Tens of thousands of devotees gathered on 20 April 2008 to witness Almighty Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan descend into His new home in the area of Cleveland, Ohio (USA). His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj graced the week long celebrations and invocated the glorious images of Shree Hari-Krishna Maharaj, Shree Radha Krishna Dev, Shree NarNarayan Dev and Shree Laxmi-Narayan Dev. Respected Yogendrabhai Bhatt recited the sacred scripture of Shreemad Bhagwat. A grand procession was held on 19 April 2008, as devotees from all over America followed Almighty Shree Swaminarayan through the streets of Cleveland allowing all to have His divine darshan.

There also an official launching of the first NNDYM inSight Newsletter, under the direct guidance and inspiration of Shree Hari's 7th heir. His Holiness, accompanied by noble saints from Ahmedabad, blessed the congregation for their efforts and achievements in further spreading satsang across the USA. Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Cleveland (I.S.S.O) is the 11th temple to be established in the USA; further strengthening the greatness of the Shree Swaminarayan Sampraday. More.....

NNDYM inSight is a newsletter publication inspired by H.H. 1008 Shri Acharya Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj. Compiled, designed, and published by the youth of Nar Narayan Dev Yuvak Mandal, the newsletter will serve to deliver valuable knowledge about Swaminarayan Bhagwan and His mahima (true spirit). We can get closer to God through knowledge of His life and by having His stories in our mind and in sight. The newsletter name was inspired by two concepts: (1) keeping God in sight; (2) seeking insight into God. By keeping Bhagwan "in sight," we never forget Him. By seeking "insight," we're continually attaining knowledge of His glory and greatness.

NNDYM inSight will help connect kids to satsang and facilitate their spiritual development by publishing stories that will familiarize them with Swaminarayan Bhagwan. Fostering interest and curiousity in Bhagwan can result in profoundly positive consequences. Furthermore, NNDYM inSight will lend to the understanding of important Utsavs, Nand Santos, and Leelas from Swaminarayan Bhagwan's life. These are key goals of NNDYM inSight.

The articles and essays that will be published in the newsletter are contributions from youth spanning the United States and United Kingdom. If you are interested in being part of NNDYM inSight, send your name and contact information to nndym@swaminarayan.info. A member of the Editor staff will respond to you promptly.

The facts as constituted by Swaminarayan Bhagwan's own Shikshapatri are the foundation for the newsletter's journalistic ethics. With the blessings of H.H. 1008 Shri Acharya Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj, under the international flag of ISSO – NNDYM inSight pledges to honorably represent the truth that is exhibited in the Original Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Download NNDYM inSight

On Monday 14 April 2008, Shree Swaminarayan Temple's across the world celebrated the most auspicious date in our calendar - Chaitra Sud Navmi. The birth of Almighty Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan was celebrated with great joy as festivities were attended by millions of followers worldwide. The manifestations of Shree Ram Bhagwan, born in the morning, and Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan who took birth in the evening, were honoured with sacred Aarti ceremonies. Shree Hari was adorned with various luxurious garments and jewellery for all of His followers to have divine darshan. More.....

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Streatham (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Leicester (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Boston (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Weehawken, NJ (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, South New Jersey (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Central New Jersey (I.S.S.O)

Ten's of thousands of followers gathered to celebrate the Murti Pratishta Mahotsav of Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Auckland (I.S.S.O) from 18 - 24 March 2008. The first Swaminarayan temple in New Zealand was officially opened and Shree hari bestowed into His new home by His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shri Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj amid scenes of great joy and splendour. His Holiness was welcomed by the devotees of the Auckland community with a traditional New Zealand ceremony before sacred recital of Shreemad Bhagwat took place by the much respected Yogendrabhatt. A grand Maha Vishnu Yaag also took place before the the various murtis of Shree Hari, and on 23 March 2008 the Almighty was driven across the streets during a Shobha Yatra. More.....

As well as devotees from all over the world, the utsav attracted dignitaries and respected members of the New Zealand government who also gathered to celebrate this landmark occasion. Female devotees were blessed by the benign presence of Her Holiness Retired Gadiwala Shree, and His Holiness Nivrut Acharya Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj also blessed the assembly via a recorded message. On Monday 24 March 2008, the majestic murtis of Shree Hari-Krishna Maharaj, Shree Radha Krishna Dev, Shree NarNarayan Dev and Shree Ram-Laxman & Sitaji were inaugurated by His Holiness Acharya Maharajshree. Maha Abhishek ceremony and the first Aarti of Shree Hari followed. Great joy and jubilation spread amongst the crowd as they and were able to to have darshan of the various forms of Swaminarayan Bhagwan dressed in Their beautifully crafted garments and Jewellery. More.....

