Sri Meenakshi Temple Society Celebrated Suvasini Puja

Suvasini puja

Suvasini puja. Photos: Soc Narayanan

By Kamala Raghavan

PEARLAND: Suvasini Puja is traditionally conducted at MTS on the first Friday of Navaratri festival every year, and this year it was celebrated on September 22, 2017 in a grand manner. More than 400 families participated in lighting the lamp and reciting the slokas which was a feast to the eyes. It is believed that the Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Sarawati shower their blessings on those who worship them on this day, and help one to achieve what one needs. Suvasini puja, also referred as Suhasini Pooja is celebrated during Sharad Navaratri, along with the colorful display of deities in the traditional “Kolu” (attached picture). The puja involves worshipping a married woman, “Sumangali”, considering her as a manifestation of Goddess Durga. Suvasini Pooja is a powerful ritual done to eliminate all sorts of relationship problems.

Navarathri kolu

Navarathri kolu

All Fridays during Navaratri are considered very auspicious for the three goddesses- Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi.  The priests invoked the Goddesses and offered prayers for bhakti, peace, knowledge and prosperity to engulf us and destroy the darkness of ignorance and weakness. Ladies wearing colorful saris were seated in neatly laid out rows in the main Temple and observed the puja with great devotion. The puja was performed by the priests on the devotees’ behalf, and the Sri Chakra in its three dimensional form known as ‘Sri Maha Meru’ is energized. The worship of Maha Meru is considered to be the highest form of Goddess worship. A ritual reading (Japa) of the Devi Mahatmyam is part of the Navaratri celebrations in honor of the Goddess. The Devi Mahatmyam consists of chapters 81-93 of the Markandeya Purana with 700 verses. The celebration was appropriately concluded with each of the women being offered saris and kumkum at the end.   

Donation to SEWA

Donation to SEWA

The large gathering of devotees were mesmerized by the priests’ recitation of melodious verses in both Sanskit and Tamil, and thrilled by the devotion filled event. Overall, it was a very well organized event and it was performed very traditionally by all the priests. The attendance of the large number of devotees is a testament to the abundant devotion in the MTS community.

MTS is continuing its drive to collect funds for the Hurricane relief fund, and gave $3000 to Sewa International as the first installment of helping the victims of the disaster, as shown in the attached picture.


 

Harvey Relief Efforts at Sri Meenakshi Temple

MTS-in-2

By Kamala Raghavan

PEARLAND: AS part of the Harvey relief efforts to our surrounding Community in Pearland, Sri Meenakshi Temple organized an effort to distribute backpacks to school children in the neighborhood. More than 150 families came and got the backpacks, and it was a very fulfilling and heartwarming experience for the board members who came on a weekday. Chairman Narayanan was joined by Sam Kannappan, Sasidharan Pillai, G.N. Prasad, Kamala Raghavan, and the MTS sraff in distributing the backpacks to the children.

MTS-in-1

The temple is also collecting funds to be donated to SEWA International, and the Consul General’s fund to be distributed to the Governor’s Fund and Mayor’s fund. The temple board members want to encourage all community members to let us know about any possible ways in which we can assist in the recovery process.