Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir

On May 15th, I went back to The Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir to meet with Pandit Jadonath. I arrived after the usual Sunday service. We sat in the basement and spoke. I asked him if he had ever visited India and he said yes (Pandit Jadonath is from the South American country Guyana). When I asked him what the differences were between Hindu life in India and Hindu life here in New York, He said in his opinion, one difference is in the rituals they do. He said there is more emphasis in the rituals here in New York because in India, since the language is Sanskrit, sometimes they take for granted the meaning and pujas are done quickly as if they are not interested. He also said that here, they follow one pattern, but India has different variations based on location – East, West, North & South. He said that religion has evolved and changed to suit the present day population. He said that’s where the biggest difference is – location and population. He said that Hindu life in New York is more hectic, but Hindu life in India and Guyana is much more peaceful. The villages there live their lives focused on God. He said that you don’t want to really change religion to focus on people because society is ever-changing. He said that we need to instill values and what needs to be changed is people’s way of thinking – people need to be more involved with their society. Pandit Jadonath said that one of the biggest dilemmas with Hinduism today is getting through to the younger generation. He said that young people focus more on the hustle of the world and material things. He said there is a need to get young people into basic Hindi classes because the language is important. He said that Hindus sing so many beautiful bhajans and the young people love them because of the tune, but imagine if they were able to understand what was being said – they’d love them even more. He said he believes in the saying “If you want to kill a religion, kill its language” because language is so important.

He said rituals can’t be changed, but they could be modified to suit the system. Pujas can be for hours, but we modify them to accommodate to the people. He said growing up with a father that was also a pandit, the change he sees is the language because when he was younger, all of the older people knew Hindi and understood the scriptures. Also, the culture is different because you have to work with the present society. People aren’t as dedicated to religion because of the busyness of the world. Services cannot go on for 5 or 6 hours anymore. They need to be short, sweet and understood. That’s where the challenge is.

When asked what things couldn’t be changed, he said definitely the rituals because they are laws established by great sages and saints who have had visions of the gods. He said “Who are we to change those? I sure cant – I haven’t seen God”. He said instead of changing rituals, they can be modified. For instance, instead of saying 4 prayers during a service, we can just say 2. He said the essence should still be intact.
He also said the texts can’t really be changed. There is one main text of Hinduism and that’s the Vedas. Over time, different texts for different times and practices have been added on. He said the Mahabharat deals with everyday life, so it is commonly used. The Ramayana tells us everything about how relationships should be so it’s also important. The Bhagavad-Gita tells us that God came as a baby and lived his life in various stages, which is also very important for us to know. He told me that he just found out that in Russian universities, there are courses on the Ramayana, not because it’s a religious text, but because it teaches such great messages

Pandit Jadonath said Hinduism is more modern because people are getting to know what Hinduism really is. Even non-Hindus are following it. There is no controversy in any of our texts that says “My God is better than your God “or criticizes any form of God. He said “The eternal way of life is based on goodness – not based on caste, creed or religion. Goodness transcends over all religions”. He then said “God is one” and gave a great analogy. He said “God is like gold, you can beat it, shape it and give it any name you want, but the essence is that it is still gold.” He said that “People think that Hindus believe in many Gods, but that’s not true. We don’t look at many gods, but we look at the different functions of God”.

There were other people waiting to speak with Pandit Jadonath, so we concluded our conversation. I thanked him for everything and he left me with this message: “Put God first. Let him be in front leading you. Then you will be successful”.

On April 18th, I attended the Satyanarayan Puja at Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir which is usually done on the Purnima day of every month (the day of the full moon). I arrived at 6pm to speak to Pandit Jadonath before the puja began. When I arrived a devotee of the mandir told me that Pandit Jadonath was showering. She told me that you can only conduct a puja after showering. When Pandit Jadonath came up into the prayer hall, I sat with him for a little before the puja began to ask him a few questions as to why this event was taking place. He told me that the Satyanarayan Puja is a tradition that is centuries old and is done because it is believed that during the full moon your mind is more receptive and that the moon influences your mind. He said that it has been scientifically proven that your mind is more at rest during the period of the full moon and you are able to observe spiritual things, as well as material things, much more. He said the observance of spiritual things is much more important because spiritual knowledge stays with you forever.

Pandit Jadonath said that the puja is funded by the mandir and many mandirs observe Satyanarayan Puja. He said that this puja is conducted to ensure abundance in one’s life. He said the puja lasts for about an hour and is usually brief when the full moon falls during midweek, but could be much longer if it falls on the weekend. He said the reason for this is to accommodate the audience. During the week, many people come to the mandir after work and have to get up early the next day, so out of consideration for the devotees, the puja is shortened. He told me that the puja will start off with chanting prayers to the various deities. The last one that will be prayed to is Lord Narayan who is a form of Lord Vishnu and is considered an embodiment of truth. The official puja will be done for Lord Narayan. He told me there would also be singing of bhajans, which are Hindu hymns. The puja will conclude with arati which consists of revolving a fire-lit lamp around the deities. After the puja, everyone will be invited to the basement of the mandir to participate in a feast provided by the members of the mandir.

I asked Pandit Jadonath if events like the Satyanarayan Puja are celebrated in India and he said yes, they are very common there. He said the big cities in India are more likely to follow the same constraints we do here in America (i.e. shortening the length of the puja to accommodate to attendees). He said that it is much more likely in the villages for the pujas to be longer and more elaborate. He also said it is very important for temples to accommodate to suit the location and the population. I asked Pandit Jadonath is observers usually fast for Satyanarayan Puja, and he said some people do fast, but most people don’t fast since it is a small puja. He said people definitely fast for bigger holidays.

