MONTCLAIR: At the stroke of midnight on December 31, devotees gathered at the Vedic Temple, Montclair were treated to a grand Arathi to welcome the dawn of a New Year. This day was also significant to the devotees gathered as it falls on the Jayanti of their beloved Swamiji - Paramahamsa Nithyananda. Anandotsav, the grand 10 day celebrations marking the 30th birthday of Paramahamsa concluded with a grand finale on Jan 1 at the Vedic Temple, Montclair, CA.

'Ananda' means bliss in Sanskrit and 'utsav' means celebration.Each "kshana" is born out of the previous "kshana". The New Year being born out of a celebration of bliss and gratitude is a natural choice. In keeping with this spirit of gratitude December 31 was celebrated as "Mother's Day" - the day we invoke the Divine with the attitude of child towards the Mother - Matru Bhaava.The people were guided through a beautiful Sri Vidya Pooja - an offering to Devi, the Mother Energy. Following a sumptuous meal, devotees were initiated in to "Guru Mantra". This marks the first time this initiation has been offered.

This was followed by the midnight Arathi. After the Arathi people spontaneously wished broke out into a birthday song for Swamiji. The New Years day also marked the inauguration of the Nithyananda Fast Food and Catering Services. More than 500 people visited the temple on the first day of the New Year to offer their heartfelt gratitude. The day of the New Year began with an Abhishekam to Lord Anadeshwara.

This was followed by Nithya Dhyaan meditation and Nithya Yoga session. Nithya Dhyaan and Nithya Yoga are being offered everyday morning at the Vedic Temple. Following this there was a procession welcoming Swamiji into the temple with the Poorna Kumbha - a traditional Vedic welcome. The devotees were then treated to a special Kalashaabhishekam. Following this Swamiji's moorthy was decorated for the evening celebration. Each day of the Anandotsava, was marked by a special Pooja including Dakshinammorthy Pooja, Nayanmar Pooja, Subramanya Pooja, Guru Pooja etc. And each day Swamiji's moorthy was decorated in different forms including Garuda Seva, Hamsa Vahana, Kamala Asana, Muthu Angi (Pearl decoration) etc.

The evening celebration began with a "Sapta Moorthy" pooja which directly works on the seven major emotions - Greed, Fear, Worry, Attention-need, Jealousy, Ego and Discontentment. Working on these emotions, allows us to express the divine energies of Ganesha, Subramanya, Surya, Venkateshwara, Devi, Shiva and Guru in our lives. This was followed by offering of 108 deifferent items and a grand celebration of Swamiji's Jayanti.

The students of Rangashree Dance School enthralled the audience with a wonderful dance presentation including a tamil folk song. This was followed by the formal launch of the Little Anandas program - weekend classes for kids aimed at creating an understanding of the various aspects of the Vedic tradition and heritage. People were also able to watch Swamiji and the live proceedings happening at the Bidadi Ashram. Anandotsava 2008 - a 10 day celebration of Paramahamsa Nithyananda was celebrated between Dec 23 and January 1.

Paramahamsa Nithyananda is an Enlightened Master and modern mystic who has inspired and transformed millions of lives across 33 countries through 1200 centers worldwide with the message of meditation. During the Anandotsava, the Vedic Temple was filled with discussions, cultural programs and life solutions for people from all walks of life. Some of the topics such as "Life Solutions and Living Master", "Need for community based living" etc. invoked much interest from the attending public. Several meditation techniques including various poojas were performed to invoke global peace energies. Each day of the celebrations was dedicated to different aspects of service - volunteers, acharyas, healers, mothers etc..

The main highlight of the event was the different ways in which the devotees of the Vedic Temple dressed the moorthi of Paramahamsa to express gratitude to their Master.The whole event was filled with music and dance. Individual blessings and free energized food for all followed each day's events.