Shree Satyanarayana Katha: A Solution to all Your Problems

Pandit Anil Joshi Ji

Priest, Hindu Mandir of Lake County
Grayslake, IL
The "Kali" of Kali Yuga means "conflict", "discord", "quarrel" or "contention. Human
civilization degenerates spiritually during the Kali Yuga, which is referred to as the Dark Age
because in it people are far away from God and Dharma. Kali Yuga is full of problems which
are mostly created by our own actions. According to Vedas people do not observe these four
basic code of conduct: Matru, Pitru, Acharya and Athiti as devo Bhava. It literally means "be one
for whom the Mother is God, be one for whom the Father is God, be one for whom the Teacher
is God, be one for whom the guest is God. Kali Yuga people are result oriented. They do not
either perform any pooja or pray to God without any motive and successful results. If their wish
fail to come true or face many problems they blame time, karma and at last the God by saying
that he is not taking care of them. As it is said in Ramayana, kalahi karmahi isvarahi mithyaa
dosh lagaa hi. In Kai Yuga, everyone blames the Lord for the situation they are in.
Greed is very rampant among people of modern age. They want to earn more money and become
rich, selfish, jealous, and fulfill their own family needs. They wish to see everything in their
children. They often neglect the mistakes made by their children. They do not look beyond their
families. They do not spend money on Dharma and needy people. People do pray to God when
they need His help to obtain something in life. They do not pray God to bless humanity and give
peace to everyone and bless prosperity to every one of us. They pray for the welfare of their own
family and their own country. So, these actions develop Asuri Pravarti and bad energies in our
bodies. People are not thankful to God for what he has given us. After obtaining higher
education, career, and money people still face hard times in life. Acharyas therefore tell us to
become vigilant and careful right now. If we do not do it now, then we will cry later on.
Therefore with our true heart and genuine actions we should try to go towards God and attain
Moksha.
So, for all these problems, there is only one solution that is to perform Shree Satyanarayana
Kath. The Satyanarayana Puja is worship of the embodiment of the eternal Truth. The word
Satya means Truth and Narayan means he who is abiding in everybody and everything. Thus, the
worship of Lord Satyanarayana in the form of Lord Vishnu suggests the removal of difficulties
and problems either caused by this life or previous births. Worshipping Truth means being
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Shree Satyanarayana Katha: A Solution to all Your Problems

truthful to oneself. Then, be truthful to others. Speak the Truth. The more truthful we become
more we are worshipping the Narayan in others and ourselves. The reasons for the popularity of
this Kath are 1) it is very simple and easy to perform, and 2) it can be performed by anyone;
young or old, man or woman, and even widows. It thus proves that as far as God is concerned,
there are no barriers. It is only the sincerity, faith and devotion of the Bhakta (devotee) that
counts. It can also be performed on any day and at any time.
According to Lord Vishnu we should understand His message on how to perform Katha. He said
that the Katha should be performed with utmost devotion by a right Brahmin priest along with
your family members, relatives and friends. Later on chant His name whole night. Worshipping,
chanting or singing together creates harmony and positive vibrations, which help to overcome
negative tendencies that cause conflicts and problems in our lives.
Everyone on this earth possesses 3 Gunas namely Rajo Guna, Sato Guna and Tamo Guna. After
performing this Katha with full devotion we will attain victory over Sato Guna, spending the
money on Dharma and serving others we will win over Rajo Guna, chanting Lords name in the
night when negative energies are active we will conquest tamo Guna. Hindu Philosophy says try
to respect and serve other people first that is the way we become more humble and lose
selfishness and get rid of ego problem.
This puja is performed to ensure the prosperity, abundance, happiness, wellbeing of the family
and community members. I therefore humbly invite all the devotees of Lake County and Greater
Chicago Land on behalf of Hindu Mandir at Grayslake, IL to participate in our Samohika Shri
Satya Narayana Katha Puja to be held on Saturday, 20 Dec, 2014 from 2:30pm onwards. Please
visit our website at https://www.hindutempleoflakecounty.org/ or call the temple office at (847)
223-8590 for more information and sign up to participate in the event with family and friends.