A message from our founding chairperson
Ann nai Brahma. The body itself is formed of food. Our physical existence and the energy to perform both religious and worldly duties depend on food as the foundation.
Food is the foremost need of every living being. It comes before shelter, clothing, and security. Food is the main source of energy for the body. Eating without hunger, only for taste, can cause illness; yet when one is truly hungry, even simple food brings deep satisfaction and strength.
Food is a shared human need. Whether one is spiritual or materialist, rich or poor, friend or foe, hunger is the same. Because of poverty, lack of time, and other reasons, many people suffer from hunger on the streets, in hospitals, and elsewhere.
Scripture teaches us to give food to the hungry. Following that teaching, Aarti Bhog Pariwar has been distributing meals as prasad to patients in hospitals and to those who stay beside them. This work is service to the Divine present in others.
Giving food is the highest form of charity. Both the giver and the receiver are satisfied. We believe that easing the pain of hunger during difficult days in hospital brings great relief.
We will continue to distribute food as prasad and, through service to good souls in hardship, serve the Divine.
Love and compassion are the life-breath of living. A life is meaningful when love and compassion flow in every breath. Selfless feeling is true compassionate love. Work must be done while one still has strength; in weakness little can be done and little succeeds. As it takes effort to close a fist, it takes effort to open it. The journey of one who says they will walk only after clearing every stone and thorn from the road is never finished. When we wear shoes and walk, the obstacles fall away and the journey is completed.
We have published this souvenir to remember in words the good deeds we have done. I express heartfelt gratitude, personally and on behalf of the organization, to revered gurus, well-wishers, and scholars who offered blessings, good wishes, and writings for this volume.
Finally, in the service work of Aarti Bhog, the faith, generosity, grace of God, and blessings of you all, together with visible and invisible help from family, friends, and donors, even handful by handful, have made our path easier. May we increase the number of those who give and receive help so that we can help everyone. That is the aim of Aarti Bhog Pariwar.