CHARM 2023

“When the mantras are chanted and offerings are made in the fire to the Lord, the grace of the Lord is showered on the people in the form of peace and plenty. There is a saying: ‘As is the fire, so is the smoke. As is the smoke, so are the clouds. As are the clouds, so is the rain. As is the rain, so are the crops. As are the crops, so is the food. As is the food, so is the intellect.’ As the clouds these days are not formed by the smoke coming from yajnas, the food consumed by the people is not conducive to the growth of intelligence. When the smoke going up from the yajnakunda (sacred fire pit) enters the clouds, you have sacred rain, which helps to purify the crops and sanctify the food that is consumed. As a result, the people are sanctified”. – Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, October 3, 1989.

Sri Rudram is the center of the entire Vedas. Sri Rudram consists of 11 chapters (Anuvakams) each of Namakam and Chamakam. Namakam extols the divine light of the creator reflected in creation. Chamakam invokes the grace of the divine for various material and spiritual benefits, which are in turn offered for universal peace and well- being. The vibrations of this supreme hymn, Sri Rudram, purify the individual at all levels including body, mind, and intellect. Purification of the self leads to realizing the divinity within, as unity of creation and creator.

“The fundamental principles governing human life and destiny are contained in the Vedas. The Vedas are the gift of God for the welfare of the entire humanity. The Vedas make no distinction whatsoever based on religion, caste, nationality, etc. The Veda mantras can be chanted by one and all”. – Divine Discourse, ARMY 2006
For all discourses of Bhagawan’s during Ati Rudra Maha Yajna 2006, in Puttaparthi please visit:
http://sssbpt.org/Pages/Prasanthi_Nilayam/ARdiscourses.html

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is embodiment of Shiva Shakti, the Divine Father and Mother in one form.
Chandi is a synonym for the feminine aspect of Divine Consciousness that is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. It is the worship of Devi in a structured way that helps in cleansing us of various negative traits resulting in purity and unity of the inner and outer nature of one’s own Self.
Devī Māhātmyam (Glory of the Divine Mother) from the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa (Epic conceived by Sage Markandeya) consists of 700 mantras extolling the glory of the Divine Mother. These powerful mantras annihilate the evil tendencies within oneself and conferring peace and prosperity. Shata Chandi involves recitation of entire Devī Māhātmyam for 100 times and 10 times in the sacred fire.

Rudram and Chandi involves worshipping both. Where both are worshipped, there is tremendous synergy in spirituality and the related spiritual benefits to the universe are immeasurable and incomprehensible.

The event is organized by devotees of Bhagawān Śri Sathya Sāi Baba under the auspices of S3 Gaushala, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. All are invited to join and there is no barrier for participation whatsoever, including caste, creed, religion, nationality, gender, and any denomination. Admission is free.

Dates: June 24 to July 2, 2023
Event Location: 7945 Deadfall Rd, Arlington, TN 38002, which is 35 miles / 56 km northeast from Memphis International Airport.
Event Overview:
• Jun 23 / 24: Arrival of all devotees
• June 24: Registration & Orientation in Morning. Program begins in the afternoon.
• June 25 to July 2: Yajna Offering
• July 3: Departure

Registration for the event closed on November 23, 2022.

Ritwik is given the opportunity to do both chanting and offer oblations into Rudra homam. To be a Ritwik is a divine opportunity that is traditionally bestowed upon the learned in scriptures and engaged in daily austerities.
They also should perform required daily sadhana as outlined in the next question below. Should be present physically for the entire program. No virtual or partial participation. Ritwiks are also expected to be fluent in chanting Rudram and comfortable in doing each cycle in roughly 13 to 15 min per cycle with or without using a book.
Volunteer: Performs designated service during the event. Commitment to participate during the entire event is preferred. All Volunteers from outside of the Greater Memphis Area are requested to register for planning purposes and logistics.
Devotee: Participation at will. However, following the discipline and etiquette in concordance with the event is a must. We request registration of devotees from out of town for planning purposes and logistics.
All the participants will get an opportunity to perform Abhishekam (offering sacred bath) to Swami following the etiquette of the Yajna. It is a unique blessing to be part of this event in any capacity. Being a volunteer is also doing Yajna of service. EVERYONE WILL BE UNIQUELY BLESSED!

All Devotees attending entire CHARM, especially Ritwiks are required to do Daily Sadhana. Sadhana will begin on MahaSivaratri 2023 (Feb 18 / 19) and conclude on June 23. (Daily Sadhana Audio) All are requested to abide to the following:

• Participating in Group Daily Prayers that include Rudram and Durga Suktam chanting. We will have Zoom Calls 4 times in a day for convenience of joining.
• No meat and/ or eggs.
• No alcohol, tobacco, smoking, and / or any intoxicants.
• For those registering for DM, doing the deeksha mantra japa is a must. You are also requested to participate in monthly DM Pārāyana.