At 6:30pm, the Satyanarayan Puja began. I took a seat in the back and observed. Just as Pandit Jadonath said, they started the puja with prayers to the various deities. There was a lot of chanting of the deity’s name and asking for the deity to bless the mandir and its devotees. Then the puja for Lord Narayan began. A devotee sat in front of the altar and offered a variety of things to a fire such as milk, ghee, flowers, etc., while Pandit Jadonath recited prayers. Next, they began to sing bhajans and prayed while bending down on the floor. Finally, arati was done in which two young men took plates with a lit fire on them and circled the statues of the deities. Then they went to Pandit Jadonath and did the same. Finally, they came into the crowd and help the plate in front of people while they circled their hand around the fire and brought their hands to their face. The puja then concluded and Pandit Jadonath invited everyone to go downstairs into the basement for dinner. I couldn’t stay, so I waited until everyone left and went to say goodbye to Pandit Jadonath and thanked him for all his help.



Hi All,

Sorry for the delay, but here are some photos from the Holi/Phagwa Parade on March 20th in my neighborhood.

On Sunday, April 3rd, I made my first visit to the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir. I arrived at 12:45 p.m. – just in time for the ending hour of the weekly service. I sat in the lobby and watched the service through the doors of the prayer hall. In the lobby, everyone had taken off their shoes before entering the prayer hall. There were about 100 people in attendance all sitting on the floor facing a stage. The majority of people there were of West Indian descent (Guyanese/Trinidadian/Jamaican) because Richmond Hill (where the mandir is located) is highly populated with West Indians. The stage consisted of the altar with statues of the gods and a podium that the pandit sat behind and spoke through a microphone. On the stage were also about 5 people who sat in a circle and performed religious sacrifices over a fire. Right below the stage were people playing instruments. The majority of people in the mandir wore religious wear and a few had on casual clothes. The service ended at about 2:00 p.m. and everyone got their shoes and went into the basement. I went up to the pandit and introduced myself. His name was Pandit Shri Jadonath and he welcomed me and invited me to join everyone in the basement for a meal before we spoke. He said he had a few people to meet with first. I asked him if it would be appropriate to take pictures of the prayer hall before I went to the basement and he said that was fine.
After taking pictures, I went down to the basement and waited for Pandit Jadonath. While I waited, I observed my surroundings. The basement was set up with many tables and chairs and food was being served buffet style. The crowd consisted of all ages – from little kids to teenagers to young adults to older adults. There was an equal ratio of men to women. Everyone sat at tables, ate, talked, laughed and socialized. It seemed like everyone pretty much knew each other and it was very family oriented. Even the kids all played together. The people were very friendly and many said hello to me. One thing I found very interesting was the level of respect that everyone had for elders. They addressed older women as “Auntie” or “Grandma”. I saw Pandit Jadonath sitting with many of the elders, eating and talking. Many people stayed around and were in no rush to leave. Everyone helped to clean up before they left.
There was also a little store area in the basement that sold items such as religious wear, costume jewelry, religious statues, books, DVD’s, etc. The basement smelled like food and the prayer hall smelled like incense.
After many people had left, Pandit Jadonath came and sat with me. First I asked him to tell me about the history of the mandir. He said that it was founded in 1984 by his father and others. He said at that time there were no other Hindu temples in the Richmond Hill area and the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir was the first of its kind in that area. He told me that the land was donated and it was also the first temple that started in a brand new building. He told me that the mandir was named after two Hindu gods – Lakshmi who is the “goddess of wealth” and Narayan who is the “god of truth”. He also told me that Shri means “respect for the higher forces” and Mandir means “temple”. Pandit Jadonath said that he has been a pandit (which he told me means “learned person”) for 12 years. He said the mandir currently has 5 pandits including himself and his father, and that there is another location in Orlando, Florida.
I asked him about the religious services and he told me that the weekly service is on Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The weekly service is divided into 2 parts – the first part consists of rituals and prayer to the various deities. The second part includes reading and showing videos pertaining to the readings. At the end of the service, there is “artie” which is the final worship to the deities in which the statues are circled with fire and everyone asks for their blessings. He told me the purpose of using fire is because light symbolizes never being in darkness. He said that in the Hindu religion, symbols such as fire are used to express thoughts. He explained to me that this week’s service lasted a little longer because he was preparing everyone for Navaraatri, which is the Hindu New Year and is celebrated for nine nights beginning April 4th and ending on April 12th. He said the mandir observes all of the main Hindu holidays.
Pandit Jadonath then told me that the Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir is incorporated by New York City and the Federal Government, and is a non-profit organization. He said that there is a structured body of organization that consists of a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. All of these positions are held by registered members of the mandir who are nominated yearly through an open election. There is a lawyer that oversees the election process to ensure it is done correctly.
I also asked Pandit Jadonath who the people were sitting on the stage (I initially thought they were the position holders of the mandir) and he said they were people who were either celebrating an event (birthday, anniversary, etc.) or had issues that they needed to do prayers for. He said all of these people were making offerings to the gods for themselves and on behalf of the mandir.
After I asked all of my questions, Pandit Jadonath gave me a calendar that listed all of the major holidays and information for the mandir. He invited me to come back this week for one of the Navaraatri services. He also gave me his business card with all of his contact information if I had any other questions. I then thanked Pandit Jadonath for all his help and we concluded our meeting. He was extremely helpful and very nice. I am looking forward to meeting with him again.

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