CHICAGO: Enthusiastic Lake County Indians celebrated ‘Father’s Day’ in a Hindu way with all the religious rituals when people in different countries were celebrating it in their own way by giving gifts, spending quality time and having sumptuous lunch or dinner with fathers.
A group of young boys and girls honored more than one hundred fathers as living gods on this earth by washing their feet and offering them tilak, pushpakshata, Aarti, uttariya, fruits and a special poem ‘Our Gratitude to Fathers’ written by Geetha Patil. The motive of the temple is to celebrate all events in a traditional way so that the younger generation can learn and preserve our age old culture, values, and traditions.
Colorfully dressed devotees with their young children gathered in the temple with a special spirit on this fatherhood celebration event. Devi and Sankat Haran Chaturthi Abhishekam to Lord Ganesh were performed by Pandit Joshi with all the rituals and mantras. Later Satyanarayana Katha Pujan was performed by Temple secretary Natesiyer with his family, relatives, friends, and temple devotees to obtain the blessings of Jagatpita Vishnu under the direction of Pandit Ganesh.
Melodious bhajans were sung by Anu Gupta, Rita Patel, and other devotees created a spiritual atmosphere in the temple. All children and fathers felt happy and jubilant on this occasion. This celebration gave an opportunity for children to recognize and appreciate the social, economic, cultural, and spiritual contributions that fathers and father figures make to their lives.
Both priests blessed Kumar Natesiyer and his wife Madhumati for their Silver Jubilee wedding anniversary. Pt. Joshi in his Ashirvachanam to devotees and especially to youngsters stated that Fathers’ Day is not the one day of the year when Dad gets to be Father of the Year or Star of the House for a day. He said a mantra from Taittiriya Upanishad, “maatru devo bhava, pitru devo bhava, aachaarya devo bhava, atithi devo bhava” which conveys the “code of conduct” for Hindu society. It means everyone should pay respects to mother, father, guru and guest since they are all forms of God.
Here Atithi, meaning guest, includes every other person in the world. This sloka suggests that oneness and equality comes into existence by regarding every individual as the supreme power. Those who practice this mantra in their lives obtain happiness, comfort, and a contented life. Pt. Joshi thanked profusely all devotees and children who participated in this meaningful event to develop paternal bonds, and recognize the influence of fathers in society. Maha Mangalarati was followed by delicious Maha Prasadam to all devotees.
Suri Swamy
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