Ritwiks are required to participate physically in the full event for 8 days from June 24 to July 2. Ati Rudra Maha Yajnam is traditionally a 11-day event entailing 11 times chanting of Sri Rudram by at least 121 individuals + 12 priests and offering a tenth into the sacred fire (homa). The primary requirement is 14,641 recitations of namakam and 1,331 of camakam along with one tenth of the mantra recitations (1,464) as ahuti (offering in sacred fire). To accomplish this in 8-days a minimum chanting of 1,830 Sri Rudram per day is required. With Bhagawan’s grace, there is an opportunity for at least 176 individuals as Ritwiks for ARMY and at least 100 individuals for Chandi recitation.

Ritwiks are expected to be in Yajnasala on all 8-days from morning from 7 AM to 1 PM and evening from 4 PM to 8 PM. They are expected to do the required Japa, Chanting, and Homa. You are also required to wear the specific clothes as in Sari for ladies and dhoti for gents. Details of the entire program will be available soon.

You do not need to know Devi Mahatmyam to register as a Ritwik.

Yes. To join Sata Chandi, you must have already received mantra deeksha and learnt Devi Mahatmyam formally under a teacher. Also, you must commit to do daily mantra japa and also join the Monthly Devi Mahatmyam during the Sadhana period.

Ritwik assignments will be finalized and communicated by December 15, 2022. We are working through the logistics to maximize opportunity for everyone from all corners of globe independent of caste, creed, religion, and gender.

In general, all devotees must follow appropriate dress etiquette for the event. Shorts, tank tops, shoes, etc. are not allowed within the sacred offering (Yajnashala) premises. ic Deekha Vastra (traditional Indian attire as in dhoti and angavastram for men and saris for women) at the time of Registration. Wearing these is compulsory for Ritwiks. We are looking into Laundry Service for Ritwiks only.

No. Ritwik privileges are not transferable. Also, each Ritwik must be at least 12 year old and register separately with their own email ID and contact information. You are also required to take your assigned spot every day. Deeksha is given to only registered individuals.

Your wholehearted presence, prayers, and service are the greatest contributions to Yajna. If you wish to learn more about how you can further support the event, please email to sboddupalli@gmail.com or ptandu@gmail.com. Thank you!

Open/Download Prayers

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1atAmj-RK8ijGwGpTf66PA_Q-PGs5xKen/view

The closest international airport is Memphis International Airport (MEM).

All participants including Ritwiks are responsible for their travel costs. We are looking into shared accommodations free of cost upon special request and first-come-serve basis. Food Prasādam will be provided free of cost for the devotees and families attending the entire event.

Travel costs depend on where you are coming from and the mode of transportation. For general planning purposes, you should budget $100 to $120 per day per person for lodging and transportation.

As already mentioned, all Ritwiks are requested to arrive no later than June 24 at 10 AM and stay till at least 4 PM Sunday July 2.

This depends on your nationality and country of residence. For more information, please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html/.

We are working on the logistics of transportation for the Ritwiks and Full Time Non-Local Volunteers / Devotees at specific times to the event. All others are responsible for their own transportation to event.

We are working on finding discounted hotels/motels for the event. We are also exploring shared accommodation at a few houses. This would be limited to full time Ritwiks that are joining the event alone (not for extended family members). All information will be shared in due course. If you are registering as Ritwik, kindly do not book your own accommodation, as it would be difficult to coordinate transportation logistics. All Ritwiks from Greater Memphis, if they are more than 30 min commute, must stay with other Ritwiks. This will ensure arrival and presence of all the Ritwiks on time for the scheduled spiritual program.

We will announce Local Leads for each area. Your Local Lead will be the go-to for questions regarding the event and group spiritual activities, etc.

Average weather forecast for June end in Arlington is warm with 70 F / 21 C in lows and 90 F / 32 C highs. Based on experience of several ARMY’s, weather is unpredictable with rain and colder weather anticipated. Be prepared accordingly!
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/arlington/38002/june-weather/2125156?year=2023.

Zoom Link – https://zoom.us/j/98474400367

Previous Sessions –

Zoom Link – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83160619177?pwd=VytZTWZLcmUvVWlxRGRsM01ZbjhBZz09

Telugu – ॥-mahānyāsaḥ-॥-SB-6-Telugu

English/IAST – ॥-mahānyāsaḥ-॥-SB-6-IAST

Devanagari – ॥-mahānyāsaḥ-॥-SB-6-Devanagari

Previous Sessions – https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1k6sgJJ67yVhoL0bwpgCLTGB4qqcYu-ME

Zoom Link – https://zoom.us/j/98474400367

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