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I arrived at the Vedic Cultural Center for my first visit on Saturday, October 19th, 2024.

I remember feeling excited, nervous, out of place, and scared of mis-stepping. With this self-aware state of mind, I was very in the moment and taking in a lot of details!

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As I gathered my thoughts and feelings inside my van, cars began to arrive, and I watched women dressed in beautiful Saris carry their Thalis with their selected offerings for the celebration into the temple. I initially felt unprepared as I admired them.

As I entered the temple, I noticed everyone was removing their shoes in a small room to the left, I followed suit, and then sought out one of the men who looked like he was in a leadership position. I asked if it would be appropriate for me to observe what was going on, he said of course, and welcomed me up the stairs to the main temple area.

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I was worried that I was unprepared as a woman, since I had only seen women entering the temple with offerings; the volunteer reassured me it was okay for me to just observe, and that the women participating are all married women. The volunteer explained to me that they were celebrating the rituals of Karva Chauth.

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Karva Chauth is a traditional Hindu festival, observed by married women from northern India, where they fast from sunrise to moonrise for the well-being and longevity of their husbands. The day involves a series of rituals, including prayer, fasting, and wearing festive attire, and eat Sattvik food to break the fast. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm and devotion, symbolizing love, commitment, and marital bonding.

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I watched as the women performed their prayers and song, passed their Thali's in a circle, and gathered and shared their offerings and candles.

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At the entrance to the temple, there were two tables where the women could leave their offerings, as well as take offerings if needed. The offerings available ranged from fruits, to baked goods, to cosmetics and jewelry, to money and candles.

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The temple had multiple shrines within it, all to celebrate various deities. The largest shrine was by far the one at the front of the temple, which all members bowed down in front of as they entered.

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Between ritual groups, I went back downstairs to see what else I could learn. The kitchen on the ground floor was preparing a nutritious Sattvik meal, and had plates and saran wrap prepared for the wives to take home to break their fast once the moon rose.

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The volunteers invited and urged me to take a plate! I felt so welcomed, and the food was delicious. The volunteers mentioned the importance of not including tamasic or rajasic food, like garlic or onion in this meal. This ensured that the food promoted calmness, mental clarity, and a peaceful state of mind.

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There was a cow in the dining room! She was so well behaved; I learned that her name was Radika, and they had another young cow who frequents the temple, named Priya. One of the volunteering opportunities for temple members to participate in is to help out at the farm where these cows are raised. You can also request for the cows to come bless your home; if they have an accident, it means you’re even more blessed!

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One of the main volunteer leaders, Damodara Prasad (on the right in this photo) offered me 20 minutes of his time to answer my questions and to explain to me the specific beliefs and traditions of Vedic culture. He detailed the pursuit of the laws and stories of the Bhagavad Gita, concepts like Dharma, Karma, Reincarnation. He explained that they are very happy to take on new members, though in order to fully receive a Guru, they would want to see a healthy level of commitment first. I really enjoyed my conversation with him, and overall how welcomed I felt at this temple.

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During the third round of Karva Chauth, I returned upstairs and spoke with one of the women waiting for the next round. I was curious to learn what the chants and prayers were detailing; she gave me a summary of the mythology behind Karva Chauth as she understood it; the King's wife was turned into one of the help one day, and in order to be turned back into her original self, she needed to pray, fast, and do these rituals. In doing so, she not only turned herself back into the King's wife, but she healed his ailments simultaneously. This helped me understand a bit more about the origin of this ritual performed by the married women of the temple.

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I stopped to ask the woman monitoring the offering tables what she could tell me about the offerings, and she explained to me that they gather them all, and then bring them downstairs for everyone to choose from after the rituals are over. The money is put toward the temple, but all the edible offerings people trade and take home. She prepared me a plate, and the home-baked goods were by far my favorite part; the white bars called Burfi bars were delicious!

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The generosity toward a newcomer like me was so amazing to experience.

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After Karva Chauth concluded, the temple returned to it's normally scheduled Kirtans. I participated in the Kirtans for about an hour more, and really enjoyed the ceremonial aspects of it.

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Throughout the Kirtans, a couple of ceremonial actions happened; a volunteer carried around smoke to waft toward each and every member; another volunteer carried a small bowl of water and a marigold, using the marigold to spritz water onto each member; another volunteer carried a marigold dabbed with various scented oils for each member to sniff. Some of these volunteers were kids, it was so great to see the involvement!

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Between the chanting, we were offered the opportunity to participate in the Aarti, an offering of light. We waited in line, had our hands washed with a small amount of water, and then were provided clay bowls with a small piece of cotton soaked with some flammable liquid, and we hovered our individual lights in front of the alter of the deities. I could feel the reverence of the moment, everyone coming together in the dark lit by candles to perform these prayers.

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Ultimately, I left my first visit to the Vedic Cultural Center with my heart full, a smile on my face from the interactions I had and the community I witnessed, with food and bangles to take home. I was eager to come back again, and hope to continue to attend their ceremonies and kirtans in the future.

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My next visit on October 27th, 2024, involved an educational lecture, held by one of the elder volunteers. He read from and interpreted passages from the Bhagavad Gita and offered advice and q&a to temple members during this time.

I remember feeling surprised by the casual nature of the lecture: people were moving about, re-settling themselves, but it still felt respectful and informational.

A big takeaway I took from the lecture was to chant, eat, offer your time, austerity, and interact with devotees as suggested in the Bhagavad Gita.

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Radika was back for the lecture and for consultation time after the lecture, during Kirtans!

One aspect that I loved about the Kirtans this time was that a group of teenagers took on the role of reciting readings from the Bhagavad Gita. This involvement and dedication to each uphold their part of the reading really impressed me, especially since they were teenagers.

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Since I attended on a Sunday, they once again had a nutritious meal made for the temple members after Kirtans. I was encouraged once again to share in the food, and this was one aspect of this temple that really warmed my heart.

Their generosity, sense of service and community, and self monitoring and improvement made a strong impression on me. I’m so glad that I was able to have this experience getting to know Vedic culture- I will certainly return in the future.