For over 20 years, the local community of Auckland have selflessly given their time and effort in making this magnificent temple. Another milestone for the Shree Swaminarayan Sampraday as this type of architecture and intricate carvings of wood and marble cannot be seen anywhere else outside India. Expertly designed and made by the best craftsmen in the world, Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Auckland (I.S.S.O) will serve as a fitting venue to home Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan and allow the local devotees to flourish in their Satsang. More.....

Shree Swaminarayan Temples across the world celebrated the auspicious occasion of Shree NarNarayan Dev Jayanti & Fuldol Utsav. As per the instruction of Almighty Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan, Shree NarNarayan Dev - Emperor of Bharatkhand and eternally residing on this Earth for the betterment of all mankind, was honoured by Maha Poojan, Aarti and Rang Utsavs by thousands of followers worldwide. NNDYM of Shree Swaminarayan Temple, CNJ (I.S.S.O) held a cultural show that reenacted the great story of Shree NarNarayan Dev and along with Shree Swaminarayan Temple, South New Jersey (I.S.S.O) a traditional Rang Utsav celebration was held; throwing bright colours to mark the victory over darkness and evil. More.....

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, CNJ (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, South New Jersey (I.S.S.O)

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kalupur, Ahemdabad-1 - Shree NarNarayan Dev Patotsav

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kalupur, Ahmedabad-1, the World's first Shree Swaminarayan Temple celebrated the patotsav of the majestic Shree NarNarayan Dev on 10 March 2008 amidst jubilant and joyous devotees.

Built by Almighty Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Himself almost 190 years ago, this magnificent celebration continues to attract well wishers from all over India and the world, as hundreds and thousands of Shree Hari's disciples gathered to the temple.

Sacred ceremonies of Maha Poojan, Maha Abhishek and Aarti of Shree NarNarayan Dev was performed by Shree Hari's 6th, 7th and 8th descendants - His Holiness Nivrut Acharya Shree Tejendraprasadji Maharaj, His Holiness Acharya 1008 Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharaj and His Holiness Lalji Maharaj 108 Shree Vrajendraprasadji Maharaj, much to the joy and delight of all devotees the world over. More.....

Dev Prabhodhini Ekadashi is referred to as the King of all Ekadashi’s. On this day of Kartik Shud 11, many auspicious events took place in the Swaminarayan Sampraday mentioned as below,

• Shree Dharma Dev, the father of Almighty Lord Shree Swaminarayan, was born (Samvat year 1796 in the village of Itaar).

  Shree Nilkanth Varni acquired the MahaDiksha, and was named Sahajanad Swami and Narayan Muni (Samvat year 1857 in the village of Piplana).

  Shree Sahajanand Swami was enthroned the Gadi of the Sampraday (Samvat year 1858 in the village of Jetpur).

  Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan established the two Acharyas of the Sampraday and wrote the Desh Vibhaag Lekh (Samvat year 1882).

• This day concludes the end of the Chaturmaas Niyams taken by millions of followers worldwide.It is the 24th Ekadashi (the last of all Ekadashi’s).

The above almost signifies the majesty of Prabhodini Ekadashi. The greatness of this ekadashi is immense in terms of measuring the value of keeping the vrat on this day. More.....

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Seva Health Fairs are a common way for the Seva Foundation to perform outreach functions. On Saturday April 19th, 2008 ISSO Seva Health Care Professionals united together in Strongsville Ohio for the 2008 community health fair during the Murthi Prathista of ISSO Shree Swaminarayan Mandir. The mission of the health fair was to promote health awareness and to encourage individuals to assume responsibility for their own health. The goal was to reach as many people as possible by offering free and low-cost health awareness and educational screenings.

Because Seva’s mission promotes health awareness and encourages individuals to assume responsibility for their own health, we collaborate with medical associations and organizations around the state to provide comprehensive health screenings and interactive educational centers. This information helps empower participants to become more aware of, and responsible for, their health.

Participants receive detailed information about their results, along with reminders to seek complete diagnosis and treatment from their primary care physician. 150 patients went through a screening process that checked their height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and hemoglobin. At the end of the screening, each patient spent some time talking with volunteer medical professionals about their results and any other health care concerns. Practitioners ranging from Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Hematology, Oncology, Surgery (Trauma), Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Pain Medicine, Sports Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Physical Rehabilitation, Podiatry, Nutrition, Dental, Optometry, and Pharmacy gave patients informal medical opinions and encouraged those with medical problems to visit a doctor.

