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Sita Kalyanam
Sita Kalyanam 1999 was celebrated at the Paramahamsa Alakh Bara, Rikhia, from 5th - 13th December. Each day began at 5a.m. at Harlajori temple with kirtans and bhajans in the presence of Sri Swamiji, Devotees then either walked or rode back to the Sukhman Giri complex for breakfast at 6 a.m. From 7 to 8 a.m. they gathered across the road in the Tapovan complex to listen to the recitation of Ramacharitamanas in English and Hindi.
On the first day Rudrabhishek was performed by Swami Sharadananda of Rishikesh. From 8 to 10:30 a.m. on each of the nine days, a yajna (fire ceremony) was conducted by six yoginis from Lalita Mahila Samajam Ashram, Thireengomalai, Tamil Nadu. The first day's yajna was devoted to Ganapati; the second to Navagraha (nine planets); the third to Saraswati; the fourth to Sudarshan (Vishnu's discus); the fifth to Maha Vishnu/Lakshmi; the sixth to the Gita, the seventh to Rudra/Durga; the eighth to Sundarya Lahari and the ninth to Lilita. Through these different yajnas, beneficial invisible forces in the atmosphere manifested their presence by energizing the area around the yajna.
The afternoon program resumed at 1:30 p.m. with kirtan, followed from 2 to 3 p.m. by Vigrah Pooja conducted by the South Indian yoginis. After the pooja Swami Niranjan and Tripura Misra led the gathering through this year's theme song, 'Govinda Meri Yeh Prarthana Hai. Prasad in the form of thelas, tricycles, bicycles, rickshaws and sewing machines with sewing kits was then distributed to Sri Swamiji's rural neighbours.
Once the last prasad recipient's smiling face had passed through the gates, it was time for the evening program. The first three days were devoted to Sikh shabad kirtans (devotional hymns) organized by Taleht Sri Harmandir, Patna Sahib; the second three days to episodes from the Mahabharata as narrated by Shanti Devi Chailak and her Pandavani group; the next two days to Kuchipudi dancers from Vizianagaram; and the final day to the marriage of Sita and Ram.
During the three evenings devoted to shabad kirtan, the Tapovan complex was transformed into a Gurudwara (Sikh temple). Shoes were left outside the gate and heads covered. Each evening the program began with the arrival of Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book) at which time the assembled guests would rise to show respect. Once Guru Granth Sahib had been installed on the stage, and the Sikh musicians from Patna and near Chandigarh had begun to sing their devotional hymns, Sri Swamiji's guests filed past Guru Granth Sahib to pay their respects and leave donations, just as they would have done in a Gurudwara. At the end of each day's shabad kirtan, kara prasad ( a kind of semolina halva) exactly like that given in any Gurudwara was given along with a cup of milk tea.
The three subsequent evenings were devoted to the famous India actress Shanti Devi Chailak from Madhya Pradesh, who regaled the audience with selected episodes form the Mahabharata, which she presented in Pandavani style with so much wit and energy that the audience was splitting its sides with laughter.
The last two evenings, prior to the marriage of Sri Rama and Sita, were given over to Kuchipudi dance, which is a classical for of Indian dance that evolved in Andhra Pradesh. Their program began with a dance of homage to Saraswati, the deity who presides over the arts, and then went on to the episodes from Ramayana and other India epochs. The dancers, who were sumptuously costumed and elaborately coiffured, executed their movements with great expressiveness, refinement and concentration. In order to give the audience insight into how a dancer is formed, three young children demonstrated some of the basic dance movements.
The overall mood at Sita Kalyanam was of soft, gentle effortlessness. People seemed less talkative and more self-contained. The operation of the vehicles which carried the various events seemed to roll on invisible wheels. The energetic swamis and volunteers performed their duties almost as if by intuition.
Sri Swamiji was ubiquitous. For Rudrabhishek, the very first event of the program, he was at the canopied entrance pavilion near the gate to welcome each guest. After Ganapati yajna he was there again to personally hand out prasad. For the Sikh program, he was at the entrance gate, sprinkling water on everyone's feet with a magnificent yellow rose.
Sri Swamiji was constantly greeting and gifting guests with useful and appropriate presents. He was chanting Ramacharitamanas. He was with the yoginis at the commencement of many of the yajnas. He was taking in everyone and everything. He was smiling. He was laughing. He was joking. He was commenting. He was radiating. He was all thoughtfulness.
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