Balangir division of the Jay Mata Di Group is all set to
organize a drinking water charity programme to serve the ‘Bol Bum’ devotees
from evening onwards on 1st August 2012. The main camp will be
located at the ‘Barapudugia Chowk’, about 12 kms away from Balangir town on the
way to Patnagarh.
In Balangir context, a huge number of Shiva devotees love to
bring purified water from the famous abode of Lord Hari and Shankar, the
Harishankar in Khaprakhol block jurisdiction in Balangir District at a distance
of around 75 kms to the west of Balangir town. They travel by foot without any
footwear, which is a tough job to endure.
Accordingly, we don’t want to leave the chance of serving
them with drinking water and Jay Mata Di Group is organizing camp at the said
venue since last few years. Other devotees also organize charity camps on the
same route at different points.
For year 2012, so far some devotees have helped us and
donated drinking water pouch. They are – Aditya Kejriwal, Ashok Sarkar, Bantu
and Durga Dash. Volunteers cum devotees are working
hard to make it a success. They are – Girish Sahu, Nakul Pattanaik, Firoz Pattanaik, Sinu Satapathy, Prashanta Sahu, Deepak (15),
Sourav Pattanaik (8), Shankar
Sahu, Ravi, Madhu Pattanaik, Chhabila, Pradeep, Tilu, Gopal Pradhan and
Himanshu Guru.
'All auspiciousness to God Vishnu
All auspiciousness to One who has Garuda as His flag
All auspiciousness to One who has eyes like the lotus flowers
And auspiciousness to Hari'
Annapurna stotram is a precious and miraculous hymn created
by religious reformer and monastic Sri Adi Shankaracharya. This hymn is a key
to obtain food daily even in this modern time. As per Hindu philosophy Lord
Shiv, who is also known in the names Shankara, Lokanath, Bhootnath and in so
many names, daily approaches to Mata Annapurna and begs her for food of the
day. The mother Goddess serves Him three spoons of the food, which actually
provides food to the three ‘Puras’, the Swarga (heaven), Martya (Earth) and the
‘Patala’. All the creatures including human being get fed from this foodstuff.
In this Kali Yug also if someone is not getting food despite
several efforts to eat daily, he should chant this precious ‘Annapurna Stotram’
or ‘Annapurna Ashtakam’ with great belief and devotion with the Goddess and
Lord Shiva. One can feel the miraculous and amazing effect of the ‘mantra’ when
he will start getting food.
Lord Jagannath of Puri wears the elephant avatar, known as 'Hati Besha' or
'Gaja Besha' in the local dialect Odia, at the time of ‘Deva-Snana Purnima’ in
the year. This is the full moon day when the Lords take a ceremonial bathe with
sacred water in 108 pots, drawn from a well inside the ‘Shree Mandir’ (Lord
Jagannath temple in Puri) premises.
Each year this spiritual celebration of the three deities happens in a
pompous show inside the temple at the ‘Snaana Mandapa’, the pendal for bathing
of the Lords. As the snaana Mandap faces towards the Grand road, the ‘Bada
Danda’ at the north-east corner of the temple premises, huge number of devotees
get a chance to have ‘darshan’ of the Lords and their sacred bathing ritual.
During this occasion the deities are given look of an elephant. This is called ‘Gaja
Avatar’.
'Debasnana Purnima' is also known as the birthday of Lord Jagannath, as in
the 12th century, on this day, King Indradyumna installed the deities of Lord
Jagannath, Balabhadra and goddess Subhadra in the temple.