Beyond outreach, the event tried to bring together a range of patient services and opportunities. The support of multiple pharmaceutical companies and local community physicians allowed the health fair to offer free 30 blood pressure monitors, 40 glucometers, 400 glucometer testing strips, educational material on diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, lab tests for glucose, hemoglobin (a test to detect whether a patient has anemia) , hemoglobin A1c (a test for diabetes that does not depend on when the patient had their last meal) and total cholesterol (one step in screening for heart disease risk factors). 32 Flu vaccinations were also administered free of charge to susceptible patients.

It was a joint effort, relying on the generous support of local community physicians and pharmaceutical companies. Over 35 volunteers including 22 physicians, 3 physician assistants, 4 medical technicians, 3 medical assistants, 2 nurses, 5 medical students, and 6 volunteers made the event an enormous success.

For more information on becoming a member of ISSO Seva…More.....

Help others in need of a life-saving bone marrow transplant by joining the Bone Marrow Registry. You could be the one to save a life. Tell others about the Seva mission of supporting people in need.

I.S.S.O Seva is dedicated to making transplant possible for patients from every racial and ethnic community. Our goal is to provide hope, deliver a cure to all patients in need, and to increase the number of donors on the national registry.

Every day, Seva Foundation works tirelessly on behalf of patients in need of a life-saving transplant. Through successful partnerships with organizations, and more advances are made in the science of transplant. On April 20th, 2008 ISSO Seva hosted a bone marrow drive with the National Marrow Donor Program during the Murthi Prathista of ISSO Shree Swaminarayan Mandir to increase the number on minority donors on the national registry.

The object of a bone marrow drive is to test people's tissue, so they can be listed on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. The process takes about 10 minutes per donor and is virtually painless. Each person is asked to fill out a medical history questionnaire. If they meet the necessary qualifications, a quick buccal smear is taken from their mouth. It's then sent to a laboratory and the bone marrow type is entered into the national registry.

For more information on becoming a member of ISSO Seva…More.....

On Sunday, March 30th 2008, students from SUNY Downstate worked with ISSO Seva to organize the 2008 Family Health Fair at the Hindu Center on Kissena Blvd. in Flushing, Queens. The health fair was a grass roots effort to identify people who may have chronic health problems and to help them to access resources. Although all were welcome, the health fair targeted vulnerable or underserved members of the South Asian population in Queens, a group with particularly high rates of diabetes and prediabetes1 in the New York City. Recognizing that people in this immigrant community often do not seek regular health care because of a problems with medical insurance, immigration status or unfamiliarity with the language and culture of the U.S. health care system, community members from all over the city volunteered to give people an opportunity to ask questions in a safe and familiar community-center setting.

In the three-hour long health fair, over 60 patients went through a screening process that checked their height, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. At the end of the screening, each patient spent some time talking with volunteer medical professionals about their results and any other health care concerns. Practitioners ranging from cardiology, emergency medicine, internal medicine, physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, ayurvedic medicine, dentistry and pharmacy gave patients informal medical opinions and encouraged those with medical problems to visit a doctor. Representatives from two South Asian advocacy organizations, SAHI (the South Asian Health Initiative) and SACCS (the South Asian Council for Social Services) educated patients about the New York City HHC Hospitals that would see them regardless of their ability to pay or their immigration status, including a program at Elmhurst Hospital that provides language- and culture-appropriate consultation for patients with cardiovascular disease. Representatives from MetroPlus Health Care and Affinity Health Care then took the next step to help eligible residents of NYC to obtain low- or no-cost health insurance. Many patients were not aware that they were eligible for these services, and one of the health fair's major goals was to provide this information in a trusted setting.

The fair was an effort to nurture this proactive interest in health advocacy and community service, empowering patients and helping professionals to view public health as a responsibility. It was a joint effort, relying on the generous support of the Hindu Center, ISSO Seva, SACSS (Flushing, Queens), SAHI (NYU) and the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. Over 30 volunteers from these groups, including physcians, nurses, physician assistants, students, and their friends and family typed, translated, tested and talked throughout the day make the event a success More.....

I.S.S.O Seva Bone Marrow Drive – Queens, New York

When you decide to become a bone marrow donor, you join the global movement of more than 10 million donors who stand ready to give someone a future. On Sunday, March 30, 2008 representatives from South Asian advocacy organization, SUNY Downstate Medical Center and ISSO Seva worked together with SAMAR (the South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters) searching from minority groups for blood stem cell / marrow donors for patients diagnosed with leukemia and other fatal blood disorders.

Come out and join the bone marrow donor Registry at your local bone marrow drive or center and give hope to patients everywhere More.....

