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On 1st January 2010 Kalpataru Day was celebrated at Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad with devotion and fervor. It is a day on which everyone who has come into contact with the Master is reminded that he is always there with us, blessing us in all that we do.
There was special puja at 8 am accompanied by bhajans. Nama chanting was led by Swami Anupamanandaji.
After this Swami Jnanadanandaji, while singing bhajans on the Master, spoke about some deeply moving miraculous events of Sri Ramakrishna's interaction with his devotees in his lifetime.
At 10.30 am there was homa with the all ritualistic injunctions.
This was followed by a talk in English by Swami Jnanadanandaji in which he highlighted the way in which Sri Ramakrishna blessed his devotees to get spiritual awakening on this day in 1886. But he also cautioned that Kalpataru may be a wish fulfilling tree, but we should not ask for preyas. The Master gives us only sreyas.
Swami Raghunayakanandaji spoke in Telugu and said that the whole world celebrates New Year on 1st January while the devotees of Ramakrishna celebrate the day as Kalpataru Day. It is one more cosmic miracle of Sri Ramakrishna that he chose 1st January for this auspicious divine play.
At 12.15 the puja concluded with arati and then Prasad was distributed to more than a few thousand assembled devotees.
The temple was kept open from 3 pm onwards for silent meditation. At 4.30 in the evening programs commenced with melodious Annamaya Kirtanas by Smt. Hema Mukteswar and her group. At 6.45 pm the regular arati was performed in the temple followed by singing of special bhajans in the puja mandap from 7.10 pm.
At 8 pm a get-together was arranged for all the devotees who help / participate regularly in all the activities of the Math working closely with the Swamijis to fulfill the multifaceted tasks which the Math undertakes for the good of the community. After about half an hour of sharing the divine message of the Master, the devotees and the Swamijis shared a satisfying Prasad dinner.
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