2015, Paramahamsa Vishwananda told the story wonderfully about Mohini Devi which we would like to share with you now. This is a direct excerpt from the book, The Essence of Shreemad Bhagavatam by Paramahamsa Vishwananda: 

The Story of Mohini Devi

"…at that moment, they saw in front of them a beautiful lady, even more beautiful than Maha Lakshmi. She was Mohini Devi. The demons were mesmerised by Her beauty. As soon as they saw Her, they stopped fighting, and they even forgot about the Amrit. That’s the power of temptation. Like when you say, “Come, sing the Name of the Lord! Come, pray to God in order to attain Him! Come, I will give you the Love of God!” Then, you put a beauty there. People would say, “I’ll take that one.” If you put a million there, most people would say, “God can wait till I die. After I die I’ll see. Now let’s enjoy what is here.” But how would you see Him when you die? You would not see Him. You have to start seeing Him now! If you don’t see the reality now, you will never see it. 

Mohini was standing there very elegant in Her incomparable beauty, but the devas knew that She was the Lord’s Maya. Then Mohini said, “Listen my dear ones, give me this pot of Amrit. I shall give both of you the nectar.” The demons could not say ‘no’ to Her. The mesmerised demons told Her, “Take it, my dear.” Next, Mohini instructed them, “Sit in two lines, here the demigods and there the demons. I will pass by all of you, and I will give each one of you your share.” Mohini started dancing because She knew the mind of the demons, how stupid they were. They would be attracted to that beauty which does not last for long time. That’s why the Lord took that aspect. If He had appeared as Narayana in front of them, they would have not paid any notice. 

The Lord said to Himself, “These fools.” He knew their weaknesses. Everybody has their own weakness and the Lord knows them all. So Mohini took the pot of Amrit and started serving them. First, She went to the devas. She poured the amrit on their hands, and the devas drank it. Then She moved to the demons side, changed the Amrit by Her power, and gave them normal water to drink. Like that, the devas were getting the Amrit, but not the demons. At that time, the demons didn’t notice anything, because they were busy looking at Her beauty. They were staring at Her in such a way that they could not see that She was changing the Amrit into water for them. 

Among the demons was one by the name of Rahu. He saw that when the devas drank the Amrit they were full of energy, but there was not such a visible change in the demons. So Rahu quietly slipped into the line of the demigods. He got the Amrit but as he was swallowed it, Surya (the Sun) and Chandra (the Moon) noticed that he was not one of the demigods. At that moment they raised their voices to say, “Mohini, this is not a demigod, he is a demon!” Mohini turned immediately and She became Maha Vishnu again. Then, He threw His Sudarshana Chakra and beheaded Rahu. 

Due to the nectar that he had drunk, the head became immortal. Bhagavan sent his head up into the sky, and ever since then, Rahu has been known as the eighth planet, one of the planets that brings darkness into your life. It is said that it is Rahu that covers the Sun and the Moon on eclipse days to take revenge on them. The demigods were very happy and praised the Lord, whereas the demons lost all faith in God, because due to their selfishness, they lost the opportunity to receive the Amrit. Whatever the demigods were doing, they were always praising God and they were always offering everything to the Lord..." - Paramahamsa Vishwananda, Essence of Shreemad Bhagavatam

Since the presiding deity to be installed and inaugurated at the ashram is Mohini Devi, one can be reassured that the divine qualities of each spiritual seeker will be well taken care of, just as Mohini Devi had taken care of the welfare of the devas. Check out some more pictures from Swamiji's visit to the ashram by following this link to the Bhkati Marga Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bhaktimarga/albums

Paramahamsa Vishwananda receives Bharat Gaurav Award at the House of Parliament

On Saturday, July 2nd, 2016, Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda was presented in the House of Parliament, the Bharat Gaurav Lifetime Achievement Award. Though never expecting this honour, Paramahamsa Vishwananda accepted this award tweeting out, "Receiving the Gaurav Award in the House of Parliament but #Love need no recognition, it's unconditional." Honoured to receive the award, Paramahamsa Vishwananda graciously spent time talking with the organisers of the award, including a dinner later with devotees and other guests.

( The prior two pictures of the award ceremony 

are from Swamiji's personalTwitter account

https://twitter.com/vishwananda)

So what is the Bharat Gaurav Award?

As mentioned on the Bharat Gaurav Award website, (http://www.bharatgaurav.in/), the Bharat Gaurav Award is a prestigious award given to a few selected people from all over the world who have achieved a landmark, or a great feat, in their working area. For Paramahamsa Vishwananda, it is apparent that he has received the award for all the work that he has done through Bhakti Marga. By guiding thousands of spiritual seekers, opening up temples worldwide, giving out various sadhanas to attain unity with the Divine, and so much more, Swamiji's life has been an immeasurable blessing for the planet and its people. 

During Paramahamsa Vishwananda's visit to the House of Parliament, he was accompanied by devotees, who were thrilled to see Swamiji being publicly recognised for the incredible service that he renders to the world.

All in all, the visit and award ceremony at the House of Parliament was a great success filled with smiles, gratitude, and the grace of the Guru. To see Paramahamsa Vishwananda honoured in such a public setting is not only inspiring but also motivating for each of us to continue and help grow his mission, Bhakti Marga, to the greater heights it is destined to reach. As Paramahamsa Vishwananda often teaches, it is not only about receiving Love, but it is important what we do with it once it has been received. For us to support Swamiji and his mission the most, we must share the Love that he is always giving, and become living examples of his universal teachings. That is how we can all give the greatest recognition to Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda.

Jai Gurudev!