Dharma Yatra UK Summer 2005 – Part 3

Sunday, 5th June

Discourse: Shri Laxmi Narayan Mandir Birmingham

Bhaishri’s arrival in Birmingham was awaited with great anticipation by the strong crowd of over 1,200 people at the Laxmi Narayan Mandir, one of the most popular temples in the Midlands. Bhaishri spoke of the symbolism of the various Hindu deities:

· Lord Vishnu has four arms and He is seen to carry the following:
– a padma (lotus), symbolising the mind. – a gada (mace), representing the intellect.
– a chakra (discus), representing the consciousness.
– a shankha (conch shell), symbolising the ego.

Goddess Durga has eight arms representing the four divisions of labour:
– Two of her arms represent the Brahmins who look after the welfare of the society by teaching and safeguarding the Vedas/scriptures and Dharma.
– The next two arms are representative of the Kshatriyas, whose duty it is to use their strength and power to protect the society from any physical dangers.
– The third and forth sets represent the Vaishyas, the businessmen and merchants. – The fourth set represents the Shudras,the working community.
Together, they represent strength and unity in society that is personified in the form of the Goddess Durga.

Discourse: Shree Ram Mandir , Walsall

In the evening, Bhaishri visited the Ram Mandir in Walsall. Here Bhaishri had conducted a Gita Gyan Yagna in 1996, so the Hindu community of Walsall were very happy to meet Bhaishri once again after so many years. Bhaishri conducted arti in the Mandir followed by a discourse to an audience of 1,000.

Monday 6th June

The next three days were a tour of the towns in the North of UK. The tour had been co-ordinated mainly by the ‘Hindu Council of the North.’

Visit: Shree Venkateshwara Balaji Temple, Tividale

Bhaishri visited one of the few authentic South India temples in the UK. Still under construction, the Balaji temple is being made as a replica of the original Balaji temple in Tirupathi.

Visit: Shree Krishna Mandir, West Midlands

Visit: Shree Hindu Mandir, Oldham

Discourse: Sanatan Dharma Trust, Ashton-under-Lyne.

After 13 years, Bhaishri once again visited Ashton-under-Lyne and gave an evening discourse.

Tuesday, 7thJune

Discourse: Shree Krishna Mandir, Bolton

Bhaishri spoke to a good congregation at the Mandir and spoke of the need to preserve the Hindu faith and culture.

· Life is a gift from God to say ‘I love you’. Just as a beloved gives their dearest a rose, God has given us this life as a gesture of love. We should therefore, not waste this priceless gift. We should use our life to do good. We should love and respect all forms of life.

· However, we should not become passive when Dharma is in danger of being harmed. It is important to be vigilant and take action when it is required to protect and sustain Dharma.

· We should be proud to be called Hindus. We should be true to this word. Hindu ideals do not encourage/allow the use of Hindu symbols to be printed on items of clothing, as this can be demeaning. Many people have taken advantage of the tolerant nature of Hindus by misusing our icons/symbols. It is time that we unite to stop these kinds of things from happening. We must be strong enough to voice our opinion and make our views heard to stop these injustices and inappropriate actions from taking place.

Discourse: Gujarat Hindu Society, Preston

In 1991 Bhaishri had supported the good work of the Gujarat Hindu Society by conducting a Shrimad Bhagavat katha in Preston. 14 years on, Bhaishri was able to see how the Society had flourished and the good work they are doing. He conducted arti in the Mandir and then spoke to a congregation of over 1,000 people.

Wednesday, 8thJune

Discourse: Shree Hindu Temple, Bradford

Bhaishri visited the city of Bradford for the first time and gave an enlightening discourse.

Discourse: Shree Hindu Mandir, Leeds

Bhaishri had last visited Leeds in 1992, and was very happy to once again meet the Hindu community living in the city.