An eight ( 8 ) Session Shrimad Bhagvat Maha Puran Yagya is being held at Shri Surya Narayan Mandir in Queens, NY, USA. The Yajna commenced on Oct 19 and concludes on 26th, 2025. The sponsors of the Yajna are Pandit Gurdatt Jagnanan and Shreemattie Ahilya (Nirmala) Jagnanan and children – Pt. Kavindra Jagnanan, Hemanjali Hardowar Pandey, and Kamila Singh.
The Yajna is being conducted to celebrate Panditji Gurdattji’s 75th Birthday. Pandit-ji is the President of the Federation of Hindu Mandirs and also serves as a Trustee Member of the USA Pandits Parishad.
The family sponsors this yajna for the upliftment of society as a whole. The public is invited.
The officiating Vyaasji for the Yajna is – Pt. Suraj Hardowar Pandey. This Yajna is the first that Pt. Suraj has ever read in its entirety. He is assisted by: Pt. Sewram Hardowar Pandey, Pt. Tulsiram Narain, Pt. Kavindra Jagnanan and Pt. Dr Sanjay Ramkissoon and other pandits of Shri Surya Narayan Mandir. The yag has been from October 19th and will continue thru October 26th, 2025 from 6 pm – 9:30 pm. It concludes on Sunday, Oct. 26th: 9 am – 1 pm.
The Yagya is being held at Shri Surya Narayan Mandir at 92-17 172nd Street, Jamaica, NY 11433.
The vyasji, Pandit Suraj Hardowar Pandey, hails from a lineage of Brahmin pandits. He traces his lineage back to his great grandfather, Pandit Hardowar Pandey who migrated from India to Guyana in 1901. His grandfather is the late and illustrious Dharmacharya Ramnarain Hardowar Pandey, founder of the Shiva Mandir in Crabwood Creek, Guyana, the Shri Surya Narayan Mandir here in New York and Orlando, Florida. He is the eldest son of Pt. Sewram and Shrimattie Sabita Hardowar Pandey and elder brother to Pandit Aditya Hardowar Pandey. His Vivaah Samskara was done just last year, and he is married to Shrimattie Hemanjali Hardowar Pandey
Pt Suraj was initiated with his Upanayana Samskara in 2008 under the tutelage of his Sat Guru Pt. Vishnu and Guruma Kunti Hardowar Pandey. He also acknowledges and gives tremendous thanks to his Vidya Guru Dharmacharya Pandit Ram Hardowar Pandey and Vidya Guru Ma Shrimattie Radha Hardowar Pandey for the religious and spiritual training in his formative years. Panditji is certified as a Purohit by the USA Pandits Parishad and currently Pt Suraj also serves as the General Secretary of the USAPP. Panditji of course is a resident Pandit of the Shri Surya Narayana Mandir, USAPP and most recently the Shri Radha Krishna Mandir Inc.
In addition to his spiritual journey, Panditji Suraj also has a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Old Westbury. He currently works as an Accountant for a Major Defense Subcontractor Company headquartered in Virginia.
Panditji’s motto falls in line with the motto of his family and ancestors which is to, “Keep your Dharma Alive”. Protect Sanatana Dharma and Santana Dharma will protect you is the philosophy he lives by.
The sponsors expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the individuals who assisted in making the yagyna a success.
