Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Throwing colors
Spraying water
Sitting by the fire
Guess what it is?
Here is a hint:
It is the best time of the
year!
Answer: HOLI
By Ankur (4th Grade)
Riddle
In the early morning I get up, I
get ready
To go to Balavihar & guess
what it is next Sunday
By Atharva (2nd Grade)
Poem
I run to Balavihar
As fast as I can
I learn as much as my
teacher teaches me
And I recite my shlokas
We do so many fun things
That one hour passes so
quickly
So I think only a few
minutes have gone by.
By Shreya Shankar (3rd
Grade)
Poem
I go to Balavihar on Sunday
morning
To learn about the Hindu
festivals & Gods
I learn the Hindi alphabets
And learn the names of all the
Lords
By Shilpa Saravanan (3rd
Grade)
Riddle
It is a day of colors,
We put colored powder &
squirt water on others;
We light a bonfire
To throw bad thoughts away;
Can you guess what this day
is?
HOLI!
By Avni Bodwadkar (2nd
Grade)
Poem
Balavihar is the best place to be,
Especially when you want to learn
& see
In Balavihar we learn about our
culture & country
We learn how to respect our
teachers & others
Just come to Balavihar & you will
see
That you will be happy to just be
me!
By Shonali Duttagupta (6th Grade)
Congratulations
and
Best Wishes
to
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History of HSBV
It all started in 1989. With the desire of a few members
of Texas A&M University, the Hindu Society of Texas
A&M University was formed. The first puja celebrated
was the Saraswati Puja (Basant Panchami) of 1990 in
College Main apartments in front of a large enthusiastic
gathering of many families of the area. Subsequently
many pujas, weekly meeting, and Balavihar classes were
organized. Since most of the attendees were family
members, a Hindu society outside the campus was more
appropriate and Hindu Society of Brazos Valley (HSBV)
came into existence.
HSBV picked up steam with well attended Balavihar
classes. Recitation of Geeta and Ramayan were made
occasionally. During this period pujas were organized in
a rented (Uniterian) hall.
As pujas became more and more popular, the need for a
temple building was realized and a serious search for a
suitable land was launched. After looking at various
locations, the present site (5 acres) was selected. After
acquiring this land the constitution of the society was
rewritten. The Society and its property including the
temple are administered by a Board of Directors and the
day-to-day affairs of the temple and its activities are
managed by an executive committee headed by a
President elected every year.
The accounts are
managed by a Treasurer who is also the Secretary of the
Board.
The temple building came into existence in 1996.
Subsequent development included building a parking lot,
construction of Saraswati Kalamandir and the purchasing
two lots adjacent to the temple. All this is the result of
hard work and dedication of members, including the
Presidents of the Society, many volunteers, and every
one of you
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To
On its 10 Anniversary
On behalf of
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Hinduism
We are the followers of Sanatana Dharma. In Sanskrit
Sanatana means eternal and the Sanskrit word Dharma
can be loosely translated as religion. We are also
Vedantins, implying that we are followers of Vedanta. Vid
means to know and ananta means infinite. These
scriptures are either given directly to man by the almighty
GOD or revealed to the sages. One of the most sacred
texts the Bhagvad Gita is over five thousand years old
and the Vedas predates the Bhagvad Gita.
Hinduism is a monotheistic religion. By definition, we
believe in one God that is Brahman and deny the
existence of other Gods. We are not polytheistic,
pantheistic or henotheistic as often described in the
West. In order to realize God or attain moksha one has
to seek Brahman. The Brahman has three
manifestations, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the
preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. The lord Shiva
destroys our ignorance and signifies change.
The law of both Karma and Punarjanma are the
foundations of our faith. The law of karma means cause
and effect. We reap as we sow. The human body is
subject to the laws of nature. When the human body
ceases to serve its purpose, the soul discards the body
like a worn out garment. This is the concept of life and
death according to Hinduism.
In order for us to reach moksha from the present state we
need some vehicles. Among them the most important is
Guru. The word Guru in Sanskrit (Gu+ru) means one who
destroys (Ru) ignorance (Gu). We Hindus believe in the
sanctity of life. Life is sacred, taking ones own life or
another persons life including those of unborn is
prohibited. The authority for such actions rests only with
the God.
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Balavihar
Jai Swami-Narayan
Congratulations
on the
Tenth Anniversary of
Sri Omkarnath Temple
With Best Wishes for
Continued Success
OB GYN Pediatric Associates
Sudhir Patel
Anila S. Patel
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Congratulations
Best Wishes
and
for the
Best Wishes
Tenth Anniversary of
to
from
from
Kumud Tripathy
Suman Tripathy
Anju Tripathy
Rajeew Tripathy
Alka Tripathy
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Best Wishes
From
Vinay D. Kotak
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On behalf of
VIGNA PROPERTIES
L.L.C.
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