I.S.S.O. Seva Blood Drive – Norwalk, California

Every day, hospitals and health care organizations face the challenge to provide vital blood products and services cost effectively. ISSO Seva united with HemaCare Corporation Inc. to met this challenge by providing customized blood programs based on the specific needs of each health care provider. Satsangis and the local Indian community came together to increase the local blood supply to regional centers in Los Angeles during the Patotsav Celebrations of I.S.S.O. Swaminarayan Mandir in Norwalk, California on December 15th, 2007.

A blood donation truly is a “gift of life” that a healthy individual can give to others in their community who are sick or injured. In one hour’s time, a person can donate one unit of blood that can be separated into four individual components that could help save multiple lives.

Please come out and donate at the next Seva Blood Drive at your local I.S.S.O. Swaminarayan Mandir More.....

I.S.S.O. Seva Health Fair – Norwalk, California

To prevent illness and disease, ISSO Seva Health Care Professionals will literally go the extra mile. Seva’s Health fair can be found in communities across the nation offering a comprehensive battery of tests. 76 patients were individually tested and each gained priceless insight into their health status. 54 patients were administered Flu Vaccinations by ISSO Seva Health Care Professionals during the Patotsav Celebrations of I.S.S.O. Swaminarayan Mandir in Norwalk, California on December 15th, 2007.

ISSO Seva plans and coordinates interactive health fairs worldwide. Seva’s Health Fair provided valuable health information and screening services to the local community of Norwalk, California. Through early detection, health screenings have saved numerous patients their emotional and financial costs of medical conditions that have advanced because they were undetected.

Built differently from the inside out, ISSO Seva possesses the unique capacity to deliver innovative, state-of-the-art health risk assessments, directly to your doorstep. Seva Health Fairs are becoming the national leader in the early detection and prevention of disease. Testing hundreds of thousands of individuals throughout the world, Seva Health Fairs are pioneering prevention by offering a unique delivery system which includes health risk assessments, health coaching, basic and advanced testing and comprehensive aggregate reporting.

For more information on ISSO Seva Wellness Programs, please click on the link Contact Us on the www.issoseva.org website More.....

ISSO-Seva & Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M) continue help build the national bone marrow donor registry. A total of 24 donors were added to the national database during the Patotsav Celebrations of I.S.S.O. Swaminarayan Mandir in Norwalk, California on December 15th, 2007.

Dr. Narayan Swami of the A3M Bone Marrow Organization addressed the satsang sabha regarding the need of the Indian community becoming enlisted in the national bone marrow registry. He discussed that for a successful transplant, the tissue type of a bone marrow donor or a cord blood unit needs to match the patient’s as closely as possible. Special testing determines whether a patient and bone marrow donor or cord blood unit are a good match. The closer the match, the better for the patient.

Dr. Swami states that your heritage can make all the difference. If you are from a minority community, you are urgently needed as a bone marrow donor or cord blood donor. The National Bone Marrow Registry is of millions. But we still do not have matched bone marrow donors or cord blood units for all patients, especially those from racially and ethnically diverse communities.

We need more new donors to join the Registry and expectant parents to donate cord blood. With your help, more people will receive a transplant and more families will have a future filled with hope. Come out and donate at the next ISSO Seva Bone Marrow Drive at your nearby ISSO Swaminarayan Mandir More.....

Child development refers to how a child becomes able to do more complex things as they get older. Development is different than growth. Growth only refers to the child getting bigger in size. ISSO Seva Pediatricians educated parents about normal development at the pediatric health fair. 34 children were screened for developmental delays at the Seva Health Clinic in the I.S.S.O Swaminarayan Mandir in Colonia, NJ on December 8th, 2007. Each child that was seen at the health fair was given a “goody bag” donated from a local pharmaceutical company.

Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children can do at a certain age range. Seva Pediatricians used milestones to help check how each child was developing. Although each milestone has an age level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can vary quite a bit. Each parent had the opportunity to discuss there concerns at the health fair.

Seva Health Clinics are held every alternating Saturday during satsang sabhas at the I.S.S.O Swaminarayan Mandir, 220 Temple Way, Colonia, NJ More.....

“Serving the world, one soul at a time…”

I.S.S.O-Seva, an independent international charitable organisation which operates under its parent organization I.S.S.O, is proud to announce the launch of www.issoseva.org. This site will provide up to date information on the activities and the accomplishments of I.S.S.O-Seva.

I.S.S.O-Seva was established in January of 2001 under the guidance of His Holiness 1008 Shree Koshalendraprasadji Maharajshree. The ultimate goal of I.S.S.O-Seva is to serve humanity both locally and globally by providing not only medical care and health education, but by providing any form of seva that will establish a safer and healthier environment for all. Launch Site