Community News

Friday, Febuary 16, 2007 from 9 pm to midnight

Om Namah Shivaaya!

The Shri Ganesha Mandir will be having special celebrations for Maha Shivrathri on Friday February 16, 2007 from 9 PM to Midnight. We will start with the Shiva Manasa Puja (a mental worship of Lord Shiva), chanting of the Panchakshara Mantram* "Namah Shivaaya" and then sing several Shiva Bhajans and finally finish with indiciduals offering milk as abhishekam of Lord Shiva in the Lingam form, and the Shiva Aarathi at midnight. Please bring some food item to offer the Lord and partake as prasad.

*Holy Five Syllables - panchAkshara mantra

panychAkshara as popularly known is the holy five syllables (literally holy five letters) that is the supreme mantra of all devotees of Lord shiva. As the name suggests it is made up of five syllables. This great mantra is namaH shivAya (namah shivaaya). The five syllables in this mantra are na - maH - shi - vA - ya.

The core of the vedas

The Holy Five Syllables namaH shivAya is the heart of vedas. It is the core of the very famous chapter of vedas that stands in the middle of the vedas - the shata rudrIyam or rudra sUktam. This great mantra of veda samhita while hailing the God as the Lord of everything of the worlds, salutes the God as namaH shivAya cha shivatarAya cha.

Meaning of the panchakshara mantra

The meaning of this matchless mantra is abound. The purANas and the philosophical texts talk in a very detailed and elaborate manner its meaning and significance and hail its ultimateness. Here only a simple meaning is presented to start with.

The word shiva means auspiciousness and perfection. It refers to the God Who is Perfect without any kind of dependency on anything external to make It complete. Naturally because of this self-perfection, It is completely blissful and ever auspicious. (All other auspicious things are in one way or the other dependent on the external circumstances etc.) The prefix namaH is the mantra of salutation. The mantra namaHshivAya salutationally invoke the Perfect God shiva.

The subtle meaning of this very holy mantra is:

namaH - not mine; shivAya - belongs to shiva. It is negating the ahankAra (ego) and realizing everything to belong to Lord shiva. Please go to the following link for more information on this powerful mantra.

http://www.shaivam.org/mantra_pancaxara.htm


Monday, November 27, 2006

 UAA Music Major Learning Music of India: Diverse Voices of Anchorage project

Austin Roach will study the history, cultures, classical and folk music of India this coming spring, and compose music inspired by those traditions. His project was selected for funding by the Diverse Voices of Anchorage (DVA) project.  “Students learning from communities” is a theme of the DVA project, which is a Chancellor’s Strategic Opportunity Fund project aimed at making UAA a Public Square for Anchorage.  Roach will be introduced to the Indian community in Anchorage by a UAA Chemistry Instructor from India, Ms. Mala Kalyan, and her husband. Craig Coray, Alaska composer and adjunct music Instructor at UAA, will oversee the musical composition by Roach.  Karen Strid-Chadwick, Professor of Music, will guide the Independent Study for this project.  Roach will perform composition at an April 2007 public on-campus conference.  Contact Kerry Feldman for more information at afkdf@uaa.alaska.edu or the UAA Office of Undergraduate Research http://edit.uaa.alaska.edu/ours/opportunities/research/diverse-voices.cfm.